What to Expect at a Cat Cafe (or Shelter Cat Room) When You're a DOG Person #BetterWithPets

Dog people, stay with me; this is for YOU!
Cat people, you stay too. Segregation and exclusion is just plain wrong! Plus I want your input!

Not a meerkat, a mere cat. ☺

So last time we were together, I gave you an overview of the Purina® Better With Pets Summit that I attended earlier this month in Brooklyn, NY. As a quick recap: After having been invited by Nestle Purina to attend, and some excessive celebration, I traveled to NYC to attend the day-long summit on November 3. At the summit I listened to/interacted with a whole bunch of brilliant, highly educated pet people tell interesting stories about how their research, experiences and innovative ideas are improving the emotional wellness of not only our pets, but all of us who love them.

I also divulged how I once ate some of my cat's Purina Cat Chow® and that the dogs and cats might not have been the only cute things at the Brooklyn Expo Center.☺

Me and the co-proprietor of Cybercat Exotics, a NJ-based cat rescue and talent agency.
I forgot to ask the cats for their names. 

And - which brings me to the subject of today's post - I spent 30 minutes inside a room decorated for and full of incredibly social and loving, free roaming cats*.

Dear Dog People: Let's talk about cats for a bit.

But first, let me offer you an analogy: A cat is to a dog as a manual (stick shift) transmission is to a fully automatic. Both cats and dogs are pets, and both types of transmissions come with cars. But - as a person with experience driving both - tell me, who in the heck can just go out and drive a stick shift without learning and practicing a few times? NO ONE! Well, I will argue the same goes for cats!

What I'm saying is, CATS ARE STICK SHIFTS AND DOGS ARE AUTOMATIC. There's a learning curve with both, but cats require just a little more "coordination." A little more practice. And I promise, once you get them, you always will! And they are SO MUCH FUN to drive be around!

Panel 1: An Evolving Relationship With Cats?
L-R: moderator, professor Western Carolina University, Hal Herzog, Ph.D.; Nestle Purina behaviorist, Sandra Lyn, Ph.D.; co-founder Meow Parlour (NYC's 1st cat cafe), Christina Ha; co-owner Feline Minds, Mikel Maria Delgado, Ph.D. candidate, CCBC

A Little Background From the Summit

During the first of the three expert panel discussions, entitled An Evolving Relationship With Cats?, the focus was on the changing nature of our relationship with cats and what that might mean for a new generation of pet owners. What struck me the most during the discussion, and even more so after speaking one-on-one with panelist Christina Ha, co-founder of Meow Parlour, NY's first cat cafe, and spending quality time in the interactive cat room, was that cat cafes and shelter cat rooms are completely underutilized.

By dog people†.

But we can do something about that, right?

Who's ready to go with me to a cat cafe?

What do you mean you're not sure? You already see cats all day on social media and you can do that at the office?

Oh wait, no! Silly me; you've got the wrong idea!

Kitty ain't got time for social media. Also? Those are cat people. Pressing the kitty "clutch" and shooting pics at the same time.
Show-offs.

A cat cafe is a place where people go to chill out, with other people and REAL LIVE (not two-dimensional social media) cats!

It's true! Imagine your local coffee shop, except without the serving counter (health regulations in the U.S. prohibit the preparation and selling of food and beverages on site with animals; however, one can purchase these items nearby and bring them into the cat cafe to consume), decorated with kitty-friendly furnishings and toys and most tellingly: occupied by plenty of free-roaming (probably adult**) cats!

Where do the cats in the cat cafe come from? Do I bring my own?

First of all, NO, you do not bring your own! Second of all, at least at the Meow Parlour in NY, according to Ha, the cats come from a local cat rescue in partnership with the cafe. According to research (discussed on the panel), cats are most happy being with other cats, especially when they are in a stressful (e.g., shelter) environment, where they have little control. In fact, more timid shelter cats - who've previously been overlooked by potential adopters - after being placed in free-roaming group settings (like a cat cafe***), will gradually gain confidence, come out of their shells around people, and find their forever homes in no time!

And you know what else? When one (say you or I) is at ease in the cat cafe environment? All those kitties are like the best natural chill pill after a long day that a person could possibly imagine!

Syxx is chillin' not illin'.

A Dog Person's Guide to Experiencing a Cat Cafe
(or dedicated room full of free-roaming cats, like for example, at your local animal shelter)

OK, so here we are, at the front door (probably glass, so you can see through it). Let's go in!

These are cat people. Do not try this without certification. Also, put the phone down. There's plenty of time for that later. 

IMPORTANT! Before you do anything, stop and take it all in! Don't just go rushing over to the first cat you see.

Cats, in fact, MUCH PREFER THAT YOU BE STILL AND ALLOW THEM TO COME TO YOU.

A vertical kitty wonderland...just think how much floor space they saved!

Kitty in the sky with cat grass.

Did you notice the cat on the wall shelf? Good! It's OK, that's what the shelves are there for. Cats - as natural climbers - feel safe when they're ABOVE most everything else. But they always come down, eventually. And, don't worry, it won't be on top of your unsuspecting head.

So, scope out a comfy couch or chair or beanbag, and settle in!

Obviously, this picture was taken before the cats arrived. 

Now, you will undoubtedly notice that cats are NOTHING LIKE DOGS, for instance:

<> No one is going to rush you for your danish or other portable snack food (if you brought any in). Cats  - being carnivores - do not care for these items. You will, in fact, be able to eat in peace.

<> No one is going to rush you at all, for any reason. Remember, cats DO enjoy human companionship, but they can take a while getting around to it. (Unless you're dealing with a SUPER friendly kitty who wants to jump in your lap as soon as your butt hits the cushion. This is also normal. All cats are different. Do not be alarmed if a friendly kitty plops in your lap.)

Jon Farleigh and Dewi tried to be like Bobby Flay O'Fish for 10 minutes. It was the worst 10 minutes - other than when the neuter drugs wore off - ever.

So it's been five looong minutes, but zero kitties are within petting distance yet?

Relax (like literally, sink into that couch and take a load off)! It'll happen!

The mouse is spiked. 

A WORD ABOUT EYE CONTACT

Cats sometimes squint when they're looking at people. This does not mean they have a speck of dust lodged in their eye. Or that they are giving you the stink-eye, are disinterested, or sizing you up for a meal. It actually means that the cat LIKES YOU. Squinty eye contact means kitty is relaxed and views you as non-threatening. (Big, wide eyes would be a problem, in comparison.) Feel free to go ahead and pet squinty-eyed kitty (if she's not already in your lap or rubbing all over you). And no worries, you don't need to squint back. Normal people eyes are OK (just don't hold contact any longer than you'd want a stranger to do to you)!

15 minutes later...



Excuse me, Elizabeth, but I was just sitting here petting one kitty and now there are FOUR KITTIES surrounding me on the couch!

Oh yay! That's because they ALL want to be your friend! ☺ Don't worry about trying to pet all of them, though, cats are content just hanging out nearby. You decide whether you want to visit with each kitty or not.

Oh, and that drop in blood pressure you might be experiencing? Do you hear the purring? Did you know scientific studies have shown that the decibel range of a domestic cat's purr can improve human health, including lowering blood pressure, stress, and even healing of bone and muscle injuries? It can! Shoot, it might even put you straight to sleep...

Hey, wake up, you! No dozing 'til the end!

So, you've been here a while. Had a snack and some coffee. Hung out with a few happy cats...

Think you could get used to it? Maybe get on the floor and toss some toys around next time? Or even pick up a willing kitty and hold it a little (some cats love to be held, and others not; you just have to try them and see)?

You know? If you like it here that much, you could always adopt your favorite and take her/him home! Or even better - take TWO home!

Great job today, y'all! Let's do this again!

Check y'all later. 

There are so many things I learned from the summit that I've not covered. For more information, including expert bios, go here.

* Most (if not all) of the cats in the kitty room belonged to NJ-based rescue, Cybercat Exotics.

** Adult cats are favored over kittens because the older cats - who might otherwise be looked over for adoption - are simply most in need of confidence-building and human socialization. Plus kittens fall asleep at the flit of a fly. And well, who wants to wake a sleeping kitten?

Narcolepsy.

*** Some animal shelters, such as my local Richmond SPCA, have free-roaming cat rooms with open visitation for potential adopters. Not only does it help make matches for the homeless animals, but it's wonderful for their socialization and reducing people stress. I should know!

† Also possibly by men and older-than-millennials, but that's a topic for another day. 

Cat behavior facts discussed at the summit are in blue. 

Photo credit Purina (unless the photo is grainy, in which case, it's mine). 

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So tell me, who'd be up for visiting a cat cafe in real life? Has anyone ever been to one? How about a free-roaming kitty room at a local animal shelter? If yes, how did it make you feel?

Including the Time I Ate Purina Cat Chow, My Life Has Always Been #BetterWithPets (2015 Summit)

No one ever told Thomas cats don't like snow.
It would be the beginnings of a years-long mutually beneficial relationship. 

It's one of those early childhood recollections that, somehow, instead of getting catalogued for the long-term, is destined for display on an endcap in the library of one's memory.

I was between five and six years old, sitting on the vinyl floor of the modest square kitchen at the front of my family's townhouse, directly left of the front door. Besides my Siamese cat Thomas, who was shamelessly circling my person, purring and plowing every square inch of his slick, chocolate and tan coat into my back and arms, I was alone in the room. I had decided to join Thomas at his food dish for a mid-morning (or -afternoon, that detail is missing. Still, I know it was an off time, since at standard mealtimes, I would've never been in the kitchen unsupervised) snack.

Thomas. Cat, playmate, guardian, Jr. High tear catcher, snack sharer.

I'm not exactly sure how long I was sitting there - most likely remarking to Thomas about the green gingham pattern on my polyester, bell-bottom pants, for example, or how I was gonna go roller skating in the parking lot (outside my front door) later, and would he like to watch me from the patch of grass that was our front yard - before I got the urge. 

The dish was sitting in the same place it always was, pushed up to the baseboard and out of the way of foot traffic. And as always, it had a little bit of kibble in it - Purina® Cat Chow®, to be precise. It was the only food we ever fed our cats. Except back in the day - when I was a kid - the pieces were shaped like little x's, not the mini-hockey pucks they are today+. Thomas didn't seem to be all that hungry, since he was opting to deposit his invisible scent and loose fur all over me, rather than partake of the brownish-red colored bounty before him.

And so I thought (with my innocent, five and a half-year-old mind) this is my chance: if Thomas thinks the stuff is all that - and why wouldn't he? It looks like a bowl of natural-colored Apple Jacks®*, except, unlike Apple Jacks, has a savory, almost snack food-like aroma - then, by golly, why shouldn't I?

Elizabeth. 5.5-year-old Cat Chow connoisseur. 

So, I took a quick look behind me and both ways down the hallway, just to be sure there'd be no human witnesses, and I did it: reached in Thomas' bowl, snatched a Kindergartner-sized fistful of Cat Chow and, without a moment's hesitation, crammed the whole pointy lot into my mouth.

Interestingly, my recollection after this point is less vivid - except for the undeniable memory of unexpected tang (not as bad as a black jellybean surprise, but no where near as good as the bacon bits I thought it was gonna be), as I attempted to chew. I'm not even sure if I actually did chew it up...or swallow it...or run to the trash can and spit it all out. None of that really makes a difference to the story, truthfully.

What does matter to this story, and to every other kid's story - when they have the responsibility of helping to care for a pet - is this:

THERE'S A REASON PEOPLE DON'T GO AROUND EATING PET FOOD; ASK FOR SOME POPCORN INSTEAD!

I never ate cat food (and only once did I try a piece of Jon Farleigh's birthday cake, that I bought at the local doggy treat bakery) again.

Christmas Day 1975. Banana seat, bell bottoms, big plans. 

* It occurs to me now that Apple Jacks are, in fact, shaped like circles, and not jacks at all. Which begs the question, WHY? I mean, who the fritter is Jack, and why is he made of apple? Never mind. ☺

Fast forward 40 years...

Dewi. #BetterAtHomeWithCorgis ♥

Purina is still impacting my life - and the lives of countless others, people and pets included. And it's not just about food.

Earlier this week I had the honor and privilege (OK, let's get real: the Nestle Purina people awarded me an all-expenses paid trip to NYC to talk cats and dogs, and I ran around the room squealing like an Adam Levine groupie!) of attending their third annual Purina Better With Pets Summit in Brooklyn, NY†.

The summit serves to - straight from the inside cover of my program, according to Purina - "...bring together the brightest minds in pet science and culture, to share how big, innovative ideas are improving the emotional wellness of pets and the people who love them."

And, I was in esteemed company: not only some of the best pet writers and bloggers I know (including some who are role models for me), but journalists, editors, business owners, marketing gurus, columnists, YouTubers, publishers, scientists, engineers, veterinarians, animal behaviorists, and shoot, even an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning ABC News documentary producer, who happens to also star in Bravo's Real Housewives of New York!

Carole Radziwill. Award-winning news documentary producer, lifelong animal lover, Real Housewife of New York.

Y'all, can I have a moment? When I was a girl, I wanted to be flipping ALL of these people when I grew up! (OK, maybe I didn't want to be a reality TV star, but still!)

To be sure, Purina put together a well-versed group of thought leaders, covering a wide-range of emotional wellness topics, from dogs bringing together rural communities on the brink, to cat cafes and their potential impact on millennials, to revolutionary advancements in shelter enclosures, to the specific rewards of dog ownership for children who are autistic or survivors of abuse. 

The main gist?

With the millions upon millions of pets already in the world, can you imagine the potential positive effects on society? Can you believe we've gone several lifetimes and are just now catching on?

It's hard for me to believe, too, but I'm sure you'll join me in being thankful there are some really smart pet people in the world who are doing something the frick about it!

Alexandra Johnson. Really smart person, designer responsible for new and upcoming Purina interactive feeding toys, listened to me go on and on about the Cardigan Welsh Corgi rapper in the Beggin'® Party Poppers™ commercial. 

So, tell us more about what you learned at that summit, Elizabeth.

There was so much! But OK, how about these highlights**:

• Purina employs an Alaska-based, Cornell-educated senior research scientist and veterinarian, Dr. Arleigh Reynolds, who - while also training for prestigious races - evaluates the impacts of nutrition on performance in his 30 working sled dogs.

Additionally - while doing all of these things - he has been instrumental in re-introducing working dogs (which have traditionally been an integral part of small Alaskan community culture and livelihood, but with modern technology, were less and less needed) into communities that were/are in decline. With his leadership and expertise, he has helped spread a movement - The Frank Alta Youth Program - which uses Alaskan sled dogs to benefit at-risk students all over rural Alaska. 

Dr. Arleigh Reynolds. Veterinarian, Purina Sr. research nutritionist, sled dog raiser, philanthropist, also, GO WATCH THIS! (photo copyright© Purina, used with permission)

Another moment please, y'all. You know that show called Northern Exposure from the 90s? Where the Ivy League doctor had to go to rural AK and practice medicine to pay off his loan? Yeah, well, imagine Dr. Arleigh Reynolds like that. Except in this version of the show, John Corbett is the doctor, but not for people, for animals. Oh, and imagine John Corbett looked a little like Paul Newman, who looks a little more like Dr. Reynolds than John Corbett. {insert intentional pause} Look, someone had to say it, because I KNOW everybody in that summit room was thinking it! And boy, do I hope Dr. (Arleigh, which is like my corgi J. Farleigh without an F, interestingly) Reynolds - and my husband - don't read this! ☺

• Anthrozoology is a relatively new discipline of study that looks at the relationship between humans and other animals, including the positive effects of animals in society.

• 1 in 3 people in the U.S. has a pet cat.

• Millenials' relationships with cats tend to be hyper-social, meaning relationship expectations are being formed as a result of seeing cats in social media. This can lead to unrealistic expectations of cats. 

• Studies have shown that people who have cats as pets are becoming less likely to identify as being introverted.

Me. Introvert with extroverted tendencies. 

• When cats are stressed, the chemical imbalance in their brains is directly linked to the disease that causes feline lower urinary tract disease‡. When the stressor(s) is removed from the cat's environment, the disease will resolve over time. 

• Dogs and cats prefer pastel colors (vs. bold) in their living quarters.

• Dogs and cats benefit from positive stressors, including working for food through interactive puzzles and games. In field trials, dogs have shown preference for a food puzzle over eating a meal that is simply placed before them.

• Music can be calming for shelter pets. 

• Dog companionship is proven to level the playing field and empower children (and adults) who have trouble communicating, and/or are dealing with difficult situations, including in juvenile and domestic justice systems. 

Black lab service dog. Rocker of worlds. 

I could go on! What a day!

Stay tuned to the blog, though, because there's Part Two! Except next time, I'll expand a bit on the most intriguing (to me) part of the summit: Cat Cafes!

Wondering (like I was) what the heck a Cat Cafe is? And why the heck they might make my heart beat a little bit faster? You'll see! And, oh yeah, I'm writing it specifically for DOG PEOPLE! (Though, I hope cat people will read  - and maybe chime in - too!)

See you back here soon, pet friends!

Me (far right, standing on tip-toes) and a few fellow pet bloggers. Connected online, bonded for life off.
#BetterWithPetsAndFriends ☺

† Tip: If you ever want to see a real-life Sesame Street-looking neighborhood, go to the Brooklyn Expo Center. My Oscar the Grouch PJ's and I would totally fit in there!

+ Turns out, Purina Cat Chow kibble is now - as I saw in the grocery store last night - shaped like little crescent moons, Y's and circles.

‡ Better With Pets distinguished panelist and veterinary professor, Dr. Tony Buffington, is the scientist responsible for discovering this link.

** If you'd like a more detailed, journalistic report of the agenda and speakers, I recommend you go here (Conscious Cat) or here (Fido Friendly). Author and pet expert Amy Shojai has a great video play-by-play here. You can learn more about Purina's Better With Pets mission and experts here.

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