#844B: Nancy Peterson of the National Kitten Coalition talks about the challenges and successes in groups across the country rescuing kittens, but she urges people not to disturb little kittens in a nest because their mother is surely looking after them — and it gives them a better chance of survival.

#844A: Tracie was surprised to learn that yet another prestigious college has dog studies — the Yale Center Canine Cognition Lab. She talks to Dr. Zachary Silver, who got his degree and is leaving to start a dog studies program at Occidental College, where he will be a professor, finding the study of co-evolution with dogs and awareness of their social cognition endlessly fascinating.

843C: Veterinary oncologist Dr. Craig Clifford talks about the Take C.H.A.R.G.E cancer registry and how doctors and scientists are doing comparative oncology research into similarities between some cancers common to children and canines to benefit both species.

843B: Dr. Rupal Tewari is a stem cell scientist and veterinarian who speaks to Tracie from her BioCraft laboratory in Vienna, Austria (via her professional progression from India to Italy) about the challenges and rewards of creating cultured mouse meat and chicken meat as future sources of protein for pet foods.

843A: Katie Haegele talks about her art-infused stories in her book “Cats I’ve Known: On Love, Loss, and Being Graciously Ignored” and also her Cat Zine series, creating some of the most delightful tales Tracie has encountered about the feline-canine bond.

#842C: Ace Tilton is a fascinating person, who worked in a mortuary before following their love of dogs into a home euthanasia business with their veterinarian husband. Then they wrote this book — “The Little Book of Dog Care: Expert Advice on Giving Your Dogs Their Best Life” — which grew out of a lifelong love of dogs, offering advice and anecdotes from a unique perspective. 

#842B: Tena Lundquist and her twin sister Tama are the heroines of this documentary about the terrible plight of tens of thousands of homeless dogs in Houston. Tena talks about how they and a few determined animal-lovers are working to change animal welfare in their city.

#842A: Lynn Hightower’s riveting thriller has a brave and valiant dog at the center, whose devotion gets the heroine through the deepest loss and grief — and jeopardy.

#841C: Dr. Geraldine Deitheim describes how she and other veterinarians use cold laser for pain control and healing in pets.

#841B: Dr. Curtis Huttenhower, who runs the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, talks about the One Health comparison of gut biome in dogs, cats and people and what it can reveal about obesity.