January 30, 2025 • 25 mins
What good is sitting alone in your room, when you can join the fun as Michelle Fern welcomes Gemma Smith, producer of Catbaret! This one-of-a-kind show, held in NYC for over six years, brings cat lovers together for a night of comedy, music, and "purr-lesque." More than just entertainment, Catbaret! partners with a local cat café and rescue group to showcase adoptable cats during intermission, helping felines find their forever homes. With a cozy 120-seat theater and a virtual audience, this event is all about building a vibrant “com-mew-nity” of cat enthusiasts. Tune in for a fun and fascinating look behind the scenes of this feline-inspired spectacle!
EPISODE NOTES: Life Is A Catbaret!
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EPISODE NOTES: Life Is A Catbaret!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/cattitude-the-1-cat-podcast--6666768/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Pet Life Radio. Let's Talk pets.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hello feline friends, Welcome to cat Tude. I'm your show host,
Michelle Burne. What a show I have for you today.
Have you heard of a cat beat before? You're probably
thinking what in the world. Yes, it's true cat Beret,
So stay tuned. I have an amazing guest with me.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
You know the expression cats have nine lives? Well, what
if you can give them one more? But give them ten?
Movement is on a mission to help give cats an
extra life. How with Spain and Neoter Spain or new
your cat helps them live a longer, healthier life and
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(01:08):
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the Neoter cat at Give them ten dot org. That's
give them ten dot Org.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Let's talk pets on Petlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Welcome back everyone. I'd like to welcome Jemma Smith. She
is the producer of cat Beret and also the host
of Tails and Tassels podcast.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
Welcome Gemma, Hi, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I'm very excited to have you on. So before we
talk about Catbaret, can you give us a little background
about yourself.
Speaker 6 (01:55):
Sure, So I originally went to college for theater and
moved to New York City after words to pursue a
career as an actor. But I got a day job
at a veterinary clinic in Manhattan, and my love for animals,
especially cats, grew from there.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
And then where did you come up with a cat beret?
And what is a cat beret?
Speaker 6 (02:14):
Yes, a cat beret is a cat themed variety show
or a cat themed cabaret, hence the play on words
there with the title. So it's a variety show that
features comedy, music, sometimes magic, and per lusque, or as
we like to call it, per lusku. And it's all
cat themed. However, we love to mix it up. We
(02:38):
celebrate different holidays as well for per lusk.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
So I had no idea what I would be looking
at when cat beret, And of course I think of
Mulan Rouge, and I thought, am I going to see
like cats are naked anyways? Especially sphinx cats? So am
I going to see cats? Am I going to see
women half dressed with cats? I mean, I'm open minded, whatever,
you know, But I had no idea. But it's really
(03:02):
cute and you perform in them as well.
Speaker 6 (03:06):
Yeah, so I host the show and I produce it
and hire performers.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Also you're also a musician.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Well, yes, I do have music in the show. I
sometimes play the trumpet in the show. I have tap danced,
and like I mentioned before, so it's all cat themed.
There's no real cats, although folks are welcome to buy
a virtual ticket and sit at home with their cats
and watch. But we love to mix it up with themes.
So in October we celebrate Meo Lloween, so it's cat
(03:32):
themed and Halloween themed stand up comedy, improv. We'll have
like you mentioned, burlesque, which is, like you were saying,
in your imagination, you're thinking of burlesque.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
It is the art of strip tease.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
You might see someone with a feather fan wearing cat ears,
or it could be a cat on a ball of
yarn or a black kitty doing burlesque. To everybody wants
to be a cat, So we mix it up like
Gallantine's as Next, we're gonna celebrate feline and friendship, so
I'm encouraging everyone to bring their cat loving besties and
(04:06):
some of the acts might be more friendship themed. With
a feline twist.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So when you were thinking of this, why did you
think it would work with cats? And do you think
it would work with dogs as well?
Speaker 6 (04:19):
It's interesting. So I used to live in Astoria, Queens.
There's a great comedy club there called que Diastoria, and
I was kind of going through a transition and like,
do I want to pursue acting. I was working for
an animal welfare organization by day at that point, and
I just thought, how can I give back to the
cat community.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
I'm a bit of a cat lady.
Speaker 6 (04:40):
I just have two cats, but I have love for
all of them, and I thought what special that I
could do to bring cat lovers together. And that's kind
of how I got the idea for the Cat Beret.
And it started small over six years ago at that
comedy club in Queens, and we've grown.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Last year we.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
Produced two shows at Caveat in Manhattan on the Lower
East Side. Seats over one hundred people and we filled
the theater. At the last show, tons of cat lovers,
even tourists from Scotland came, folks who just saw the
show on event bright. And we also have our regulars
now that come back. Everyone gets free cat ears.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
That's my gift.
Speaker 6 (05:20):
I give out free cat ears to everyone, and it's
become this real community. And I do think it could
work for dog lovers too. I know there is I've
seen like must Love Dogs comedy shows here around the city.
I just realized that for me, this was the way
that I could give back to the cat community especially,
(05:40):
and it's been really a project of love.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Okay, it's so interesting and I get that giving back
to cats. And there's something about cat lovers. There's just
something about them, and there's something about cats. I think
it's the mystique because I was thinking in my head, well,
you know, you hear about cats being sexy, right books,
you know you hear that. And I'm not saying cat
(06:05):
burret has to be sexy, but BERLASKI thinks we're per
lask You thinks sexy dogs you don't think of as sexy.
Speaker 5 (06:11):
Yeah, that's interesting. I don't think.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, that's where my head goes. So, you know, just
thinking about this, so right, I hear you. I've never
heard of woman. I'm a gracious reader. I've never read
oh she was in a dog like pose, But I've
read he's maybe not even for men. He's in a dog,
you know, because they think cats are female dogs are male,
which makes no sense.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
But totally yeah, I don't you beat cats are so elegant.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
But yeah, they're like she was in a feline pose.
She stretched like a cat. You eat that kind of stuff.
You don't read. She's stretch like a dog or yng
or whatever like a dog. So that's where I was going.
So but yeah, I know there's groups and it's all
about giving back to the cats. Have you ever, let's see,
have you ever had live cats in your show?
Speaker 6 (06:58):
Great question because one time time we actually did, back
when we were at the comedy club in Queen's. One
of my stand up or improv comedians, his cat is
a special cat. It was harness trained and could walk
on a leash and lived right nearby, like an apartment
right next door, and so he got permission from the
owner because he lived nearby to bring oh my gosh,
(07:21):
I can't remember the kitty's name, was it Lionel maybe
to bring this kitty on stage for a little improv
scene with him, And of course the cat didn't do anything,
but it was still hilarious because he was like acting
things out with suggestions from the audience, but he did
ask everyone in the audience to please hold their applause
and stay quiet so that we could be respectful of
(07:44):
his kitty who performed in the show.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
So that was rather exciting.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
That's so cute. I think it would be a challenge
to have cats. I've seen cats on stage. I've seen
cats that do you know, theatrics at shows, But I
know for the most part, cats are independent, want to
be by themselves, and they're not really performers.
Speaker 6 (08:06):
Yes, I agree my two cats, they're most comfortable when
they're at home around familiar surroundings. But I do want
to mention I do partner with a nonprofit local rescue group,
Rescue NYC, and we showcase they are adoptable cats in
our pre show and intermission slideshow. So every show we
showcase cats in need of homes, and many of those
(08:29):
cats are at Coneco Cat Cafe, which is right across
the street here in New York City from caveat our venue.
So it's a really perfect and Conicco donates a couple
pairs of entries to their cattery for part of our raffle.
So we try to collaborate with local cat businesses to
just spread the word about adoptable cats.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
You know, I was going to get to that since
you're such a cat lever, I was going to get
to you whether you have you know anything about T
and R, adopt and so forth, because that's a big thing.
And there there's a lot of active rescues in New
York City.
Speaker 6 (09:07):
Absolutely, And when we were in Astoria, we also partnered
with a story a cat rescue because we can't have
those live cats. But I knew I wanted to do
something to connect people with opportunities and just raise awareness.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
So you had mentioned so you're in New York. Not
all of us are. Some of us would like to be,
but we're not. So it's my birth city. So I
love New York. But you've mentioned you also have virtual tickets.
How does that work?
Speaker 6 (09:37):
Yes, I would love to share this with all of
your Cataitude listeners. So we have shows quarterly and in
addition to the in person tickets, we have virtual live
stream tickets for just ten dollars. Folks can buy them
through Caveats website and they're good for up to seven
days after the show, so you could be at home
(09:58):
wherever you are across the world watch it live with
your kiddy cats by your side, and there is a
little chat. I try to always call out the folks
on the live stream to include them because it's important
to me to foster the sense of like where a
community of cat lovers. But you don't have to watch
it live wherever you are, if it's not your time zone.
You could watch it the next day or a few
(10:20):
days from then. And I love it if people, you know,
maybe take a selfie of them and their cat or
a picture of their cat and tag us on Instagram
at Cat Beret Show to say that they're watching it,
so that I can, you know, reshare it and include
them and make them feel like they're really part of
the fun.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
But they can watch the whole show from home.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Okay, And we're going to talk about a little bit
a different topic in our second half, but before we go,
with everything you've done in your show and living in
the city you live in, which is kind of ahead
of the game with a lot of things such as
banning declining, But what would you like to see happen
with cat Beret? And question two, what would you like
(10:59):
to see in the cat community?
Speaker 6 (11:01):
Great question, Well, with cat Beret. I'd like to continue
growing our community of cat lovers. Perhaps this year I'm
going to have four shows, packing the house, maybe even
having some fun like meet up, happy hour events, like
in between shows, like a little meet up, because we
can't really bring our cats to like the cat park
like dog folks, you know, they get to mingle and
(11:23):
meet each other. But this is another way and something
I'm also really excited about. I'm friends with Jenny Pearson.
She's the founder of the Cat Museum of New York City.
It's a proposed cat museum and it's a place not
only to well I don't want to speak too much
on it because it's her mission, but it's I'm seeing
different events and things of this nature pop up where
(11:45):
more cat lovers are coming together and also providing resources
to the community.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
For spain Nooter, there's a need for a.
Speaker 6 (11:54):
Veterinary care in the city and all of the neighborhood
cats shop now or release as you mentioned before. So
just continuing to see different organizations grow and flourish and
connect people with resources and connecting with one another, that's
what I'd really like to continue to see.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Absolutely agree, and I think there's also with as much
information that we have, you know, Thinternet and so forth,
and podcasts and live streams and everything, I still think
there is a lot of education that we had. Yes,
so many misconceptions about things that I don't know. I
learned things all the time. But we're going to take
(12:33):
a short break and we'll be right back. Molly, here's
your dinner. See that's not your food.
Speaker 7 (12:44):
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Speaker 4 (13:28):
Let's talk past it.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Let's radio hetline Radio.
Speaker 8 (13:32):
Pet Live Radio dot Com.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Welcome back everyone. We're talking to Jenna Smith. She is
the producer of cat Beret and the host of Tails
and Tassels podcast, and she also has done some work
and still does some work with kittens. Kitten season a
little ahead of the game. Kitten season is not yet
in New York. I live in the South, the Northern
(14:05):
South as I call it, South Florida, so we kind
of have kitten season year round, but it does peak.
You know, it's April through October. What can you tell
us about kittens?
Speaker 5 (14:15):
Sure, well, you're absolutely right.
Speaker 6 (14:17):
Kitten season is the time of year feline breeding season
when shelters across the country are flooded with homeless and
newborn cats and kittens I've adopted to myself are very special.
As we all know, they're a very vulnerable animal population
as well. So in addition to being you know, extremely
(14:37):
extremely cute, when they're under eight weeks of age, they
can be very vulnerable. They need assistants keeping themselves warm.
Neon needle kittens need assistants learning to eat on their own,
and so the biggest way folks can help kittens is
really by fostering them. Maybe reaching out to a local organize.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
I think people think kittens are so cute and everything,
but you're right, there's an extreme amount of work involved.
I'm sure you're probably familiar with Hannah Shaw kitten Lady.
Speaker 5 (15:10):
Yes, you know what. I think. I saw her in
an event one time.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
I've had her on the show, and I've seen her.
She has a lot on Instagram, and she does so
much for kittens like newborn and kittens that are born
with birth effects and all kinds of issues and literally
sometimes feedings every couple of hours. So depending on how
young the kittens are and if they're abandoned by the mother,
there are a lot of work. But you said you
(15:36):
adopted too, So in my very informal poll that I've
had on gratitude with guests, I have heard that it's
better to have two than one because then they could
play with each other. You're a kitten expert. What do
you think that?
Speaker 6 (15:50):
You're absolutely right, But I didn't do it the correct
way because guess what this is. When I was, you know,
about over a decade ago, I was working at that
veterinary clinic and I just adopted one at a time.
But I adopted that second one because my first cat, Lione,
was what we like to call in the shelter world
a singleton. He needed another cat to help teach him
(16:12):
his boundaries and learn how to be a cat and
play with each other, as you mentioned, get that energy out.
So I adopted my other cat, Luna, as a kitten
not too long after. But you're absolutely right. Kittens do really,
really well in pairs because they learn how to cat
with one another. But if someone has a resident cat
(16:32):
at home, you could also adopt a kitten and your
resident cat that you already have can be a helper
cat to that kitten and teach them how to cat.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Yeah, that could be a whole other show, because sometimes
introducing a kitten to the mix can be great or
depends on the cat, Like Charlotte was not nice to Mollie,
who is her sister from a different letter. This is
from my crew. But Dennis, he's chill, he doesn't care.
It was a little challenge and jackped shows on that
in the past. But have you went into people asking
(17:04):
that question.
Speaker 6 (17:06):
Yes, you know people have asked that before. I honestly,
even though I was working at a veterinary clinic me myself,
someone told me. Some of our my coworkers were like,
you really should adopt one of his littermates, and I
was just like, oh, this is my first kitten.
Speaker 5 (17:19):
One is enough.
Speaker 6 (17:20):
But I learned the hard way. Even though he's wonderful,
he's he's thriving as going into a senior kiddy years now.
I think it is really best. I should have listened.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
One of our show hosts had said, ones, kittens are
like potato chips. You can't have only one, so you know,
you think of them in pairs. What should people be
aware of when they're adopting a kitten.
Speaker 6 (17:42):
Well, I think folks should look at their you know, lifestyle,
their apartment. The good thing about kittens is they don't
take up a lot of space, right so even if
you live in a big city or in a house
in the suburbs, you know, they don't take up a
lot of space at first. You could even get them
used to your surroundings in a small room or even
(18:02):
in New York City, we tell folks a bathroom at first,
because for them, they're learning a new environment and it's
going to take them some time to you know, get
used to the smells, sounds and how it feels in
their new home, so to go slow with them, let
them settle in to this new environment. And you know,
(18:23):
it's really great if you first bring them home to
leave the carrier open with some bedding in it so
they can go back in there as their safe space.
And also it's a great idea to think about kitten
proofing your home, so you know, getting down on their
level and thinking what wires cords things could be a
(18:44):
potential hazard to a kitten. And also lots of times
folks should think about plants, house plants and.
Speaker 5 (18:53):
Are they toxic? Are they not toxic? That's a big
one as well.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
You know what, those are great points, and I want
people to also remember those little cute kittens become cats,
and cats are still pretty small. Mine are a little
on the bigger side. I had just had to show
recently about putting them on a diet for New Years.
But even if they're small, you know, sixteen pounds or whatever,
they do grow to be cats. So keep that in mind.
(19:20):
What about the type of where they're adopting, do you
have any tips on where they should go or I
mean I had had kittens born on my front step
and I adopted out too, but I was careful and
I vetted them. But you know, a lot of people
will adopt from shelters. Should they be aware of some shelters,
aware of some private individuals or doesn't really matter, I mean,
(19:44):
except for safety of course.
Speaker 6 (19:45):
Oh yes, yes, I love that you adopted from your
doorstep and adopted them out. And I completely agree with
what you say about Hey, these cute kittens also turn
into amazing cats, so keep that in mind. I think folks,
you know I always would recommend and adopting from a
local shelter or rescue group. I think it's great to
find out if they're a five one C three nonprofit.
(20:07):
First learn a little bit, go to the website, look
at their instagram, learn about their application process, or talk
to your friends. You know, their shelters in every state
across the country, so you can always ask a friend
where'd you get your cat from. That's my personal recommendation,
is checking and just doing a little Google search for
your local rescue group.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Okay, and to my listeners, I promise I'm not going
to do this every show, but this does fit. Please
be aware when you're adopting that cute kitten kittens have claws.
They need their claws. No decline is banned in New York,
which is wonderful, it's not banned everywhere. But it's not
just cutting their nails, it's cutting their knuckle. So be
(20:53):
aware that if you have a leather couch and I
know my Ctitude listeners, they're like, yeah, yeah, we get
this scratch stuff, you know, and make sure you have
scratchers and what they need. But even if that happens,
just like any pet that you have in your home,
things can get ruined. So keep that in mind before
you take that kiddy home. The kittys go into it's
(21:16):
forever home and then it gets returned to the shelter.
Speaker 6 (21:19):
I completely agree with you declining. When I worked at
a veterinary clinic, I didn't know a lot about it
at the time. I had never been around a declaude
cat or knew about it, and I had learned what
it was just because we didn't do it there, and
I was like, well, what is that? And so I
learned more about it and it's so horrible. It is
like cutting off their finger to their knuckle. So I
agree with you completely.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah. There was a great movie about it called and
I just mentioned this in my prayer podcast, so it's
in my mind listeners. So I just want to make
sure you get the message. It's called American cat, the good,
the bad, the cuddly, and it's just amazing and so informative.
And there's a lot people are not aware of. A
lot of people think it's just trimming a nail.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
That's a great misconception to clear up.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yes, exactly. Keep in mind that, I mean this didn't
happen to me with my cats because they were all local.
But one of my dogs, who's now in doggy Heaven,
he was returned, so you know, to me, I think
that's not the worst, of course, but it's up there
with really crummy things to do to your little furbabe.
Take it home and then decide, ah, it chewed my
shoe or scratched something.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
Going back, I agree with you.
Speaker 6 (22:26):
It's so funny. I would like my cats what of
our couch in the office. I'm like, yes, that little
end is for you to scratch. I mean, I love
them so much, you know, I just I get the scratchers.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
I do all the things.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
But if they want to scratch that one part of
the couch, you know what I love them, let them live.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
You know what, when I shop for my couch, I
made sure was as pet proof as I could make it. Yes,
certain material, you know, machine washable covers. Didn't spend a
lot of money because I knew it was probably going
to get ruined. You know, you have older you know
ferb they have accidents or one end or the other.
You know, things happen. So I like think most of
(23:05):
us as pet parents, we especially with cat pet parents
and their lovely clause, we just have it in mind
that it's not the end of the world, right.
Speaker 6 (23:15):
Yes, exactly, That's how I feel. And it's so good
though for new cat parents to hear like things to
think about, because you really can prep for becoming a
cat parent and do some things in advance to make
it easy on you, end easier for your cat and
set them up for success.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Right exactly. So right before we go, can you share
again where people can find your cat Beret.
Speaker 6 (23:39):
Absolutely, if people are on Instagram, I would love for.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
You to follow us at cat Beret Show.
Speaker 6 (23:47):
So like Cabaret, but cat Beret on Instagram Cat Beret
Show And if you want to check out tickets, the
link is in the bio there, or you could go
to caveat dot NYC.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
People can find out more about you on your website
as well.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Yes, Jemma Smith dot net.
Speaker 6 (24:04):
Everything about me is there as well, and I look
forward to connecting with more CAT lovers well.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Jemma, thank you so much for coming on Catitude.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Thanks for having me. It's been a blast.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I hope you all enjoyed the show. Be sure to
check out cat Beret. You can find out more on
Gemma's website Jemmasmith dot net. I'd like to thank my
cat listeners. Thank you so much for listening to Katatude.
I appreciate your listenership and your loyalty. Thank you so much.
Anyone with interesting topics want to hear about certain things
(24:35):
on Catatude, shooting an email Michelle at petlife Radio dot com.
I answer all emails. I'd like to thank my cat
crew Mollie, Charlotte and Dennis, and thank my guest again.
Thank you Jemma for coming on Catitude, and of course
thank my producer, the amazing Mark Winter for working his
(24:55):
magic and making my podcast and guest no making my
podcast sound amazing. Now remember list the attitude have Catitude
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on petlifradio
dot com
This is Pet Life Radio. Let's Talk pets.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hello feline friends, Welcome to cat Tude. I'm your show host,
Michelle Burne. What a show I have for you today.
Have you heard of a cat beat before? You're probably
thinking what in the world. Yes, it's true cat Beret,
So stay tuned. I have an amazing guest with me.
We'll be right back.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
You know the expression cats have nine lives? Well, what
if you can give them one more? But give them ten?
Movement is on a mission to help give cats an
extra life. How with Spain and Neoter Spain or new
your cat helps them live a longer, healthier life and
it helps control free rolling cat populations too. Learn more
(01:08):
about the benefits of spe and Neoter and meet Scooter
the Neoter cat at Give them ten dot org. That's
give them ten dot Org.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Let's talk pets on Petlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Welcome back everyone. I'd like to welcome Jemma Smith. She
is the producer of cat Beret and also the host
of Tails and Tassels podcast.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
Welcome Gemma, Hi, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I'm very excited to have you on. So before we
talk about Catbaret, can you give us a little background
about yourself.
Speaker 6 (01:55):
Sure, So I originally went to college for theater and
moved to New York City after words to pursue a
career as an actor. But I got a day job
at a veterinary clinic in Manhattan, and my love for animals,
especially cats, grew from there.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
And then where did you come up with a cat beret?
And what is a cat beret?
Speaker 6 (02:14):
Yes, a cat beret is a cat themed variety show
or a cat themed cabaret, hence the play on words
there with the title. So it's a variety show that
features comedy, music, sometimes magic, and per lusque, or as
we like to call it, per lusku. And it's all
cat themed. However, we love to mix it up. We
(02:38):
celebrate different holidays as well for per lusk.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
So I had no idea what I would be looking
at when cat beret, And of course I think of
Mulan Rouge, and I thought, am I going to see
like cats are naked anyways? Especially sphinx cats? So am
I going to see cats? Am I going to see
women half dressed with cats? I mean, I'm open minded, whatever,
you know, But I had no idea. But it's really
(03:02):
cute and you perform in them as well.
Speaker 6 (03:06):
Yeah, so I host the show and I produce it
and hire performers.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Also you're also a musician.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Well, yes, I do have music in the show. I
sometimes play the trumpet in the show. I have tap danced,
and like I mentioned before, so it's all cat themed.
There's no real cats, although folks are welcome to buy
a virtual ticket and sit at home with their cats
and watch. But we love to mix it up with themes.
So in October we celebrate Meo Lloween, so it's cat
(03:32):
themed and Halloween themed stand up comedy, improv. We'll have
like you mentioned, burlesque, which is, like you were saying,
in your imagination, you're thinking of burlesque.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
It is the art of strip tease.
Speaker 6 (03:44):
You might see someone with a feather fan wearing cat ears,
or it could be a cat on a ball of
yarn or a black kitty doing burlesque. To everybody wants
to be a cat, So we mix it up like
Gallantine's as Next, we're gonna celebrate feline and friendship, so
I'm encouraging everyone to bring their cat loving besties and
(04:06):
some of the acts might be more friendship themed. With
a feline twist.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So when you were thinking of this, why did you
think it would work with cats? And do you think
it would work with dogs as well?
Speaker 6 (04:19):
It's interesting. So I used to live in Astoria, Queens.
There's a great comedy club there called que Diastoria, and
I was kind of going through a transition and like,
do I want to pursue acting. I was working for
an animal welfare organization by day at that point, and
I just thought, how can I give back to the
cat community.
Speaker 5 (04:39):
I'm a bit of a cat lady.
Speaker 6 (04:40):
I just have two cats, but I have love for
all of them, and I thought what special that I
could do to bring cat lovers together. And that's kind
of how I got the idea for the Cat Beret.
And it started small over six years ago at that
comedy club in Queens, and we've grown.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Last year we.
Speaker 6 (04:59):
Produced two shows at Caveat in Manhattan on the Lower
East Side. Seats over one hundred people and we filled
the theater. At the last show, tons of cat lovers,
even tourists from Scotland came, folks who just saw the
show on event bright. And we also have our regulars
now that come back. Everyone gets free cat ears.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
That's my gift.
Speaker 6 (05:20):
I give out free cat ears to everyone, and it's
become this real community. And I do think it could
work for dog lovers too. I know there is I've
seen like must Love Dogs comedy shows here around the city.
I just realized that for me, this was the way
that I could give back to the cat community especially,
(05:40):
and it's been really a project of love.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Okay, it's so interesting and I get that giving back
to cats. And there's something about cat lovers. There's just
something about them, and there's something about cats. I think
it's the mystique because I was thinking in my head, well,
you know, you hear about cats being sexy, right books,
you know you hear that. And I'm not saying cat
(06:05):
burret has to be sexy, but BERLASKI thinks we're per
lask You thinks sexy dogs you don't think of as sexy.
Speaker 5 (06:11):
Yeah, that's interesting. I don't think.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, that's where my head goes. So, you know, just
thinking about this, so right, I hear you. I've never
heard of woman. I'm a gracious reader. I've never read
oh she was in a dog like pose, But I've
read he's maybe not even for men. He's in a dog,
you know, because they think cats are female dogs are male,
which makes no sense.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
But totally yeah, I don't you beat cats are so elegant.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
But yeah, they're like she was in a feline pose.
She stretched like a cat. You eat that kind of stuff.
You don't read. She's stretch like a dog or yng
or whatever like a dog. So that's where I was going.
So but yeah, I know there's groups and it's all
about giving back to the cats. Have you ever, let's see,
have you ever had live cats in your show?
Speaker 6 (06:58):
Great question because one time time we actually did, back
when we were at the comedy club in Queen's. One
of my stand up or improv comedians, his cat is
a special cat. It was harness trained and could walk
on a leash and lived right nearby, like an apartment
right next door, and so he got permission from the
owner because he lived nearby to bring oh my gosh,
(07:21):
I can't remember the kitty's name, was it Lionel maybe
to bring this kitty on stage for a little improv
scene with him, And of course the cat didn't do anything,
but it was still hilarious because he was like acting
things out with suggestions from the audience, but he did
ask everyone in the audience to please hold their applause
and stay quiet so that we could be respectful of
(07:44):
his kitty who performed in the show.
Speaker 5 (07:47):
So that was rather exciting.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
That's so cute. I think it would be a challenge
to have cats. I've seen cats on stage. I've seen
cats that do you know, theatrics at shows, But I
know for the most part, cats are independent, want to
be by themselves, and they're not really performers.
Speaker 6 (08:06):
Yes, I agree my two cats, they're most comfortable when
they're at home around familiar surroundings. But I do want
to mention I do partner with a nonprofit local rescue group,
Rescue NYC, and we showcase they are adoptable cats in
our pre show and intermission slideshow. So every show we
showcase cats in need of homes, and many of those
(08:29):
cats are at Coneco Cat Cafe, which is right across
the street here in New York City from caveat our venue.
So it's a really perfect and Conicco donates a couple
pairs of entries to their cattery for part of our raffle.
So we try to collaborate with local cat businesses to
just spread the word about adoptable cats.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
You know, I was going to get to that since
you're such a cat lever, I was going to get
to you whether you have you know anything about T
and R, adopt and so forth, because that's a big thing.
And there there's a lot of active rescues in New
York City.
Speaker 6 (09:07):
Absolutely, And when we were in Astoria, we also partnered
with a story a cat rescue because we can't have
those live cats. But I knew I wanted to do
something to connect people with opportunities and just raise awareness.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
So you had mentioned so you're in New York. Not
all of us are. Some of us would like to be,
but we're not. So it's my birth city. So I
love New York. But you've mentioned you also have virtual tickets.
How does that work?
Speaker 6 (09:37):
Yes, I would love to share this with all of
your Cataitude listeners. So we have shows quarterly and in
addition to the in person tickets, we have virtual live
stream tickets for just ten dollars. Folks can buy them
through Caveats website and they're good for up to seven
days after the show, so you could be at home
(09:58):
wherever you are across the world watch it live with
your kiddy cats by your side, and there is a
little chat. I try to always call out the folks
on the live stream to include them because it's important
to me to foster the sense of like where a
community of cat lovers. But you don't have to watch
it live wherever you are, if it's not your time zone.
You could watch it the next day or a few
(10:20):
days from then. And I love it if people, you know,
maybe take a selfie of them and their cat or
a picture of their cat and tag us on Instagram
at Cat Beret Show to say that they're watching it,
so that I can, you know, reshare it and include
them and make them feel like they're really part of
the fun.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
But they can watch the whole show from home.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Okay, And we're going to talk about a little bit
a different topic in our second half, but before we go,
with everything you've done in your show and living in
the city you live in, which is kind of ahead
of the game with a lot of things such as
banning declining, But what would you like to see happen
with cat Beret? And question two, what would you like
(10:59):
to see in the cat community?
Speaker 6 (11:01):
Great question, Well, with cat Beret. I'd like to continue
growing our community of cat lovers. Perhaps this year I'm
going to have four shows, packing the house, maybe even
having some fun like meet up, happy hour events, like
in between shows, like a little meet up, because we
can't really bring our cats to like the cat park
like dog folks, you know, they get to mingle and
(11:23):
meet each other. But this is another way and something
I'm also really excited about. I'm friends with Jenny Pearson.
She's the founder of the Cat Museum of New York City.
It's a proposed cat museum and it's a place not
only to well I don't want to speak too much
on it because it's her mission, but it's I'm seeing
different events and things of this nature pop up where
(11:45):
more cat lovers are coming together and also providing resources
to the community.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
For spain Nooter, there's a need for a.
Speaker 6 (11:54):
Veterinary care in the city and all of the neighborhood
cats shop now or release as you mentioned before. So
just continuing to see different organizations grow and flourish and
connect people with resources and connecting with one another, that's
what I'd really like to continue to see.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Absolutely agree, and I think there's also with as much
information that we have, you know, Thinternet and so forth,
and podcasts and live streams and everything, I still think
there is a lot of education that we had. Yes,
so many misconceptions about things that I don't know. I
learned things all the time. But we're going to take
(12:33):
a short break and we'll be right back. Molly, here's
your dinner. See that's not your food.
Speaker 7 (12:44):
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(13:08):
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Speaker 4 (13:28):
Let's talk past it.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Let's radio hetline Radio.
Speaker 8 (13:32):
Pet Live Radio dot Com.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Welcome back everyone. We're talking to Jenna Smith. She is
the producer of cat Beret and the host of Tails
and Tassels podcast, and she also has done some work
and still does some work with kittens. Kitten season a
little ahead of the game. Kitten season is not yet
in New York. I live in the South, the Northern
(14:05):
South as I call it, South Florida, so we kind
of have kitten season year round, but it does peak.
You know, it's April through October. What can you tell
us about kittens?
Speaker 5 (14:15):
Sure, well, you're absolutely right.
Speaker 6 (14:17):
Kitten season is the time of year feline breeding season
when shelters across the country are flooded with homeless and
newborn cats and kittens I've adopted to myself are very special.
As we all know, they're a very vulnerable animal population
as well. So in addition to being you know, extremely
(14:37):
extremely cute, when they're under eight weeks of age, they
can be very vulnerable. They need assistants keeping themselves warm.
Neon needle kittens need assistants learning to eat on their own,
and so the biggest way folks can help kittens is
really by fostering them. Maybe reaching out to a local organize.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
I think people think kittens are so cute and everything,
but you're right, there's an extreme amount of work involved.
I'm sure you're probably familiar with Hannah Shaw kitten Lady.
Speaker 5 (15:10):
Yes, you know what. I think. I saw her in
an event one time.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
I've had her on the show, and I've seen her.
She has a lot on Instagram, and she does so
much for kittens like newborn and kittens that are born
with birth effects and all kinds of issues and literally
sometimes feedings every couple of hours. So depending on how
young the kittens are and if they're abandoned by the mother,
there are a lot of work. But you said you
(15:36):
adopted too, So in my very informal poll that I've
had on gratitude with guests, I have heard that it's
better to have two than one because then they could
play with each other. You're a kitten expert. What do
you think that?
Speaker 6 (15:50):
You're absolutely right, But I didn't do it the correct
way because guess what this is. When I was, you know,
about over a decade ago, I was working at that
veterinary clinic and I just adopted one at a time.
But I adopted that second one because my first cat, Lione,
was what we like to call in the shelter world
a singleton. He needed another cat to help teach him
(16:12):
his boundaries and learn how to be a cat and
play with each other, as you mentioned, get that energy out.
So I adopted my other cat, Luna, as a kitten
not too long after. But you're absolutely right. Kittens do really,
really well in pairs because they learn how to cat
with one another. But if someone has a resident cat
(16:32):
at home, you could also adopt a kitten and your
resident cat that you already have can be a helper
cat to that kitten and teach them how to cat.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Yeah, that could be a whole other show, because sometimes
introducing a kitten to the mix can be great or
depends on the cat, Like Charlotte was not nice to Mollie,
who is her sister from a different letter. This is
from my crew. But Dennis, he's chill, he doesn't care.
It was a little challenge and jackped shows on that
in the past. But have you went into people asking
(17:04):
that question.
Speaker 6 (17:06):
Yes, you know people have asked that before. I honestly,
even though I was working at a veterinary clinic me myself,
someone told me. Some of our my coworkers were like,
you really should adopt one of his littermates, and I
was just like, oh, this is my first kitten.
Speaker 5 (17:19):
One is enough.
Speaker 6 (17:20):
But I learned the hard way. Even though he's wonderful,
he's he's thriving as going into a senior kiddy years now.
I think it is really best. I should have listened.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
One of our show hosts had said, ones, kittens are
like potato chips. You can't have only one, so you know,
you think of them in pairs. What should people be
aware of when they're adopting a kitten.
Speaker 6 (17:42):
Well, I think folks should look at their you know, lifestyle,
their apartment. The good thing about kittens is they don't
take up a lot of space, right so even if
you live in a big city or in a house
in the suburbs, you know, they don't take up a
lot of space at first. You could even get them
used to your surroundings in a small room or even
(18:02):
in New York City, we tell folks a bathroom at first,
because for them, they're learning a new environment and it's
going to take them some time to you know, get
used to the smells, sounds and how it feels in
their new home, so to go slow with them, let
them settle in to this new environment. And you know,
(18:23):
it's really great if you first bring them home to
leave the carrier open with some bedding in it so
they can go back in there as their safe space.
And also it's a great idea to think about kitten
proofing your home, so you know, getting down on their
level and thinking what wires cords things could be a
(18:44):
potential hazard to a kitten. And also lots of times
folks should think about plants, house plants and.
Speaker 5 (18:53):
Are they toxic? Are they not toxic? That's a big
one as well.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
You know what, those are great points, and I want
people to also remember those little cute kittens become cats,
and cats are still pretty small. Mine are a little
on the bigger side. I had just had to show
recently about putting them on a diet for New Years.
But even if they're small, you know, sixteen pounds or whatever,
they do grow to be cats. So keep that in mind.
(19:20):
What about the type of where they're adopting, do you
have any tips on where they should go or I
mean I had had kittens born on my front step
and I adopted out too, but I was careful and
I vetted them. But you know, a lot of people
will adopt from shelters. Should they be aware of some shelters,
aware of some private individuals or doesn't really matter, I mean,
(19:44):
except for safety of course.
Speaker 6 (19:45):
Oh yes, yes, I love that you adopted from your
doorstep and adopted them out. And I completely agree with
what you say about Hey, these cute kittens also turn
into amazing cats, so keep that in mind. I think folks,
you know I always would recommend and adopting from a
local shelter or rescue group. I think it's great to
find out if they're a five one C three nonprofit.
(20:07):
First learn a little bit, go to the website, look
at their instagram, learn about their application process, or talk
to your friends. You know, their shelters in every state
across the country, so you can always ask a friend
where'd you get your cat from. That's my personal recommendation,
is checking and just doing a little Google search for
your local rescue group.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Okay, and to my listeners, I promise I'm not going
to do this every show, but this does fit. Please
be aware when you're adopting that cute kitten kittens have claws.
They need their claws. No decline is banned in New York,
which is wonderful, it's not banned everywhere. But it's not
just cutting their nails, it's cutting their knuckle. So be
(20:53):
aware that if you have a leather couch and I
know my Ctitude listeners, they're like, yeah, yeah, we get
this scratch stuff, you know, and make sure you have
scratchers and what they need. But even if that happens,
just like any pet that you have in your home,
things can get ruined. So keep that in mind before
you take that kiddy home. The kittys go into it's
(21:16):
forever home and then it gets returned to the shelter.
Speaker 6 (21:19):
I completely agree with you declining. When I worked at
a veterinary clinic, I didn't know a lot about it
at the time. I had never been around a declaude
cat or knew about it, and I had learned what
it was just because we didn't do it there, and
I was like, well, what is that? And so I
learned more about it and it's so horrible. It is
like cutting off their finger to their knuckle. So I
agree with you completely.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah. There was a great movie about it called and
I just mentioned this in my prayer podcast, so it's
in my mind listeners. So I just want to make
sure you get the message. It's called American cat, the good,
the bad, the cuddly, and it's just amazing and so informative.
And there's a lot people are not aware of. A
lot of people think it's just trimming a nail.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
That's a great misconception to clear up.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yes, exactly. Keep in mind that, I mean this didn't
happen to me with my cats because they were all local.
But one of my dogs, who's now in doggy Heaven,
he was returned, so you know, to me, I think
that's not the worst, of course, but it's up there
with really crummy things to do to your little furbabe.
Take it home and then decide, ah, it chewed my
shoe or scratched something.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
Going back, I agree with you.
Speaker 6 (22:26):
It's so funny. I would like my cats what of
our couch in the office. I'm like, yes, that little
end is for you to scratch. I mean, I love
them so much, you know, I just I get the scratchers.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
I do all the things.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
But if they want to scratch that one part of
the couch, you know what I love them, let them live.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
You know what, when I shop for my couch, I
made sure was as pet proof as I could make it. Yes,
certain material, you know, machine washable covers. Didn't spend a
lot of money because I knew it was probably going
to get ruined. You know, you have older you know
ferb they have accidents or one end or the other.
You know, things happen. So I like think most of
(23:05):
us as pet parents, we especially with cat pet parents
and their lovely clause, we just have it in mind
that it's not the end of the world, right.
Speaker 6 (23:15):
Yes, exactly, That's how I feel. And it's so good
though for new cat parents to hear like things to
think about, because you really can prep for becoming a
cat parent and do some things in advance to make
it easy on you, end easier for your cat and
set them up for success.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Right exactly. So right before we go, can you share
again where people can find your cat Beret.
Speaker 6 (23:39):
Absolutely, if people are on Instagram, I would love for.
Speaker 5 (23:43):
You to follow us at cat Beret Show.
Speaker 6 (23:47):
So like Cabaret, but cat Beret on Instagram Cat Beret
Show And if you want to check out tickets, the
link is in the bio there, or you could go
to caveat dot NYC.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
People can find out more about you on your website
as well.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Yes, Jemma Smith dot net.
Speaker 6 (24:04):
Everything about me is there as well, and I look
forward to connecting with more CAT lovers well.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Jemma, thank you so much for coming on Catitude.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Thanks for having me. It's been a blast.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I hope you all enjoyed the show. Be sure to
check out cat Beret. You can find out more on
Gemma's website Jemmasmith dot net. I'd like to thank my
cat listeners. Thank you so much for listening to Katatude.
I appreciate your listenership and your loyalty. Thank you so much.
Anyone with interesting topics want to hear about certain things
(24:35):
on Catatude, shooting an email Michelle at petlife Radio dot com.
I answer all emails. I'd like to thank my cat
crew Mollie, Charlotte and Dennis, and thank my guest again.
Thank you Jemma for coming on Catitude, and of course
thank my producer, the amazing Mark Winter for working his
(24:55):
magic and making my podcast and guest no making my
podcast sound amazing. Now remember list the attitude have Catitude
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on petlifradio
dot com
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