Cattitude

Transcript:

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Michelle Fern: This is Pet Life Radio.

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Announcer: Let's talk pets.

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Michelle Fern: Hello, feline friends, and welcome to Cattitude.

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Michelle Fern: I'm your show host, Michelle Fern.

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Michelle Fern: Today, it's all about the upcoming holiday, Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: I know it's many of my listeners' favorite holidays, and, you know, cats are involved, so we're gonna talk all about Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: We'll be right back.

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Announcer: comfortdiva.com or Comfort Leads Cattitude.

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Michelle Fern: Hey, Michelle Fern here, and you know saving cats is near and dear to my heart.

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Michelle Fern: Did you know that there is an estimated 70 to 100 million free roaming cats in the United States?

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Michelle Fern: And without spay neuter, that number will keep growing.

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Michelle Fern: Not only does spay neuter mainly reduce the community cat population, but it also keeps cats healthier.

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Michelle Fern: scooter, the neutered cat, is on a mission to give cats an extra life by making it hip to be sniffed.

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Michelle Fern: Visit his website, give them ten dot org, to help pioneer a better world for cats.

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Michelle Fern: That's give them ten, spelled out, T-E-N dot org.

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Michelle Fern: Let's Talk Pets on PetLifeRadio.com This is Cattitude, and we are talking about Halloween, which is, you know, it's a fun holiday, we get to dress up, there's a lot of candy.

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Michelle Fern: And I think I read a stat that one third of the candy purchased in the US is purchased around Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: And you go in the grocery store, there are bags and bags this time of year, especially in the US.

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Michelle Fern: I'm not sure about all over the world, but in the US, Halloween is huge.

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Michelle Fern: And today we're going to talk about it and how it relates to your cat.

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Michelle Fern: So let's talk about some history.

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Michelle Fern: Halloween actually dates back to ancient times, to the Celtic Festival of Saun, which is in the area that is now Ireland, UK and Northern France.

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Michelle Fern: And the Celtics believe that their New Year started in November 1st.

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Michelle Fern: And they felt that right before the New Year, it would be the time when the spiritual world and the living world became narrower in a sense, and that the dead returned to the earth.

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Michelle Fern: So they would do various rituals to protect themselves from the dead and the ghosts that were coming up.

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Michelle Fern: They would dress up, they would light bonfires to ward off these ghosts.

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Michelle Fern: So, that's one historical reason, or one reason for the history of Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: Now, going back to where the word Halloween came from, Halloween is actually the evening before the Christian Holy Day of All Saints Day, which is November 1st.

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Michelle Fern: So Halloween, you know, October 31st is Hallows Eve.

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Michelle Fern: So there you go with Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: You know, that's how that came around.

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Michelle Fern: And hey, this is how it all relates to us.

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Michelle Fern: Black cats seem to have some kind of magic, especially around Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: You know, they're used for decoration.

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Michelle Fern: You see black cats everywhere when you're looking at what to decorate your house with in Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: And kind of wonder, where did that get started?

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Michelle Fern: Why is that?

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Michelle Fern: And here we go.

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Michelle Fern: Once again, it goes back to ancient times.

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Michelle Fern: In the Middle Ages, it would believe that witches would turn themselves into a black cat to avoid detection.

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Michelle Fern: So that's where the association came with black cats and witches.

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Michelle Fern: So black cats were thought to be especially mysterious.

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Michelle Fern: You know, cats in general are pretty mysterious, but black cats are especially mysterious.

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Michelle Fern: And that's where also the superstitions about black cats, you know, bringing good luck or bad luck and warding off evil and all of that came from.

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Michelle Fern: They're actually, if you look at all the superstitions around the world, black cats can be considered lucky or unlucky.

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Michelle Fern: Of course, we've all heard the superstition about if a black cat crosses your path, it's unlucky.

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Michelle Fern: That's something really common in North America.

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Michelle Fern: Then on the other side of the coin, if a white cat crosses your path, it's considered lucky.

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Michelle Fern: So there you go.

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Michelle Fern: Then you have the stigma that you actually make your own luck.

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Michelle Fern: So it doesn't matter what color cat crosses your path, your luck is how you view it.

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Michelle Fern: Here's some more superstitions about cats and black cats.

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Michelle Fern: Way back in the 16th century, Italians believed that if a black cat jumped on the bed of an ill person, that person was soon to die.

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Michelle Fern: And there actually was a movie years ago, I think it was a television movie, and it was based on truth that a black cat lived, I don't think the cat was black, a cat lived in this old age home.

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Michelle Fern: And right before somebody passed away, the cat would stay with that person.

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Michelle Fern: And that person knew and family members knew that that person was soon gonna pass away.

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Michelle Fern: And that was something that was actually truthful, that had that happened.

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Michelle Fern: So who knows why?

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Michelle Fern: I mean, maybe the cats could sense something from the person or smell something that we can't.

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Michelle Fern: Who knows?

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Michelle Fern: But that was something that was actually true, that that did happen.

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Michelle Fern: So kind of perplexing.

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Michelle Fern: Here's some more superstitions.

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Michelle Fern: Did you know if you find a single white hair on your black cat, that is considered a great omen?

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Michelle Fern: Yep.

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Michelle Fern: And also, here's one other.

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Michelle Fern: If a black cat is walking towards you, that means you are getting brought good luck.

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Michelle Fern: If a black cat walks away, it's considered that the luck is being taken away from you.

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Michelle Fern: There are a lot of movies and TV shows and famous black cats.

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Michelle Fern: I mean, some of them are not really black, some are more tuxedo cats, but there are a lot of famous cats.

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Michelle Fern: And of course, when you think about black cats, who comes to mind?

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Michelle Fern: You know, black cats and witches, who comes to mind first?

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Michelle Fern: Of course, Salem.

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Michelle Fern: And that's the black cat from Sabrina, the teenage witch.

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Michelle Fern: And that cat was supposedly a person that got turned into a cat.

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Michelle Fern: Then from there, you go to Binks from Hocus Pocus.

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Michelle Fern: And that was another cat that was a human that was turned into a cat.

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Michelle Fern: If I remember correctly, if I'm wrong, send me an email, let me know.

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Michelle Fern: One of the most famous black cats, and he goes back quite a ways is, of course, Felix the cat.

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Michelle Fern: He started in 1919, so a hundred years ago.

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Michelle Fern: We also have Sylvester from Looney Tunes.

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Michelle Fern: He's not really a black cat, he's more a tuxedo cat, but he is also an oldie.

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Michelle Fern: I don't know if he's a hundred years old, but he is way, way up there.

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Michelle Fern: And then, of course, we have Blackie, who is the world's richest cat, according to the Guinness Book of World records.

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Michelle Fern: This cat, in 1988, inherited $12.5 million.

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Michelle Fern: Wow.

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Michelle Fern: But don't think the owner was totally wacko.

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Michelle Fern: That wasn't his entire fortune.

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Michelle Fern: He also left a great deal of money to various cat organizations.

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Michelle Fern: So this pet parent was not only wanted to make sure his cat, Lucky, was taken care of in the best way possible, but he also gave generously to many shelters and other cat organizations.

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Michelle Fern: And let's see.

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Michelle Fern: We also have Snowball 2 from The Simpsons.

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Michelle Fern: I believe Snowball 1 was a white cat.

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Michelle Fern: So Snowball 1 was white, and then so they made Snowball 2 all black.

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Michelle Fern: And last but not least, we have Lucifer, the cat from Cinderella.

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Michelle Fern: So these are just a few of the black cats out there that have been well known throughout history, and thought about, and made the list of famous black cats.

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Michelle Fern: Now we'll be right back, and I will share with you some current lore about black cats, and something you can tweak your cats to on Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: We'll be right back.

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Announcer: Pet Greens is proud to support Cattitude on Pet Life Radio.

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Announcer: Our small family farm produces live organic cat grass, catnip and soft chew treats packed with green nutrition to help your pets truly thrive inside.

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Announcer: We're partnering with pioneer cat behavior expert and best-selling author, Pam Johnson Bennett, to help indoor cats live their best lives with indoor enrichment tips for their parents.

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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Anyone who knows me knows I am a very strong proponent for cats being indoors.

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Pam Johnson-Bennett: But when we bring cats indoors where I feel it's safest, we have an obligation to make sure they have a fulfilling life, that they get enrichment.

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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And part of that enrichment is encouraging health.

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Pam Johnson-Bennett: And a big part of that health is cat grass.

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Pam Johnson-Bennett: Cat grass helps with the prevention of hairballs.

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Pam Johnson-Bennett: It can help keep your cat away from houseplants.

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Pam Johnson-Bennett: It's also fun for your cat.

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Pam Johnson-Bennett: It's a natural behavior that your cat wants to chew, and you know that you're providing it in a safe way.

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Announcer: For more information on the benefits of cat grass and catnip for your cat's indoor enrichment, visit petgreens.com.

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Michelle Fern: Ready for the biggest cat celebration in the world?

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Michelle Fern: Come to the CFA International Cat Show and Expo in Cleveland, Ohio on October 12th and 13th.

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Michelle Fern: The Expo is the world's grandest cat celebration, seamlessly blending pedigree cat exhibitions with feline welfare and rescue initiatives.

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Michelle Fern: It captivates over 10,000 feline enthusiasts each year, celebrating all cats, whether rescue or pedigree in a shared spirit of love and unity.

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Michelle Fern: Dive into cat-themed activations and enlightening educational sessions.

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Michelle Fern: Marvel at 1,000 non-pedigree and pedigree cats, adoptable felines and explore over 100 cat-themed vendors.

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Michelle Fern: It's an event dedicated to honoring our beloved felines and their admirers.

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Michelle Fern: And guess what feline influencers are coming to meet and greet?

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Michelle Fern: YouTube cat video sensation Aaron's Animals, as well as Nathan the Catlany, Lambo, Leesha, Chupy and many, many more.

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Michelle Fern: Gather your cat crew and do whatever it takes to head to the CFA Cat Expo.

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Michelle Fern: It's a whisker-wiggling, tail-twirling extravaganza you won't want to miss.

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Michelle Fern: Get your tickets at cfacatexpo.com.

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Michelle Fern: welcome back, everyone.

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Michelle Fern: We're talking about black cats and Halloween, of course.

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Michelle Fern: And, you know, there's a lot of thought when it comes to black cats on Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: And it used to be very, very common for shelters to not adopt out black cats around the holidays.

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Michelle Fern: And in fact, some still go by this rule.

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Michelle Fern: And there was also very common, and it was very common for the pet world out there to inform pet parents of cats, keep your cats indoors around Halloween, don't let them out and so forth.

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Michelle Fern: I thought that was kind of debunked, but not really.

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Michelle Fern: I still read a lot about it.

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Michelle Fern: And the reason being is, it was thought that around Halloween, people would that found black cats would do evil things to them, you know?

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Michelle Fern: And, you know, evil things to the cats, satanic rituals and strange things.

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Michelle Fern: And that's actually extremely rare to non-existent these days.

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Michelle Fern: But do you want to even consider that it might happen?

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Michelle Fern: I don't have a black cat that's outdoors.

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Michelle Fern: And my outdoor cats are actually more feral community cats.

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Michelle Fern: But I do have a tuxedo and she's always indoors.

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Michelle Fern: So if I was the pet parent of a black cat, even though it's rare, I don't think people have satanic rituals these days and do evil things to black cats, I wouldn't want to chance it.

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Michelle Fern: I'd keep my cat indoors.

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Michelle Fern: Just better safe than sorry, right?

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Michelle Fern: You never know what could happen.

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Michelle Fern: So that's my take on keeping your black cat indoors if it's an indoor outdoor cat.

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Michelle Fern: And some people do this for a week before Halloween, two weeks before Halloween, week after Halloween, just to be safe.

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Michelle Fern: Now, here's what a lot of shelters do.

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Michelle Fern: They don't like to adopt out black cats around Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: And the reason is not so much about any type of satanic ritual, but because you'll get the type of, you'll get like a, as I call it, a faux pet parent.

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Michelle Fern: And what I'm meaning is someone who's, oh, I want a black cat for Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: That'd be so great.

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Michelle Fern: It'll look great at my party.

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Michelle Fern: It goes with, you know, a live cat for my decorations versus, you know, a static, you know, fake cat.

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Michelle Fern: And they want to avoid this type of pet parent.

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Michelle Fern: It's almost like when you give somebody a gift of a pet during the holidays and that's considered a big no, unless there's been thorough discussion.

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Michelle Fern: Shelters don't want to adopt out a cat only to have the cat brought back or even worse abandoned.

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Michelle Fern: So some are just a little cautious when it comes to adopting out black cats during Halloween.

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Michelle Fern: But on the other hand, there are also a lot of shelters that use Halloween as a way to promote adoption not only for black cats, but also for your orange or like or ginger cats.

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Michelle Fern: And they use it as a way to say just just to promote the cats, promote adoption.

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Michelle Fern: And of course, when they're adopting out the cats, they do if as long as it's a good shelter and most of them are great, they do a very thorough investigative type of placement.

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Michelle Fern: So that if you're considering adopting a cat around Halloween, and you happen to select a shelter that is a little bit more apprehensive to adopt out a cat during this time, just know that it might be because of Halloween, and we assure them that you're going to be a loving pet parent, not one of these fly by night and bring in the cat back because I don't need a black cat anymore.

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Michelle Fern: It's not Halloween type of person.

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Michelle Fern: I'm sure most of you that are listening or their type of pet parent that wants to adopt a cat and not, you know, just have a cat for decorating your home.

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Michelle Fern: Okay.

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Michelle Fern: Now, here is something really, really fun.

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Michelle Fern: I'm going to shift for your cat.

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Michelle Fern: You know how it's trick or treat?

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Michelle Fern: Well, here's a little bit about the treat part of it.

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Michelle Fern: I have this on a recent show.

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Michelle Fern: So if you'd like to go back and listen to that show, I think it mentions some treats for cats, and it's pretty close in number to this show.

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Michelle Fern: But I'm going to also share with you some treats for your cats.

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Michelle Fern: Did you know that cats love marshmallows?

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Michelle Fern: Yep, they do.

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Michelle Fern: I had no idea.

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Michelle Fern: I mean, of course, my cat, Dennis, whenever I'm sitting on the couch and eating whatever it is, it doesn't matter what it is.

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Michelle Fern: And one of these days, I'm going to share a video with you guys on my Instagram, which is slowly growing, at Cattitude 17.

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Michelle Fern: Anyway, there's some pictures of Dennis, but I have to do a video of this.

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Michelle Fern: No matter what I'm eating, it doesn't matter.

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Michelle Fern: You turn around and there's Dennis and he wants some.

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Michelle Fern: And most of it is not really good for him, so he doesn't get any.

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Michelle Fern: But marshmallows are.

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Michelle Fern: So what I did was I took the little marshmallows, the mini marshmallows, and I put it on a little toothpick, just a tiny one, you know, a little bit at the top, not where he would hurt himself.

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Michelle Fern: And I let him, you know, lick it and chew it.

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Michelle Fern: And wow, I had no idea.

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Michelle Fern: He loved it.

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Michelle Fern: Also, cats can have marshmallow fluff.

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Michelle Fern: So who knew, right?

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Michelle Fern: I wouldn't have thought that of all the things that could have marshmallows would be one.

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Michelle Fern: It just I wouldn't have ever came to mind.

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Michelle Fern: But use this as a rare treat.

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Michelle Fern: It's not good to give them a whole lot of marshmallows, one or two maybe.

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Michelle Fern: That's it.

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Michelle Fern: And then here's another treat that came from that show.

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Michelle Fern: But you should take a listen.

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Michelle Fern: That show is really good.

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Michelle Fern: But here's another treat.

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Michelle Fern: You can take baby food, like maybe like a chicken or beef baby food, and maybe take the little ice cubes trays that they have, and make little catsicles, popsicles for your cats.

00:18:58.848 --> 00:19:26.328
Michelle Fern: And either depending on the size, you can put little toothpicks in there or on the mini ones, or if you're making a big one, which I think about half of it or more than half would end up going into the sink or into the trash, I would suggest that you make sure you look at the ingredients because there are a lot of foods that are toxic to cats, you know, such as garlic and onion and grapes and raisins are too.

00:19:26.328 --> 00:19:31.348
Michelle Fern: Of course, that wouldn't be in the baby food for beef or chicken type of base.

00:19:31.648 --> 00:19:39.028
Michelle Fern: But you have to read the ingredients because certain ingredients are toxic cats and you don't want to do that.

00:19:39.028 --> 00:19:43.488
Michelle Fern: But there you have it, some great treats for your cats for Halloween.

00:19:43.488 --> 00:19:50.988
Michelle Fern: So in conclusion, Halloween is all about, you know, dressing up, having a good time.

00:19:50.988 --> 00:19:55.988
Michelle Fern: For those of us with black cats, just be a little cautious around Halloween.

00:19:55.988 --> 00:20:00.268
Michelle Fern: I don't think it's anything in these times to really have concerns about.

00:20:00.708 --> 00:20:02.888
Michelle Fern: But go with your gut, you know.

00:20:02.888 --> 00:20:15.448
Michelle Fern: If I had a black cat, I would probably keep it indoors, just because I wouldn't want to put my cat in danger or have any type of concern at all when it came to my cat.

00:20:15.468 --> 00:20:32.888
Michelle Fern: And make sure that if you have a friend that's considering adopting a cat around Halloween, or if you're considering adopting a cat around Halloween, that you understand the viewpoint of the shelter and be empathetic if they're a little strict with you around Halloween.

00:20:32.888 --> 00:20:40.408
Michelle Fern: Some do see a lot of cats, you know, taken and returned or abandoned around this time.

00:20:40.408 --> 00:20:42.468
Michelle Fern: So just be aware of that.

00:20:42.468 --> 00:20:45.748
Michelle Fern: And I'd like to thank my cat crew.

00:20:45.748 --> 00:20:46.528
Michelle Fern: None are black.

00:20:46.528 --> 00:20:48.028
Michelle Fern: One is Tuxedo.

00:20:48.028 --> 00:20:52.668
Michelle Fern: And that is Dennis, Molly and Charlotte.

00:20:52.668 --> 00:20:57.268
Michelle Fern: And for teaching me about the little crazy ways of cats.

00:20:58.868 --> 00:21:00.968
Michelle Fern: And how they like marshmallows.

00:21:00.968 --> 00:21:05.468
Michelle Fern: Thanks to Mark Winter for making me sound better than I do.

00:21:05.468 --> 00:21:09.988
Michelle Fern: And thanks to all of you, all my feline friends that are listening to Cattitude.

00:21:09.988 --> 00:21:10.788
Michelle Fern: Keep listening.

00:21:10.788 --> 00:21:13.088
Michelle Fern: We have some great shows coming up.

00:21:13.088 --> 00:21:15.228
Michelle Fern: Now remember, lose the attitude.

00:21:15.228 --> 00:21:17.368
Michelle Fern: Have Cattitude.

00:21:17.368 --> 00:21:18.708
Michelle Fern: Let's talk pets.

00:21:18.748 --> 00:21:20.748
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