Hiss & Tell: Cat Behavior and Beyond

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Cats have a reputation for being mysterious, stubborn, and “low maintenance” but that story falls apart fast when you look at the science. I’m joined by Dr. Monique Udell, professor at Oregon State University and director of the Human Animal Interaction Lab, to unpack what research reveals about feline cognition, cat communication, and the everyday ways cats pay attention to us.

We talk about why dog cognition has dominated the spotlight, how early psychology research actually relied on cats, and what changes when we design studies that make sense to feline motivation. Dr. Udell shares what her lab is learning about cats in training classes, cat assisted interventions, and cat child partnerships, plus the surprisingly important role of social rewards. If you’ve ever felt like your cat “gets bored” with treats or quits after a few reps, you’ll understand why that can be normal cat behavior, not a personality flaw.

Then we dive into the signals many of us miss: subtle body language, consent cues during petting, how cats respond to human attention, and why scent, sound, and even learned words matter in a cat’s world. We also break down persistent myths that harm cat welfare, from the idea that cats can’t be trained to the belief that indoor cats don’t need daily enrichment. You’ll leave with concrete, evidence-based ideas for enrichment, play, and foundational skills like carrier training and harness training that can make vet care and emergencies safer.

Subscribe for more science-backed cat behavior conversations, share this with a fellow cat person, and leave a rating or review if it helped you see your cat differently.

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Grief gets policed in ways we rarely admit, and pet loss is where that policing shows up fast. When someone says “it was just a cat,” they’re not only dismissing your relationship, they’re dodging the reality that love creates responsibility and loss. I’m joined by journalist and author s.e. smith to talk about their upcoming book, *All My Dead Cats and Other Losses*, and how pet bereavement can open the door to deeper, more honest conversations about mourning in the United States.

We dig into why our culture struggles to validate grief, why people often show up briefly and then disappear, and how capitalism pressures us to return to work and “be normal” before we’ve processed anything. s.e. breaks down the bias in how people respond to dog loss versus cat loss, how pets can represent entire eras of our lives, and what it means to treat grief as a collective project instead of a private burden you’re supposed to handle alone.

We also get practical about end-of-life care: euthanasia guilt, the myth of the peaceful “natural death,” quality-of-life tracking, and the value of planning ahead so you’re not forced into a crisis goodbye. Then we talk rituals that actually help, from memorials and viewings to altars and carrying small mementos, plus how social media can both normalize grief and complicate it with parasocial intensity.

If you’ve ever felt ashamed of how deeply you grieve an animal companion or unsure how to support someone who is hurting, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves their pets, and leave a rating or review so more people can find the show.

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Cat pee on the rug. Poop beside the box. A cat who “always used it before” and suddenly won’t. Those moments feel personal, but they’re usually biology, stress, or a litter box setup that isn’t working anymore. I’m joined by Dr. Jacklyn Ellis, Director of Behavior at the Toronto Humane Society, to get uncomfortably specific about what cats are doing in the litter box and what they’re trying to tell us.

We unpack the science of feline elimination behavior, including how researchers build an ethogram to capture dozens of distinct “micro behaviors” that most of us never notice. Dr. Ellis explains what changes when cats move between an enriched environment and a restrictive, clinic-like one and why holding urine can be more than a behavior issue. We also talk about the subtle signs of discomfort, from pawing at the wall to repeated aborted attempts, and when a vet visit matters even if your cat seems “fine,” especially with conditions tied to FLUTD and hidden pain.

Then we dive into her multicat household litter box research: clean vs dirty boxes, whether cats care who used it, and the surprising difference between odor and physical obstruction. If you’ve ever wondered how often to scoop, whether scented litter helps, or how “one box per cat plus one” actually plays out in real homes, you’ll leave with clear, practical guidance, including how to run a simple preference test and why box size is often the biggest win.

If this helped you see your cat differently, subscribe, share the episode with a fellow cat person, and leave a rating or review so more owners can solve litter box problems with empathy and evidence.

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Cat aggression, overgrooming, and litter box “problems” are easy to label and surprisingly hard to solve, especially when we treat the behavior as the diagnosis. We sit down with veterinary psychiatrist Dr. Sagi Dennenberg to get underneath the label and into what’s actually driving the cat’s behaviors: fear, anxiety, frustration, learned patterns, pain, and even underdiagnosed skin disease.

We talk about why behavior and physical health are inseparable in cats, including how stress can skew vital signs and lab results and why “my cat is not herself” can be an early warning sign before anything obvious shows up on an exam. Sagi explains what a true behavioral diagnosis looks like, why home observation and video can reveal subtle pain, and how clinicians can avoid the trap of calling something “psychogenic” too quickly.

Then we demystify psychoactive medications for cats. We cover what meds can realistically do (normalize biological behaviors and lower emotional intensity) and what they cannot do (teach skills or replace behavior modification). You’ll hear how diagnosis guides medication choice, what to expect from SSRIs like fluoxetine, how to think about timelines and tapering, and why many “side effects” are actually a return to normal sleep and eating patterns. We also get practical about dosing challenges, including when transdermal medications may help and when they can backfire, especially in multicat homes.

If you’ve felt unsure about cat behavior meds, worried about side effects, or stuck with an ongoing behavior issue, this conversation will give you a clearer framework and more confidence in your next steps. Subscribe for more, share this with a fellow cat person, and leave a rating or review so more listeners can find the show.

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Your cat is “telling you” what they feel. The problem is that most of us are listening with the wrong cues. I sit down with Professor Serenella d'Ingeo, an animal physiology and behavior researcher, to unpack what the science of feline communication actually says and why humans routinely miss stress signals that are right in front of us.

We talk about why cats can seem aloof or unreadable compared with dogs, including their different domestication history and the fact that cats are facultatively social. From there, we dig into research findings that are a little uncomfortable but incredibly useful: people are only slightly better than chance at identifying whether a cat is relaxed, tense, or fearful, and the observer’s characteristics and experience can matter more than the cat’s behavior itself. If you live with an indoor cat whose environment depends on you, that gap in understanding has real consequences for welfare, chronic stress, anxiety, and behavior problems.

Then we get practical with cat body language and petting consent. We break down what to watch across the whole body, how pupil size can be an early indicator of arousal, and why “staying still” during petting is not the same as enjoying it. I also share an easy tool for cat parents: record your petting sessions on your phone and replay them to catch the tiny moment your cat says “enough” before it turns into petting aggression.

We also explore multicat household dynamics and when to intervene, plus one of the most fascinating studies on cat scent and brain lateralization, including a nostril preference linked to stress processing. If you care about cat behavior, feline stress signals, and building a calmer home, hit play, subscribe, and share this with a fellow cat person, then leave a rating or review so more listeners can find the show.

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Your cat isn’t “fine” just because they’re quiet! Cats are built to hide pain, and that’s exactly why so many chronic issues like kidney disease, dental disease, arthritis, hypertension, and even heart disease get missed until they explode into a crisis.

I sit down with veterinarian Dr. Kevin Toman, who has 40 years in practice and now focuses on pet longevity science, to talk about how to help cats not only live longer but live better. We dig into the subtle at-home signals that matter most, why litter box changes often point to medical problems, and how simple diagnostics like SDMA, urinalysis, blood pressure checks, and the Pro-BNP test can act as an early warning system. If you’ve ever wondered whether your cat’s “aging” is actually treatable pain, this conversation gives you a practical framework.

We also tackle the confusing stuff: supplement hype versus evidence, nutrition marketing that targets humans instead of feline biology, and the most reliable longevity lever most households can actually implement: calorie control paired with better enrichment. Then we get into hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition Dr. Toman says may affect up to one in six cats, and what’s changed recently with rapamycin and other prescription longevity drugs. We close with clear, actionable steps and the kinds of “why” questions to ask your vet so your cat’s care fits their real risk.

If you found this helpful, subscribe, share the episode with another cat guardian, and leave a rating or review so more people can find the show. What’s one health topic you want us to go deeper on next?

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Your cat is missing and everyone has advice, but a lot of it can make things worse. I sit down with Kimberly Freeman, a professional lost cat finder who has reunited cats with their families across nearly every state and more than 24 countries, to lay out what actually works when a missing cat disappears into stress mode.

We dig into lost cat behavior: why cats often hide in silence, why they may not come when called, and why a friendly cat can still hiss or bite when you finally find them. Kimberly breaks down the biggest myths in the lost pet world, including putting a litter box outside, relying on social media alone, and assuming a cat is dead after just a few days. We also talk about how far indoor-only cats typically go, why some cats get trapped in basements, garages, and sheds, and the surprisingly common “transport” scenario where a cat rides under a car and jumps out miles away.

You’ll hear a practical, science-based approach to searching: how to profile your specific situation using indoor vs outdoor history, personality, weather, and neighborhood layout, plus the real clues most people miss like fur, paw prints, fence marks, and patterns of movement. We clear up microchip misconceptions (it’s ID, not GPS), compare GPS collars, RFID, and AirTags, and share what to do in the first hour, including how to avoid lost pet scams.

If you want a calm, systematic missing cat search plan you can act on immediately, this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more cat behavior help, share this with a friend who loves cats, and please leave a rating or review so more cat parents can find the show.

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“My cat is being difficult” is one of the most common lines I hear as a clinical feline behaviorist, and it’s usually pointing to something deeper than “bad behavior.” I’m joined by Dr. Zazie Todd, psychologist, animal behavior expert, psychologist and author of Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy, to unpack what’s really going on when cats swat, bite, hide, scratch the wrong things, or seem moody and unpredictable.

We get practical fast: how to set up your home for feline well-being with simple hiding spots and perches, how boredom shows up in indoor cats, and why choices and control matter so much to cat welfare. We also dig into reward-based training and clicker training, including how to teach a cat to feel safe in a carrier so vet visits don’t turn into a wrestling match. Along the way, we talk about why punishment and dominance myths harm the human-cat bond and can increase fear, anxiety, and aggression.

Then we zoom in on communication. We break down the body language that people miss, why the “belly flop” isn’t always an invitation, and what to watch for when petting turns into overstimulation. If you live with multiple cats, we cover how to tell real fighting from play by looking for role swaps, loose bodies, pauses, and whether claws are out. We also share where feline behavior research is growing and what we still need to learn, especially about kittens and socialization.

If you want a calmer home and a happier cat, listen, share it with a fellow cat guardian, and please subscribe and leave a rating or review so more people can find science-based cat behavior help.

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Kindness is having a weird moment right now, and I mean that as a compliment. I sit down with CatBeats, a cat-loving electronic musician (and my longtime friend), to talk about how cats can pull us out of our heads and back into the present, whether that shows up as music, meditation, or just learning to live by consent and patience.

We dig into how CatBeats began: two cats, a noisy news cycle, and a need for healing music. From there, we get real about grief and what cat grief can look like after a loss, including why animals can struggle quietly in ways people often overlook. We also explore “music for cats,” including research and shelter use cases, and why purring, rhythm, and familiar sound cues may matter more than we think.

Then we pivot to community and impact: the All Cats Are Cute charity vinyl and why we chose Brooklyn Animal Action, plus how rescue, TNR, and community cat support depend on humans who rarely get enough backup. We also hit punk history, ethical questions around exotic cats and animal cafes, and a very practical cat behavior tip for stopping nighttime foot attacks (yes, it works, and yes, it takes commitment).

If you care about cat behavior, animal welfare, cat rescue, and the oddly healing power of a good purr, you’ll find a lot here. Subscribe for more, share this with a cat person in your life, and please leave a rating or review so the show can reach more listeners.

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A cat’s skin ripples, the tail whips, and suddenly the whole house feels on edge. We sit down with Dr. Stefania Uccheddu, a veterinary behaviorist and diplomate of the European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioral Medicine, to decode feline hyperesthesia - a condition that blurs the boundaries between neurology, dermatology, and behavior. 

We share what caregivers actually see - rolling skin, flank licking, tail chasing, self-directed aggression - and why these events often ride a wave of predatory frustration and low resilience. Drawing on Dr. Uccheddu's long-term study, we compare three practical paths: medication alone, behavior modification, and their combination. The headline: both meds and behavior change work, but environmental and behavioral adjustments drive stronger long-term stability. Gabapentin offers fast relief for sensory-pain arousal; fluoxetine supports emotional regulation. Used together with targeted enrichment, they give sensitive cats a calmer baseline and a safer way to live in busy human homes.

If you’re navigating hyperesthesia, this conversation delivers a blueprint. We walk through the five pillars of a cat-friendly home, consent-based handling, and play that mimics prey from stalk to catch. You’ll hear how to identify and defuse triggers, create quiet retreats, use puzzle feeders to channel focus, and prevent episodes before they crest. We also unpack early socialization gaps, orphaned kittens, and why modern indoor life can overwhelm genetically sensitive cats - plus how to taper medication after a stable year and keep gabapentin as an “emergency kit” for moves, visitors, and big changes.

Come for the science, stay for the hope. With careful observation, smart enrichment, and humane use of medication, even severe cases can turn the corner. If this helped you or someone you know, subscribe, leave a review, and share your cat’s biggest trigger - we’ll feature tips and updates in future Ask the Behaviorist segments.