TV Cats!
You know that cats entertain us at home, but what about on TV? Cats have been making debuts on the small screen for decades and Wendy Miller, self-proclaimed TV Nerd is here to give us a rundown. From Friends to Cat Woman, cats have left their mark on entertainment, and it is so much fun. Join us as we explore cats on TV!
Listen to Episode #125 Now:
BIO:
Wendy Miller is an Emmy Award-Winning Producer, Comedy Writer, Author, Network TV Executive, Certified Sexologist, Podcaster, and Mother of an epic badass teenage daughter.
Throughout her career, Wendy has created original content for Paramount, ABC Family, The Oprah Show, The Tonight Show, The Wayne Brady Show, Inside TV Land, Telepictures, Buena Vista, Lifetime, Oxygen, Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, Hallmark, AMC, Facebook, and Travel Channel.
Her first book, 3 Secrets To The Happy and Healthy Relationship You've Always F*cking Wanted was an Amazon #1 new release. Wendy has been nominated for two national Emmy Awards (winner of exactly half), is a recipient of a Gracie Allen Award for best documentary series, the winner of multiple Promax Awards, a Chicago Film Critics Award, International Broadcasters Award, Ad Age "Spot Of The Month" Award, a TV Guide “Cheer,” a TV Guide “Jeer,” is a winner of the Lite Beer National Comedy Search, and she received a Perfect Attendance Medal in 7th Grade.
Wendy’s mission with CARD TO BELIEVE is to bring entertainment and questionable guidance to millions, while supporting amazing non-profit organizations.
Originally from Chicago, Wendy lives in Los Angeles, CA. She has been happily married for an insanely long amount of time and can usually be found in her workshop making something awesome for someone awesome.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: I would be absolutely nowhere without the love, support and hella bitchy guidance of my fabulous Gay BFFs and others who have supported me in this bonkers endeavor. Thank you to Steve, Dudley, Jeff, Jack, Ric, Dean, other Dean, James, Timber, Chris, Melissa, Mindi, Elizabeth, Ilyce, Armen, Rose, Kate, Mike, Sharon, Shannon, The Ember Members, Gary, Martin, Vince, Mari, Jill, Melody, and Candace.
Transcript:
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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's talk pets.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Hey there, cat lovers.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Welcome to Nine Lives with Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Kat.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I'm your host, Dr.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Katherine Prim, and I am a small animal veterinarian and crazy cat lover.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Today, Wendy Miller is back with us, and if you guys remember Wendy, she is the creator of an amazing card game called Ask Your Cat.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: However, Wendy is also a self-proclaimed TV nerd.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So she is joining us today, and we are gonna talk about all the feline presence in the history of television's famous TV cats.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So we'll be right back after a quick break.
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Announcer: Let's talk pets on petliferadio.com.
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Announcer: petliferadio.com.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I have Wendy Miller here today.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Hey, Wendy.
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Wendy Miller: Hi, I'm so thrilled to be back on the show.
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Wendy Miller: I'm just having so much fun.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, I'm kind of excited because we talk about a lot of medical stuff and health advice and stuff.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So I'm sort of excited to have a little bit of fun with you today.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So you told me that you're a TV nerd, but can you tell my listeners a little bit about you and all the other things that you do?
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Wendy Miller: Well, I am an Emmy-winning TV producer, actually, and a comedy writer, and I've been working in TV for a long time.
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Wendy Miller: My last show, I was writing Home and Family for Hallmark Channel, which was great.
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Wendy Miller: And so I spent a lot of time on TV and working in TV.
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Wendy Miller: I actually grew up being in commercials.
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Wendy Miller: So I'm all about TV.
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Wendy Miller: And when I was a little kid, I always wanted to work in TV.
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Wendy Miller: So the fact that I got to live my dream has been amazing.
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Wendy Miller: But during the pandemic, I created these cat cards, which have just completely changed my life and the trajectory of my life.
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Wendy Miller: And it's just, it's been incredible.
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Wendy Miller: I would love to share them with the world.
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Wendy Miller: In fact, we just launched them on Kickstarter yesterday, and they're 65% funded.
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Wendy Miller: It's so humbling and incredible.
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Wendy Miller: And we've won a bunch of great mentions.
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Wendy Miller: And I'm just really, really honored and thrilled.
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Wendy Miller: And I love cats.
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Wendy Miller: And so I'm really glad to be creating fun stuff that honors kitty cats.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, cat lovers are pretty awesome, too.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Pretty pawsome, too.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: My listeners are great.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And I think that people like this because it's fun.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So you can have fun with your cat and about your cat.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So tell us a little bit about it.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: We've talked about it before, but just briefly, before we launch into TV nerddom, tell us a little bit about the cat cards.
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Wendy Miller: Well, basically, you could think of them as like a magic eight ball, but in the voice of a cat.
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Wendy Miller: You know, cats have a very specific sort of reputation for being aloof and a little snarky.
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Wendy Miller: It's not all cats, obviously, but my writers and I really focused on the funniest aspects of cats.
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Wendy Miller: And so basically it's like a magic eight ball, but in card form.
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Wendy Miller: So you ask a yes or no question, you pull a card and you get an answer from your cat.
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Wendy Miller: So just ask me a quick yes or no question and I'll pull a card and we'll get an answer.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Okay, do you think we're going to have fun doing this show today?
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Wendy Miller: All right, let me pull a card.
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Wendy Miller: Yes, but I will silently be judging you.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Mine is yes, as long as it doesn't interfere with my nap schedule.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So you gotta love that.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: That's perfect.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Perfect.
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Wendy Miller: The cards are really funny and people are loving them.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I love it because anything that makes us laugh is just special and I'm glad that it's doing so well.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So there's a little bit more about you and Cats and TV that I wanna share with my listeners as well.
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Wendy Miller: We're going to get there.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: We're going to get there.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: All right, well, I'm gonna hand this over to you a little bit for you to get started with kind of the history of Cats and TV and the history of you and Cats and TV.
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Wendy Miller: All right, all right.
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Wendy Miller: Okay, first of all, do you know who Chrissy Hynde is, the lead singer from The Pretenders?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah.
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Wendy Miller: Yeah, so a lot of people don't realize this, but Chrissy Hynde is behind one of the most famous TV cats of all time, a cat we never saw.
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Wendy Miller: And that cat is named Smelly Cat from Friends.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, I totally remember that.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I will not sing.
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Wendy Miller: I will not either.
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Wendy Miller: But you know, Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat, What Are They Feeding You?
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Wendy Miller: It was character Phoebe's most popular song.
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Wendy Miller: And the song was actually written by Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe, two Friends writers, and Chrissy Hynde from The Pretenders.
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Wendy Miller: Oh, that's cool.
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Wendy Miller: Right?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I have some coasters that have Friends sayings, and that's one of them.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: It's got a cat on it.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: My best friend gave them to me, and so I get to look at Smelly Cat a lot.
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Wendy Miller: Well, the thing with Smelly Cat that a lot of people don't realize is that Friends fans love the show so much that they kept trying to get it released as a record.
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Wendy Miller: And eventually, Lisa Kudrow and the Pretenders, who were known as Phoebe Buffay and the Hairballs, recorded a version of it called the Smelly Cat Medley for the soundtrack album for like a Friends reunion.
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Wendy Miller: Smelly Cat was covered by Chris Isaac.
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Wendy Miller: And here's the craziest part.
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Wendy Miller: At a Taylor Swift concert, Phoebe Buffay, so Lisa Kudrow, in character as Phoebe Buffay, came on to sing Smelly Cat with Taylor Swift and went viral.
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Wendy Miller: It was crazy.
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Wendy Miller: And during the performance, she actually stopped Taylor Swift and told her she was singing the song wrong.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, that does not surprise me at all.
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Wendy Miller: Even Lady Gaga recorded it.
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Wendy Miller: So Smelly Cat, one of the most legendary cats on TV that we've also never seen.
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<v SPEAKER_1>I love it.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh my gosh, I never would have thought of that.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Smelly Cat is a part of my college days.
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Wendy Miller: Now, I'm going to go back a little bit further because as you said, I'm not just a self-proclaimed TV nerd.
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Wendy Miller: I have a card and a decoder ring and an award and trophies, all the things.
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Wendy Miller: I'm just making that up.
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Wendy Miller: You remember the show The Brady Bunch, of course, right?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah.
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Wendy Miller: Well, the Brady girls actually had a cat.
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Wendy Miller: And in the pilot episode, the cat whose name was Fluffy caused a lot of mayhem with the dog that would belong to the boys named Tiger, which is funny that the dog is named Tiger.
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Wendy Miller: Anyway, Fluffy was played by three different cats.
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Wendy Miller: And just to get a scene where the cat has to run across the laps of a bunch of wedding guests, it took four hours to shoot.
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Wendy Miller: So creator Sherwood Schwartz was really frustrated about how long it took cats to perform stunts on TV.
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Wendy Miller: And he felt that having six kids and two pets was just too much to follow.
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Wendy Miller: So Fluffy vanished after the first episode.
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Wendy Miller: And was never mentioned again.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, wow.
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Wendy Miller: Yeah, so there was a Brady Bunch cat.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: There was a Brady Bunch cat.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: But you know, cats kind of do their own thing.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: And so I know there are people that train cats to do, but cats kind of do their own thing.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So I can see that.
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Wendy Miller: Now, here's a cat that I'm sure all of your listeners have seen a trillion times.
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Wendy Miller: And this cat is named Mimsy.
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Wendy Miller: And you will know this cat because it is shown at the end of every MTM TV show.
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Wendy Miller: Starting with the Mary Tyler Moore show, at the end, MTM, Mary Tyler Moore, her studio, she decided to parody the MGM, Roaring Lion.
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Wendy Miller: And so they had a little bitty tabby kitten named Mimsy, who was adopted from a local shelter, and then actually one of the MTM staff adopted her.
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Wendy Miller: So Mimsy, if you recall, is like in a little crouched position, and she looks up at the camera and meows once at the end of every MTM TV show.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I do remember that.
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Wendy Miller: What's really interesting is basically what you just brought up.
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Wendy Miller: Mimsy, of course, would not meow for the camera crew.
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Wendy Miller: So they found footage of her yawning, they reversed it, and then added the meow under it.
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Wendy Miller: So all the times we thought we saw Mimsy meowing after a TV show was actually her yawning in reverse.
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Wendy Miller: And by the 1980s, there were so many different Mimsy's, they put a hat on her for, you know, a Sherlock Holmes hat for Remington Steel.
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Wendy Miller: She had a basketball for White Shadow.
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Wendy Miller: She was in a police uniform for Hill Street Blues.
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Wendy Miller: And on the end of St.
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Wendy Miller: Elsewhere, the cat was wearing a surgical mask and scrubs.
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Wendy Miller: Now, there's a little controversy because on the final episode of St.
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Wendy Miller: Elsewhere, a cat is shown unconscious hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor that flatlines, basically saying that the cat has died.
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Wendy Miller: And that was at the end of the final episode of St.
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Wendy Miller: Elsewhere, and you know what?
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Wendy Miller: A lot of people did not appreciate that, and they were offended, and I certainly would be offended too.
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Wendy Miller: I don't want to see that.
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Wendy Miller: So when the show went into syndication, they pulled that off and they changed it because it just wasn't funny.
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Wendy Miller: But they actually killed the MTM cat who ended up dying at the age of 20 anyway.
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Wendy Miller: But that's a really fun little interesting tidbit about a cat that's probably been seen more than any other cat on TV.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Wow, but you know, I never really stopped to think about that, but I do remember seeing that cat, absolutely.
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Wendy Miller: Yeah, of course.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: That's awesome.
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Wendy Miller: Have you seen the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Gosh, it's been a long time.
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Wendy Miller: But you know, everybody knows the movie Audrey Hepburn, and she has a cat in the movie named Cat, and that cat was played by a cat known as Orangey.
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Wendy Miller: Now, Orangey is probably the most famous TV star cat ever.
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Wendy Miller: Orangey was in every sitcom in the world, including the Beverly Hillbillies.
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Wendy Miller: You know, Ellie May had a cat swimming in the cement pond.
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Wendy Miller: That was Orangey.
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Wendy Miller: Like, how hard do you think it is to train a cat to swim in a swimming pool on command?
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Wendy Miller: What do you think?
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Wendy Miller: Pretty hard?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, yeah, I think it's pretty hard.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: So they use the same cat.
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Wendy Miller: That was Orangey, yeah.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, that's awesome.
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Wendy Miller: 25 appearances on the Beverly Hillbillies alone, and that cat, actually, Orangey is the only cat to win two Patsy Awards, which is like the Animal Oscars.
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Wendy Miller: It's like picture animal top star of the year.
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Wendy Miller: And Orangey won two of them.
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Wendy Miller: Now, here's a little fun tidbit about Orangey.
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Wendy Miller: Orangey the cat was known as the world's meanest cat by one studio executive because he was known for attacking the actors, but he was brilliant at staying focused on the set for hours.
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Wendy Miller: So they loved him.
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Wendy Miller: Unfortunately, he would also run away and hide during production, and the production had to be shut down while they found him.
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Wendy Miller: And Frank In, Orangey's trainer, had to post guards at the studio entrance to keep Orangey the cat from running away.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, wow, that would be a pretty big loss to have him run off.
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Wendy Miller: Did you imagine?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh my gosh.
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Wendy Miller: Orangey the cat, probably the most prolific TV star cat, was also a little bit difficult.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Animals can be a challenge.
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Wendy Miller: So can celebrities.
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Wendy Miller: I've known a million celebrities who everyone hated and also tried to run away from the set.
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Wendy Miller: So it's a true sign of fame, if you ask me.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Having a cat disposition is a true sign of fame.
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Wendy Miller: I mean, every cat's different, right?
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Wendy Miller: We don't want to generalize.
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Wendy Miller: Here's one that probably no one knows about, but did you know that there was an Ocelot TV star in the 1960s?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: No, I didn't.
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Wendy Miller: There was a TV show called Honey West starring an actress named Anne Francis, who was in Blackboard Jungle and Forbidden Planet.
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Wendy Miller: And she was the first woman to star in a TV show that had her name in the title.
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Wendy Miller: And she played a private eye, although they called her a private eyeful.
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Wendy Miller: So she was this groovy, like James Bond's kind of detective, and she drove a Jaguar convertible.
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Wendy Miller: And she had a pet ocelot named Bruce, which was actually played by a female cat, coincidentally named Honey.
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Wendy Miller: So do you think people can have an ocelot as a pet?
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: Gosh, I don't know.
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Dr. Kathryn Primm: I know that animals that are closer to their wild ancestors can be a little more of a challenge as a pet in someone's household, but I do not know of anyone that has that.
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Wendy Miller: Yeah, that's kind of, it seems like a kind of a groovy TV situation.
00:13:24.048 --> 00:13:26.948
Wendy Miller: I've never really encountered anyone who has a pet ocelot.
00:13:28.208 --> 00:13:33.788
Wendy Miller: But Bruce the ocelot has a tribute Facebook page, and there's all sorts of fun trivia about Bruce.
00:13:33.808 --> 00:13:38.368
Wendy Miller: And there actually was a Bruce the ocelot action figure from the show.
00:13:38.928 --> 00:13:44.088
Wendy Miller: And they don't come up for sale very often, but if you see one, snap it up, because they are worth a lot of money.
00:13:44.368 --> 00:13:45.788
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Wow, that's so cool.
00:13:46.108 --> 00:13:46.528
Wendy Miller: Yeah.
00:13:46.788 --> 00:13:48.188
Wendy Miller: So, okay, here's one.
00:13:48.228 --> 00:13:49.768
Wendy Miller: Did you watch the show Glee?
00:13:49.908 --> 00:13:50.708
Wendy Miller: You ever watch Glee?
00:13:50.808 --> 00:13:53.008
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I watched it, yeah, a couple of times.
00:13:53.748 --> 00:14:14.648
Wendy Miller: There was a star of Glee that very few people can forget, and that was Lord Tubbington, who was Britney's 24-pound Bengal cat, who was in 10 episodes, and Lord Tubbington was really, really famous in the Glee world, played by Aragon the Cat, 24-pound Bengal.
00:14:14.748 --> 00:14:15.568
Wendy Miller: It's a big cat.
00:14:15.668 --> 00:14:23.348
Wendy Miller: After the show ended, Aragon retired to Laguna Beach and built a career as an actor and a social activist.
00:14:23.888 --> 00:14:28.628
Wendy Miller: In fact, Aragon the Cat helped raise money for cat rescues and became a therapy cat.
00:14:28.948 --> 00:14:31.888
Wendy Miller: He passed away in 2018 at the age of 14.
00:14:32.408 --> 00:14:38.588
Wendy Miller: And what's interesting is Lord Tubbington's Facebook page has over 7,000 followers.
00:14:39.528 --> 00:14:44.428
Wendy Miller: So people do love Lord Tubbington, one of the most famous cats on TV.
00:14:44.748 --> 00:14:45.408
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Awesome.
00:14:45.668 --> 00:14:51.728
Wendy Miller: Okay, so let's zoom into the future and go to Star Trek Next Generation.
00:14:52.088 --> 00:15:02.008
Wendy Miller: The character Data, who is an Android on Star Trek Next Generation, which aired from 1987 to 1994, set in the 24th century, you know, Starfleet, the whole mumbo jumbo.
00:15:02.368 --> 00:15:05.708
Wendy Miller: Data had a cat, a ginger tabby named Spot.
00:15:06.148 --> 00:15:07.228
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I remember Spot.
00:15:07.528 --> 00:15:08.028
Wendy Miller: Right?
00:15:08.048 --> 00:15:11.968
Wendy Miller: And Spot was played by at least six different cats over seven seasons.
00:15:12.048 --> 00:15:13.188
Wendy Miller: And of course, there were movies.
00:15:13.468 --> 00:15:20.548
Wendy Miller: But the interesting thing about Spot is that it changes from an orange tabby to a long-haired Somali cat in season six.
00:15:20.948 --> 00:15:23.568
Wendy Miller: And even Spot's gender changes at one point.
00:15:24.348 --> 00:15:28.488
Wendy Miller: So the producers of the series say that she's a shapeshifter, but...
00:15:29.048 --> 00:15:29.728
Wendy Miller: Oh, yeah.
00:15:31.548 --> 00:15:34.308
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I think, didn't she, like, it was a she, I thought.
00:15:34.328 --> 00:15:37.188
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And she had kittens or they talked about kittens or something.
00:15:37.208 --> 00:15:37.848
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I don't remember.
00:15:38.228 --> 00:15:39.768
Wendy Miller: The whole thing.
00:15:39.888 --> 00:15:41.468
Wendy Miller: I loved Spot and I loved Data.
00:15:41.468 --> 00:15:43.228
Wendy Miller: So that was really, really fun.
00:15:43.288 --> 00:15:44.188
Wendy Miller: Very, very popular.
00:15:44.248 --> 00:15:44.868
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah.
00:15:45.388 --> 00:15:52.068
Wendy Miller: So if you are an SNL fan, are you familiar with the most famous cat to come out of Saturday Night Live?
00:15:52.648 --> 00:15:53.228
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, wait.
00:15:53.568 --> 00:15:54.248
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I do.
00:15:54.708 --> 00:15:55.808
Dr. Kathryn Primm: What was that cat?
00:15:57.468 --> 00:15:58.028
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, it was.
00:15:58.048 --> 00:15:58.868
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, gosh.
00:16:00.348 --> 00:16:01.188
Dr. Kathryn Primm: What was the cat?
00:16:01.208 --> 00:16:02.548
Dr. Kathryn Primm: No, it was a driving cat.
00:16:02.568 --> 00:16:03.768
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Are you talking about the driving cat?
00:16:03.928 --> 00:16:04.348
Wendy Miller: Yes.
00:16:04.468 --> 00:16:04.948
Wendy Miller: Yes.
00:16:05.168 --> 00:16:06.208
Wendy Miller: You were so close.
00:16:06.668 --> 00:16:08.048
Dr. Kathryn Primm: What was his name?
00:16:08.108 --> 00:16:08.488
Wendy Miller: Toonces.
00:16:09.888 --> 00:16:11.588
Wendy Miller: Toonces, the cat who could drive.
00:16:11.788 --> 00:16:12.428
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yes.
00:16:12.688 --> 00:16:14.928
Wendy Miller: So Toonces appeared in 1989.
00:16:14.948 --> 00:16:21.128
Wendy Miller: You know, like a lovely couple would let their cat drive the car, and eventually Toonces would drive the car over a cliff.
00:16:21.788 --> 00:16:24.248
Wendy Miller: They were like, Toonces, look out!
00:16:24.488 --> 00:16:34.568
Wendy Miller: And so they just did this bit with different families who had Toonces the cat, and they had like an animatronic cat driving, you know, a puppet driving the wheel, but they also had a live action cat for closeups.
00:16:35.628 --> 00:16:42.148
Wendy Miller: And they actually, in 1992, NBC gave Toonces his own special, Toonces the cat who could drive.
00:16:43.668 --> 00:16:44.128
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Awesome.
00:16:44.468 --> 00:16:44.948
Wendy Miller: Yeah.
00:16:44.968 --> 00:16:45.288
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Awesome.
00:16:45.808 --> 00:16:49.468
Wendy Miller: One of the biggest stars and one of the most famous cats on NBC.
00:16:49.568 --> 00:16:55.648
Wendy Miller: And so Toonces flies a plane, Toonces mows a lawn, Toonces plays ping pong.
00:16:55.668 --> 00:17:00.068
Wendy Miller: I mean, they just had a ton of fun with Toonces, and Toonces the cat who could drive.
00:17:00.288 --> 00:17:03.628
Wendy Miller: Really, really big star on NBC Saturday Night Live.
00:17:03.868 --> 00:17:09.128
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Well, my cat says, I can't believe I even pretend to pay attention to you.
00:17:10.248 --> 00:17:15.068
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I mean, just so you know, that that is the card that came up right now.
00:17:15.828 --> 00:17:16.728
Wendy Miller: Well, I hope I'm not boring.
00:17:16.828 --> 00:17:18.068
Wendy Miller: I hope I'm not boring the cat.
00:17:18.088 --> 00:17:19.568
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I'm not boring me, no.
00:17:19.588 --> 00:17:19.908
Wendy Miller: Good.
00:17:19.928 --> 00:17:20.988
Wendy Miller: All right.
00:17:21.008 --> 00:17:23.668
Wendy Miller: Let's move on to a cat that I bet your listeners love.
00:17:23.688 --> 00:17:27.388
Wendy Miller: And that is the cat from Sabrina, the teenage witch.
00:17:27.408 --> 00:17:28.648
Wendy Miller: Do you remember that cat's name?
00:17:30.868 --> 00:17:31.868
Dr. Kathryn Primm: It was a black cat.
00:17:32.528 --> 00:17:33.848
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Its name started with an S.
00:17:34.048 --> 00:17:34.508
Wendy Miller: Yep.
00:17:34.928 --> 00:17:36.248
Dr. Kathryn Primm: No, wait.
00:17:36.408 --> 00:17:37.308
Dr. Kathryn Primm: You're going to have to tell me.
00:17:37.368 --> 00:17:40.008
Wendy Miller: Think of the witch trials.
00:17:40.028 --> 00:17:40.648
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Salem.
00:17:40.768 --> 00:17:42.508
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yes.
00:17:42.708 --> 00:17:44.228
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Thank you for setting me up well.
00:17:46.168 --> 00:17:55.228
Wendy Miller: Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which was voiced by an actor named Nicholas Piquet, who literally has had a huge career because of this black American short hair cat.
00:17:55.768 --> 00:18:04.188
Wendy Miller: So the premise was Salem was a 500-year-old former human warlock, and he was turned into a cat for jilting a head witch.
00:18:04.588 --> 00:18:16.008
Wendy Miller: Now, he actually appeared in the comics originally, and he had slightly different backstories, but he had magical powers, and he was kind of naughty.
00:18:16.688 --> 00:18:24.708
Wendy Miller: He gives bad advice to Sabrina, and he uses magic to solve problems, and it always ends up leaving Sabrina looking worse than she started.
00:18:25.468 --> 00:18:40.628
Wendy Miller: And Salem was played by an animatronic cat for a lot of the talking parts, but also for live cats for the non-dialogue scenes, because sure, you can train a cat to jump off of things, but I just don't think you could train a cat to talk, at least not yet.
00:18:41.068 --> 00:18:43.628
Dr. Kathryn Primm: No, and they would never let you see them do magic.
00:18:44.228 --> 00:18:45.668
Wendy Miller: That's absolutely true.
00:18:46.548 --> 00:18:54.028
Wendy Miller: The four cats that were portraying the live cats were named Elvis, Lucy, Salem, and Witch, so that's pretty cool.
00:18:54.208 --> 00:18:54.968
Dr. Kathryn Primm: That is cool.
00:18:55.148 --> 00:18:56.288
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah, I love that.
00:18:56.428 --> 00:19:04.388
Wendy Miller: Now, speaking of cool, I would like to ask you who you think is the coolest cat ever to be on TV.
00:19:04.888 --> 00:19:06.788
Wendy Miller: And we're only focusing on live action.
00:19:06.808 --> 00:19:10.868
Wendy Miller: We're not focusing on cartoon cats, who I love and I could talk about cartoon cats forever.
00:19:11.128 --> 00:19:15.148
Wendy Miller: But who would you say is the coolest cat ever on TV?
00:19:15.168 --> 00:19:16.848
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Gosh, I don't know.
00:19:17.208 --> 00:19:18.468
Dr. Kathryn Primm: You're going to have to help me.
00:19:18.968 --> 00:19:22.888
Wendy Miller: I'm going to give that award to Cat Woman on Batman.
00:19:22.908 --> 00:19:23.748
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Okay, okay.
00:19:24.148 --> 00:19:25.768
Wendy Miller: Now, come on.
00:19:26.248 --> 00:19:35.728
Wendy Miller: Nobody was more gorgeous and cat-like and dangerous and sexy than Julie Newmar for the first two seasons of the show as Cat Woman.
00:19:37.208 --> 00:19:55.568
Wendy Miller: Then she was making a movie for season three, so they replaced her with Eartha Kitt, which was actually kind of a dangerous choice because Eartha Kitt had been blacklisted after complaining about the Vietnam War in front of Lady Bird Johnson at a luncheon at the White House.
00:19:55.988 --> 00:19:58.428
Wendy Miller: So Eartha Kitt was basically kicked out of Hollywood.
00:19:58.448 --> 00:19:59.088
Wendy Miller: She couldn't work.
00:19:59.848 --> 00:20:03.768
Wendy Miller: And ABC executives thought, like, who's the sexiest cat-like person we could find?
00:20:04.168 --> 00:20:07.508
Wendy Miller: And they cast Eartha Kitt as Cat Woman.
00:20:07.908 --> 00:20:15.988
Wendy Miller: And it was also very, very brave to show interracial sexual tension on TV in 1969, or 1970.
00:20:16.008 --> 00:20:18.508
Wendy Miller: But they did it, and ABC networks went for it.
00:20:18.908 --> 00:20:23.248
Wendy Miller: And Eartha Kitt became the first African-American actress to portray Cat Woman.
00:20:23.608 --> 00:20:25.008
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Oh, and she was beautiful.
00:20:25.128 --> 00:20:25.888
Wendy Miller: She was amazing.
00:20:25.908 --> 00:20:26.708
Wendy Miller: She was so sexy.
00:20:27.088 --> 00:20:31.448
Wendy Miller: Fun fact, she had a cat, and that cat was played by Orangy.
00:20:32.788 --> 00:20:34.108
Dr. Kathryn Primm: All right.
00:20:34.388 --> 00:20:41.948
Wendy Miller: Now, as you hinted earlier, I have left the most famous cat for last.
00:20:42.948 --> 00:20:44.548
Wendy Miller: And here's the backstory.
00:20:45.148 --> 00:20:55.568
Wendy Miller: One day in 1968, an animal talent scout, which is a real job, discovered Morris the Cat at a humane society in Hinsdale, Illinois.
00:20:55.988 --> 00:21:00.048
Wendy Miller: And there was something about this cat that just seemed magical to him, Orange Tabby.
00:21:00.348 --> 00:21:06.808
Wendy Miller: So the cat auditioned to play the Nine Lives spokescat, and wowed the entire production team.
00:21:07.288 --> 00:21:10.448
Wendy Miller: They nicknamed him the Clark Gable of Cats.
00:21:13.128 --> 00:21:25.208
Wendy Miller: So from 1969 to 1978, Morris the Cat starred in 50 commercials, creating one of the most successful advertising campaigns in television history.
00:21:25.228 --> 00:21:27.888
Wendy Miller: And now, what is my connection to Morris the Cat?
00:21:28.488 --> 00:21:30.348
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Besides just being a cat lover, right?
00:21:30.368 --> 00:21:31.668
Wendy Miller: Besides just being a cat lover.
00:21:32.068 --> 00:21:37.868
Wendy Miller: In 1969, I starred in a commercial for Nine Lives with Morris the Cat.
00:21:39.068 --> 00:21:43.468
Wendy Miller: In fact, I am the first person whose face was shown in a Morris the Cat commercial.
00:21:43.608 --> 00:21:51.008
Wendy Miller: So it ran for 10 years, it paid for my college, and I worked with Morris, which was really, really cool.
00:21:51.248 --> 00:21:52.228
Dr. Kathryn Primm: And he didn't bite you?
00:21:52.648 --> 00:21:53.428
Wendy Miller: He did not bite me.
00:21:53.428 --> 00:21:54.388
Wendy Miller: No, he did not bite me.
00:21:54.448 --> 00:21:56.868
Wendy Miller: Actually, it was really cool.
00:21:56.868 --> 00:22:03.668
Wendy Miller: I was little and I was so starstruck, because, I mean, there was Morris on set, and I was just a little, little kid, and that was like a big deal.
00:22:03.848 --> 00:22:09.488
Wendy Miller: I mean, he was like, you know, he was like the Barbara Streisand or, you know, Frank Sinatra of Cats.
00:22:10.028 --> 00:22:12.288
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah, full on celebrity cat.
00:22:12.488 --> 00:22:13.488
Wendy Miller: Yeah, big time.
00:22:13.528 --> 00:22:16.888
Wendy Miller: So over the past 50 years, there have been six Morris the Cats.
00:22:17.328 --> 00:22:19.228
Wendy Miller: Every single one of them was a rescue.
00:22:19.528 --> 00:22:23.748
Wendy Miller: Morris has written books, he ran for president, he starred in movies.
00:22:24.048 --> 00:22:28.488
Wendy Miller: But of course, his most important role is being an advocate for cat adoption.
00:22:29.088 --> 00:22:35.428
Wendy Miller: And he's visited a lot of schools and led huge campaigns for the adopt-don't-shop cause, which is so important.
00:22:35.808 --> 00:22:39.708
Wendy Miller: So when it comes to TV cats, Morris is the king.
00:22:40.128 --> 00:22:41.508
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Morris is mealbulous.
00:22:41.788 --> 00:22:43.508
Wendy Miller: He is perfect.
00:22:44.968 --> 00:22:48.648
Wendy Miller: And so there you have my list of the greatest cats on television.
00:22:48.668 --> 00:22:52.708
Wendy Miller: I'm sure your listeners have suggestions as well, and they should send them in.
00:22:52.808 --> 00:22:56.208
Wendy Miller: It would be great to hear what everybody else loves on television.
00:22:56.468 --> 00:23:00.208
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah, I would love to interview a pet talent scout.
00:23:01.668 --> 00:23:02.928
Dr. Kathryn Primm: That would just be awesome.
00:23:02.948 --> 00:23:11.008
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I've reached out to the trainers for cats for shows, and nobody ever gets back with me, but I know that that exists, and I would love to learn more about it.
00:23:12.048 --> 00:23:16.048
Wendy Miller: They can train a cat to run up a flaming fire escape, but they can't return your emails.
00:23:16.488 --> 00:23:16.948
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I know.
00:23:16.968 --> 00:23:17.828
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I know.
00:23:20.428 --> 00:23:21.668
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So, this is fun.
00:23:21.668 --> 00:23:24.508
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I mean, you brought up stuff that I had completely forgotten.
00:23:24.728 --> 00:23:27.268
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Tenses, and yeah, it's just awesome.
00:23:27.448 --> 00:23:37.848
Dr. Kathryn Primm: But I want to pull us back to how people can find you and can find your Kickstarter and can get their own set of Ask Your Cat.
00:23:38.208 --> 00:23:40.828
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Let's let them know where they can find out that stuff.
00:23:41.148 --> 00:23:45.828
Wendy Miller: Well, they should go to kickstarter.com and search Ask Your Cat cards.
00:23:45.848 --> 00:23:50.308
Wendy Miller: In fact, I'm going to give you a link, and people can click them, and it'll take them right to the page.
00:23:50.828 --> 00:23:52.388
Wendy Miller: You can look at what we're doing there.
00:23:52.548 --> 00:23:57.208
Wendy Miller: And remember, a portion of all profits are going to cat charities.
00:23:57.468 --> 00:24:00.728
Wendy Miller: So we are raising money for cat charities with these cards.
00:24:00.808 --> 00:24:03.608
Wendy Miller: I'm so excited to be doing that.
00:24:03.628 --> 00:24:06.388
Wendy Miller: And last time I checked, they were 65% funded.
00:24:06.648 --> 00:24:07.988
Wendy Miller: I'm very excited.
00:24:08.008 --> 00:24:13.428
Wendy Miller: I'm pretty sure we're going to get 100%, and everybody's going to be able to get as many Ask Your Cat card decks as they want.
00:24:13.928 --> 00:24:22.988
Wendy Miller: And I'll be shipping them out in a couple months, and it would be wonderful if you could support these cards, help cat charities, and also have a lot of fun while you're doing it.
00:24:23.448 --> 00:24:24.328
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Absolutely.
00:24:24.348 --> 00:24:25.608
Dr. Kathryn Primm: I am excited.
00:24:25.628 --> 00:24:31.128
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Of course, I love cat charities and Cat Everything, and Ask Your Cat cards, and talking to you about cats.
00:24:31.268 --> 00:24:32.148
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Thank you.
00:24:32.268 --> 00:24:33.988
Dr. Kathryn Primm: It's a win-win-win.
00:24:34.248 --> 00:24:43.208
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Thank you so much for being willing to come and talk to me today and for educating us about all the cool cats that have been dotted all over television history.
00:24:43.508 --> 00:24:45.108
Wendy Miller: Well, thank you so much for having me.
00:24:45.388 --> 00:24:49.168
Wendy Miller: I love cats, and I love being on your show, and I love the work that you're doing.
00:24:49.188 --> 00:24:52.648
Wendy Miller: Thank you so much for helping cats and for being an advocate for them.
00:24:52.648 --> 00:24:53.688
Wendy Miller: Thank you so much.
00:24:54.388 --> 00:24:56.908
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Yeah, well, it's kind of my passion.
00:24:57.128 --> 00:24:59.128
Dr. Kathryn Primm: So, yes, it was so fun to have you.
00:24:59.248 --> 00:25:11.628
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Of course, I want to thank my amazing listeners who kind of keep us going, keep my passion alive, and help me to know that what I'm doing is making a difference for cats and for people all over.
00:25:11.908 --> 00:25:25.068
Dr. Kathryn Primm: Also, my terrific producer, Mark Winter, and so all of you listeners, go out and get an Ask Your Card deck, go on to Kickstarter, and have a perfect day.
00:25:25.948 --> 00:25:27.088
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00:25:27.448 --> 00:25:28.948
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00:25:29.468 --> 00:25:31.508
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