Krista Moy of the My Cat Calling Podcast and Her Cat Prints Gary

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Krista is the host of My Cat Calling, a podcast dedicated to celebrating cat people and their relationships with their cats — inspired by her own beloved cat, Prints Gary.

This episode is also the Season 2 finale of Tails and Tassels — thank you for being here. 💛

🎤 Connect with Krista:

• Instagram: @mycatcalling
• TikTok: @mycatcalling
• Subscribe on Youtube!
• Podcast: My Cat Calling (available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more!)

💛 Products Mentioned:

• Dehydrated Minnow Treats
• Treat Mouse 

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Got a question or a story about your cat? 🐱 I’d love to hear from you! Message me on Instagram or email tailsandtasselspod@gmail.com.

Planning a Creative Cat Lovers Happy Hour in NYC soon — stay tuned for details 

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a fellow cat person. It truly helps this indie show grow.

Transcript

Gemma Smith (00:06.52)

Hello Kitty Cats and welcome back to Tails and Tassels. The show where you learn about the lives of burlesque and nightlife performers, their craft, their cats and how those two worlds intertwine. I'm your host Gemma Smith. By day I work in animal welfare and by night I host the Catbaret, New York City's cat themed variety show. And today's episode is indeed a special one because it is the final episode of season two.

We have now reached 35 episodes of Tails and Tassels, which honestly feels kind of wild. This has truly been a labor of love for me. I love cats, especially my two cats, Lion-o and Luna. And I love creatives who love cats. And I've loved getting to create the space where those worlds come together. If you've been listening along and enjoying the show, it would mean so much to me if you shared this episode with a friend,

or posted about it on social media and tagged us at Tails and Tassels Pod. This is an indie podcast entirely produced by me and word of mouth can really help us grow. Okay, so I'm going to be taking a bit of a break between seasons, giving myself some time to regroup, promote the show, and honestly create from a place of more ease. That's my 2026 Word of the Year.

and something I'm really trying to honor. That said, this is not goodbye. Don't worry, kitty cats. I'll be back for season three. And in the meantime, there are some fun things coming up. I'm planning a creative cat lovers happy hour here in New York City in collaboration with Catbaret. So make sure you're following along for updates. And of course, the Catbaret will be back with Meowloween later this year on October 31st.

and also a holiday show at Caveat on December 19th. And if you're new here or catching up, well, good news. There are 35 episodes waiting for you. So plenty of conversations with a meowsing creative cat people to dive into. Now for today's guest. I am so excited to be joined by Krista Moy, comedian, creator and host of the podcast, My Cat Calling.

Gemma Smith (02:32.842)

along with her iconic, very chill, very lovable senior cat, Prints Gary. Krista created My Cat Calling as a space to celebrate cat people and their relationships with their cats, and also inspired by Prints Gary. He's 19 years young and truly a lap cat icon. He's very much at the heart of it all. We talk about her journey into comedy, building her own creative work. She's also a toy designer.

And of course, her life with Prints Gary, including a really special story about how he was right there with her when she gave birth to her daughter. So moving, I almost cried. I have a feeling you'll love this one. So let's get into it.

Gemma Smith (03:25.208)

have Krista with Prints Gary in her lap. Thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you so much for having us. Prints Gary just finished his treat for being on the podcast. So he's very ready to settle in and chat. He has cat goals. The way he is like leaning his head back up at you and you can see his little mouth. It's so adorable. Yeah, he is definitely a lap cat. But you know, we'll get into that.

Yeah, you lucked out. And for our listeners, this is my second time chatting with Krista because I got to be a guest on her podcast, which you're going to hear all about today called My Cat Calling. Krista is also a comedian and cat mom extraordinaire. And so we're going to learn a bit about you and your craft. And I can't wait. I'd love for you to come back to the East Coast. I know you're based in LA.

but it'd be so fun to have you at Catbaret. You're a stand-up comedian. So how did comedy first enter your life? know, what kind of drew you to performing? Oh, well, you know, my whole life story. Let me just start there. We're here for it. I mean, like, honestly, it was, like, far back as high school when I got, like, the comedy bug. I had, like, written in, like, junior high or not junior. Yeah, junior year.

I had written this one act of a play that was our assignment in English class. Best English teacher, shout out to Ms. She was incredible. And she had us write this one act of a play and perform it in front of the whole class, know, once we wrote it. And so I didn't actually perform it, but my classmates were acting it out, and I noticed people laughing.

at my play and I was like, like, this is funny. people are like actually like, I thought it was funny, but I didn't know people were actually going to laugh. And that feeling of like, wow, something I wrote is like causing my entire class to burst out in laughter. That's amazing. So that feeling just like imprinted on me. And then the next year, senior year, I was performing in the talent show.

Gemma Smith (05:47.47)

with a fellow student of mine, Veronica, we were both like doing a dance routine and like, was of the time, I'm dating myself, but it was of the time of Shakira and like her height. I'm right with you, I think we're the same age. don't lie. So naturally I'm like, I can belly dance in my school talent show. I have like zero like training, but I was like, yeah, like I'm gonna do that. And so there was another girl also doing a similar kind of dance. So they're like, let's lump them together, which I-

was a little bit, I was like, all right, whatever. You could have given us both a spot, but sure. Lump us together as one act. So I wrote this bit, this act for us that was like, we're both coming out on stage at the same time, but don't know the other one's gonna be there. And start fighting and running and chasing each other, angry, trying to chase the other one off stage. And then the drummer, who's like, our friend was playing drums.

He was like, just stop and dance together. And then the whole routine that we choreographed together starts. But in that moment where we're chasing each other around stage, the entire auditorium's erupting with laughter. And I did not expect this to go over so well. So that was the first time where I was like, this room full of people laughing at something I am doing is like, it was the ultimate high.

So that's like kind of where it first planted the seed. And then fast forward to like, I graduate college with a degree in fashion design. And I'm just kind of like not completely satisfied with my career choice and just like looking for some other kind of outlet. And then I went to an open mic and this is actually when I was living in LA. I had just graduated school at Otis College of Art and Design.

And I went with a friend drove me, because I remember at the time I didn't even have a car. So my best friend drove me to this open mic, and that was the first time I'd performed stand-up comedy. And I kind of, it was thrilling. It was like so great. So that's kind of like how it segueed into later. I think it was like 2017.

Gemma Smith (08:10.306)

when I finally decided to take an improv class and follow this more seriously. Like things that I have kind of just dabbled in in the past. So then from doing improv, then I started doing more open mics and doing the circuits around New York City and really just diving into the world of comedy head first. And it came around a time when I was working from home.

Like I had switched into working from home. So I was looking for more human connection and just like, you know, something that I didn't really get working from home that I like previously, you know, had people at the office and we could chat and, know, I could make my jokes there. But then at home, I'm just kind of like, I need to talk to somebody. So let me go do, let me go do stand up. So that's kind of how that happened.

Well, I love that you mentioned your Shakira on stage moment and the beginning of the like feeling laughter, because I know exactly what you mean. I remember also very similar time feeling like, my gosh, I'm funny. And it was through acting in a play more so for me. that feels so good. And that must have been very, it sounds hilarious and ahead of its time for a high school assembly or talent show. yeah, it was very, in my opinion, it was very underrated. We did not.

place when there anything, but I was like, that was comedy gold that everyone just kind of didn't pick up at the time. And just on as a side note, I was in, we had like a male beauty pageant called like Mr. Hermitage or whatever, but the senior girls we performed, or maybe it was Air Band, I don't know, but the senior girls did Christina Aguilera's Dirty and we ripped off like a tank top, but we had a tank top under it.

I don't know. was like, so it's a very like same millennial time period. Yeah, I know. The like hyper-sexual. And I'm like looking back and I'm like, I was this young girl like on stage like dancing like Shakira. Maybe not the best thing, but like, hey, it went over and like, it was a great time. I loved it. Okay. And so then fast forward, you said you discovered like

Gemma Smith (10:29.806)

First, were you doing some improv and doing like structured classes and stand-up? Did you end up really landing in the stand-up world that you prefer or do you still sometimes perform improv? Do you have a favorite? I think stand-up just was a little bit more able to like partner my like writing with, you know, creating my own act. like improv is fun. I really...

I really just like performing in general because it like scratches an itch that make that like it's a form of somatic creative expression for me. don't really get from my trained background in, you know, in design and kind of like art, like illustration, which is, you know, that's a beautiful form of expression in itself for me that I really enjoy. But

There was just always something missing that I wanted to use my words, use my body, be in this somatic experience. so I think stand-up kind of lets me be a little bit in my head and create my thoughts and write them down and craft this. I'm able to do...

both of those things where I can be alone and kind of noodle over something, noodle over my jokes, and then write them and perform them and see if they land and kind of the best of both worlds for me. Improv is great though because it just gets you out of your head and you have to really respond to a partner and you have to think more in the moment.

So I think it was a very crucial part for me of understanding comedy because the audience is like your other scene partner in a sense with stand-up. You never know how they're gonna react. like you have to be aware of them and like know if your jokes are landing otherwise you're just having an experience on stage by yourself which is very egotistical.

Gemma Smith (12:51.052)

You know, like understanding the audience and their reaction is like one very key component in stand-up. So I think having that improv experience definitely helped that, but I do love stand-up and I love just like being able to create your own act and like, you know, let it evolve over time.

That makes a lot of sense. I love that ownership. It's different than burlesque, but in a way similar in that you have a concept. You're creating that act, you're performing it on stage, and then you're evolving it based on audience reaction. And in preparing for this podcast, I thought about asking you, of course we're gonna get into your podcast and being a stand-up comedian, but you're a designer by day, I mean by trade. You're trained as an illustrator and you said fashion design.

Could you share a little bit about that too? Yeah, so I graduated with a degree in fashion design and then I ended up in toy design actually because I just really wasn't super thrilled with the fashion industry at the time and still not. So I interned a little bit in fashion design in New York at a couple of companies and I ended up as a doll designer.

And it just has been such a fun experience. And there's like definitely an element of comedy in toy design. Like if you have that sort of like just zany attitude toward it that like is a little bit out there and a little bit like, you know, you can create something like really funny and something that like brings a smile to somebody's face. And I think that aspect of it is similar to

what I like about comedy is just like crafting something that like can transfer. It's like a form of alchemy to me, you know, like you can like change an energy in somebody and like create a connection with somebody that wasn't like formerly there. it's just, it's such a fun way to to just bring joy and to lighten an energy.

Gemma Smith (15:04.444)

yes. can you, are you able to share, I don't know if it's like confidential, any toys that you've created or any cat? I know you've created some design for your podcast too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I design everything for my podcast. That's like everything you see is all me. I don't really have a lot of, I don't have anybody helping me with it. So that's all me. And then I've like designed these like little cat heads. Let me grab one.

So these are like little plushes that I've been making for the show. So this is like Prints Gary. And then this is like another one that I thought was cute. Very cute. Little orange one. Yeah, they're like little handmade ones. But in as far as like what I've designed, I did do a line of dolls that are cat-

themed that never got picked up, but I designed a whole thing around them. I don't know if I should talk about that since it never went anywhere, but that was really, really exciting. And that kind of was around the time that I wanted to start this podcast, that I started thinking about this podcast. So yeah, I definitely have always felt inspired by cats, but yeah, I've designed for Disney, Marvel.

I designed like a, or I helped work on a like $3,000 Elsa doll that ended up being bought by Beyonce for Blue Ivies. I think it was her like third birthday party or something like that. She was very young at the time and it was like a custom, a custom like one-off that we did. So that was like the most like exciting thing that I ever did because I love Beyonce.

Yeah, that's bragging rights. was like, that is extremely exciting. She is an icon. Yeah. is awesome. Oh, you're so creative by day. And then you're so creative performing standup comedy. You've lived and performed both in New York and LA. How do the comedy scenes differ for you? Do you prefer one? I mean, it's hard to say what I prefer. I think like just

Gemma Smith (17:20.832)

In New York, felt maybe it was just like I was younger at the time, I'm not sure, but I felt like it was a little bit more accessible. Everything feels more accessible in New York because you don't have to deal with LA traffic. That's like the worst part about LA is like just that you need a car and you have to sit through traffic and things are just like really, really far. And so I think for me, that's like stopped me.

from being motivated to do more in comedy in LA and just go out there and really just drive. Driving is like... Sounds horrible. It's a huge part, honestly, of the LA scene. it's the unseen part of the resume of an LA comedian, I think. But in New York, you can just hop on a train. You don't need a car.

Like you can just, you know, I remember I was, I would go to this like dog cafe after my therapy and one day a comedy show just like rolled in like as I was sitting there and I like talked to the host and ended up like being booked on that show. And it's just like one of those things like you're just around in New York and like you just find comedy and it's like down the street and you can just go like, I remember I lived in Brooklyn and

There were many shows that I could just like walk to. I didn't even have to like travel very far. I think that was like what I noticed the most about, you know, New York versus LA. But as far as like, is one better? I don't know. I think New York has its own like, that's like where you're like a serious, I don't know. Like I think a lot of LA it's like acting and comedy and New York, I think.

you can get by with just being a standup. I'm not sure, maybe I'm wrong with that these days, but. Well, it makes sense. There's a lot of like multi hyphenates in LA. And I'm wondering since because of the driving and it being so spread out, is that a big part of what inspired you to start My Cat Calling podcast? Because you still wanted to create and chat and connect with folks. Can you tell us a bit about your podcast too? Yeah. So,

Gemma Smith (19:43.086)

Definitely a huge reason why I started the podcast. So back in 2020, was it 2022, 21, a couple years ago, after the pandemic, everything kind of went virtual. And that's where like, we were all doing, you know, virtual comedy, I don't know. Was your cat beret?

Did it have like a virtual moment? I did one virtual one. I was getting depressed. I missed people and I did a virtual one. Yeah, you're right. There so much Zoom. Yeah, there was a lot of that. And so I had like gotten asked to be a host of this show that I created on my own with a fellow producer for a network that no longer exists. But it was called My Moi Meets World. And I would like...

It was my comedy show that I would just have friends on and I got to host. And so that was kind of my first time hosting a show and creating something online and this virtual space. And it was really, really fun. I enjoyed it a lot. So I was always looking to find something like that again. And then eventually, fast forward to one...

year ago, I got let go from my job in toy design and I was looking for something just to like do with my time and I had had this idea for my cat calling for a long time, like years and years and years, that I wanted to start this cat podcast and just talk to people about cats because Prints Gary obviously is like the main inspiration for this podcast. as much as Yeah, as much as like-

I have comedy and like all these other experiences. Like he is like, I'm just so, I love him so much and I could just talk about him forever. That's like, he's the thing that I am the most inspired by in life. And I always love talking to cat people about their cats because I love my cat so much and other people love their cat so much and it just like makes sense. Like let's, let's just talk. Let's just.

Gemma Smith (22:00.15)

you know, anything, everything and anything about cats. So that was always something I wanted to create. And then getting Let Go for my job, it kind of like catapulted this idea into the forefront. It was just like, let me like make it online space where people can just come and listen to like stories about cats, hear about people that love cats, and just create a whole podcast around.

cat people and their cats and it's been absolutely wonderful. We have 20 episodes now and yours is about to release very soon with Gemma. So it's honestly been such a great experience to be able to create something on my own terms and like in my own time. You know, as I mentioned, it's hard to get out.

around LA to the different shows and, you know, sure I might be making a little bit of excuses, but like, you know, I have a small daughter and I'm a mom now and, you know, taking care of my family and also like expressing myself creatively. It's a lot of juggling. So this is really the perfect space to be able to do all of the things that I love and, you know, still have time for my family.

You are really the perfect, I was just thinking she's so perfect for this podcast. I love cat puns. You really are because you love your cast so much. You're creating and I'm really inspired by folks who are creating their own work and relate to it because I do it too because it's hard hustling out there and trying to get other folks to hire you and to cast you and I've been there and I've had several agents that drop me and.

And I'm like, I'm 40 now. So I'm like, I'm gonna make my own work. And so I loved being on your podcast. I love talking about my cats. Yeah, thank you for creating a space for folks to chat all about their kitties. Yeah, it's really honestly, like I had one friend that was so, she thanked me. She's like, I never really get a chance to talk about my cats.

Gemma Smith (24:18.508)

and I always feel like it's too much for people. So she was like, thank you for giving me this opportunity to just talk about my cats. And, you know, I think that that's something that I haven't really like, you know, I hadn't really like found a cat podcast that like, you can just like, just talk about cats. Like a lot of it's like very informative and which is great.

But I really wanted to just like have honest conversation like who are the people behind the cats? Like who are the cat people? And I think that's something that like has really opened my eyes to like the kind like the relationship people have with their cats. Like I'm very surprised that some a lot of people actually don't get into cat aren't like cat people until later in life. It's not like a lifelong thing.

and myself included. Yeah, when I was on your podcast, I was a little embarrassed to say I haven't always been a cat person. And then you were like, me too. And that made me feel so at ease. Because a lot of folks, there are a lot that are obsessed with cats from the time they're young. But I'm happy to hear that you're meeting folks who are like us, who fell in love with cats when we were adults.

Yeah, think like, it's really surprising that people that are very gung-ho for cats, like, they haven't always been cat people. It's like later in life, like maybe a partner has a cat. And there's actually a lady in LA that has a cat healing center. And I asked her like, so you must be in love with cats your whole life. And she was like, no, my first cats are my partner's cats. And I just like.

fell in love with them and now she has like a cat healing center in Pasadena. So, you know, it's really surprising that it's not something that has to be like you're a lifelong cat person to in order to transition into being a cat person. And I think that's like the wonderful thing about cats is they'll find a way to get you. They'll hook you in for sure. absolutely.

Gemma Smith (26:25.132)

You also have a little cat tarot reading sometimes. Do you read tarot? Yes, yes. So that's like my mystic side. have like, my God, so many hats that I wear in life. I'm like a reiki master and I do tarot readings. So I incorporated that this season of my cat calling and just like adding a little fun little cat tarot in there. And that's something fun that I think.

Cats and tarot really make sense to me because cats are magical. They're just magical beings and they have so much wisdom and so much that they can offer healing-wise. So it makes sense to incorporate tarot for me. I agree. I've had a tarot reader at Catbaret before with her little cat tarot cards and we had audience members come on stage. Yes. That's so cute. Cats are...

Mystical and healing like I feel like when my cats purr their energy is like healing to me The frequency. Yeah. Yes Let's get into your Big inspiration your love the love of your life your soul cat Prints Gary. Yes. Where'd he go? Get him Let me go grab him. Yeah. Oh Here's Prints Gary

He is just a big bag of love. He's just so... Yeah, so I met Prints Gary back in... It was almost 10 years ago. In 2016, there was a pet expo in Brooklyn. And I had just known that I wanted to get an older cat because a friend had an older cat that was so great.

It never really occurred to me to get an older cat because everyone's always like, oh, get a kitten. I figured like, if you get a kitten, then they'll live longer. You'll have them for longer. But kittens are a lot of work. And I had a kitten at one point that I ended up rehoming because of a breakup and a move and all of this stuff. so in 2016, I was like, I really want a cat.

Gemma Smith (28:48.174)

I just, had like, it was almost like baby fever for cats. Like I always say, I always joke that like, I've literally never, I have a baby, but I've never had baby fever. I've only had cat fever that like, you're just like, like your ovaries almost ache. You're like, I just want a cat. Like, oh, and you just see all these cats and you're like, I just need a cat so bad.

So I was definitely having cat fever and I went into this expo looking for an older cat and only found like younger kittens, like very small cats, walked around the whole thing and was about to leave. I was like, all right, my cat's not here. Like I'm looking for a golden bachelor. And someone stopped me that was a volunteer and she was like, would you like to meet Boo Boo? And I was like, uh, sure.

You don't love the name. I don't love the name, but as I've learned, shelter names are just sometimes heinous and it's not like the name for the cat. It's just like the shelter will pick a stupid name sometimes. So I saw him, he was in a carrier by himself. He was nine years old and she was like, we weren't even going to bring him because we weren't sure anyone would want him. People don't tend to want older cats. And I was like,

What? I was like, I'm looking for an older cat. Are you kidding me? So we went into, they had a holding area. We went into the holding area together and he just like, melt as he's right now, just like happiest place in the world for him is in a lap, like melted into my arms, loves, you know, head rubs, belly rubs, just like completely sold himself to me.

He's just so lucky. is an angel. Like, I love my cats. Of course I love my cats so much. They're just not cuddly in that way. And so that's really special because all cats are different and not all cats are so affectionate. Yeah, definitely not all cats are this affectionate. I feel very blessed to have a cat like this. And I remember like talking to somebody at a party about, I was like gushing over my cat to this person and

Gemma Smith (31:02.734)

He was like, cat that like always wants to be held and cuddled and like is always like asking for affection. Like so needy. And I was like, I was like, ew, I don't think we can talk to each other anymore. I was like, I don't have anything further to say to you. Like if you can't recognize how amazing that experience, this experience is, like we have nothing to say to each other. So definitely.

If you want a cuddly cat, he's the best kind, but apparently there's people that find that annoying. don't know. I don't think that person was a cat person. Exactly. Now, do you know Prints Gary's background before? I don't think you mentioned it. Do we know who he was living with? We don't know. Somehow they have a birthday for him that is March 7th. he just had his birthday last week. So that was...

Very big deal, he turned 19 years And he looks amazing. I mean, he looks really good. Yeah, actually is, like, every time I take him to the vet, he gets a clean bill of health. Like, his blood work is great. He's like very healthy. I learned through one of my guests that tuxedo cats are like tanks, apparently. So I guess they just like do really well and live a long time. I didn't know that.

I didn't know that either, but I'm here for it. I think it's a positive thought. Like, go with it. I love it. Yeah. Like, wasn't expecting him to live forever, but I'm very, very obviously very happy that he is doing so well. But yeah, I don't know what his history was. Yeah, it seems like he had a very loving home from the beginning. Just he's very socialized. you know, I don't...

feel he has any bit of street cat in him. I genuinely think he's been indoors his entire life because I've tried to take him outside and he gets terrified. I don't know. There's like zero percent chance I think that he's ever had a day on the streets where he's had to fend for himself. Thank goodness. That's how it should be. Yeah.

Gemma Smith (33:17.974)

In addition to being so affectionate and terrified of the outdoors, can you share a little more about his personality? Is he very food motivated? Is he so playful? His like biggest love is food. Like I think whoever feeds him the most is who he loves. Like I don't even know if he genuinely loves me or if it's just I feed him and like it could literally be anyone and he'll, you know, if he ever like wandered off one day.

I'm sure whoever started feeding him, he'd be like, okay, this is my new home. I don't know about that other lady, but she was cool, but this is fine now. I'm pretty sure anyone who feeds him. Yeah, yeah. He's so chill, as long as you're feeding him and giving him scratches. I'm sure he'll love you. For our listeners, he's just getting little chin scritches. Yeah, yep. Right now. I know.

I hope that there is a genuine bond there and that he does feel a deep connection with me as I do for him, but never know. It looks like it. And you're wearing a black and white sweater, so you're channeling Tecno energy. Yeah, definitely. You're his mom. Yeah. His personality is very food motivated. He'll just hang out and be by his feeder. We have an automatic feeder for him.

So he'll hang out there and just wait for... We joke that he probably thinks he's manifesting the food. If he prays to it and manifests the food, it will keep coming. And so he has to wait and just pray to it in order for the food to come out and he doesn't understand the automatic feature of it. He's very focused. Very focused, very food motivated.

And yeah, he gets he gets himself into trouble He'll scam and try to like get food from people if they don't know him You know people will come over and be like Prince looks so hungry like he's he seems like he's asking me for food Should I give him something? I'm like don't fall for it. He's very much an Oliver twist of like please sir like I'm may I have some more and just

Gemma Smith (35:33.342)

will run his scam of trying to get food all the time, but he is very well fed. He gets like six meals a day. you know, that's, that's just, I don't know, he's, he's kind of insatiable and he's a healthy weight, you know, he's like 13 and a half pounds. He's not, he's not starving by any means. Yeah, the smaller meals a day are supposed to be better too for them because it's like, like more frequent feedings, cause that's if they were cats in the wild.

Chasing mice have smaller meals more often, so you're doing it really right. I'm a little bad. My cat, cat Lion-o will meow or follow me around or stalk me for food and treats. Yeah. And I have a hard time not acquiescing. I'm... I know. It is hard. It is very hard. I do give him treats like once a day. He'll get like a treat mouse ball where...

I think I posted a video of like it's like a little toy where the treats in it? Yeah, you put the treats inside and then he can like bat it around. He's never actually caught an actual mouse. That's like, that's the only thing closest to a mouse that he could ever catch. He is very useless in catching vermin, but the treat mouse is very much his speed.

It's so good that he's still so playful and that keeps him engaged and that's good for his brain. Yeah, totally. Yeah, he loves his treat mouse. And I'm starting to switch to giving him some minnows too, like alternating those little dehydrated minnows. loves those. I haven't tried that. Yeah, those are really, really his favorite as just a way to get him a little bit more protein. You want to get that one?

He's like, I'm done. He did really well. He's a very good boy. Yes. Yeah, he did really well. But yeah, he's just, he's very loving, very affectionate, very food motivated, and still playful. For his age, I think he's really happy and healthy. And his routine is just like, he gets his wet food in the morning at like nine. We've trained him.

Gemma Smith (37:55.79)

to eat a little bit later for his wet food so that we don't have to wake up so, so early. It's taken some practice, but he's definitely been trained to eat his wet food at a decent hour. And then throughout the day, he'll get dry food. And then around like 10, 10.30, he has like a sun spot in the kitchen where he sits and that's like his sun time. So he's got like his routine that

In the mornings, he likes to just like eat and then chill in the sun. And then he kind of lays around for most of the day. But at night, he'll kind of perk up and he'll get his treat, ball, and then kind of like start being a little bit more playful. He really likes like the yowl, rainbow, and banana toys. I know those.

And we will link these in the show notes too so our listeners can maybe try the minnow and he likes his catnip toys. Yeah, the little cat ball, that's like a favorite of his. So yeah, he definitely has his routine of what he loves. Now I'm curious because you're mom of a human daughter, that's a big transition, a big transition in general for parents, right? That's huge. yeah.

And then when you have a cat and a senior cat, you were probably really thinking about like how to make this introduction seamless or stress-free for Prints Gary too. So how did that go and how is he with your daughter? Yeah, so, you know, when I was pregnant, he was like very protective of me and always like laying on my stomach, like super like just really, really into the baby right away.

she was in my belly and then she was actually born right next to him. had a home birth. So he was laying on the bed and like we transitioned from the birthing tub into the bedroom and he was just already there and he didn't even like the whole birth. He was like we were joking he was so chill. He was like a doula like he would just come over and like sit with me during.

Gemma Smith (40:11.746)

the contractions, like there's a funny photo where I was having a really bad contraction. My husband was, I was like laying child's pose on the bed. My husband's like holding me and then Prince comes over and just like puts his butt right in my face as like a comforting offering. He's like, here you go. Like you can have some of my butt. And I just burst into laughter and I was like, thank you so much Prince. That was so sweet.

So, you know, he's definitely been very curious and hands-on since the beginning, like during the labor. As she's gotten older and like found her voice and like the screaming, he does not love. But now she's like at the stage where...

she's eating solid food and she throws it a lot, that he loves. That part he's very into. He's like, I will go and run and clean it up. So there's a lot of like chasing him around like, no, no, no, don't eat her chicken finger. Cause I've learned that he's allergic to chicken. So yeah, it's definitely been a big task to balance like monitoring her and monitoring him. And like, I think

Teaching her how to respect him is a big challenge because he's an older guy. He's very chill. He's like a grandpa. He just wants to lay around and she's very high energy, wants to grab and pull and scream. And when he walks in the room, she's still like, She gets very excited over him. And he's just like, I don't know what this is about. I'm just trying to relax here.

So often I'll just tell them like, run, like she's coming. Save yourself. Because I know that like she means well. She's very excited as we all are about cats, but she hasn't learned that consent yet. I'm working very hard. She's a baby, you you have to, you have to like learn that. I think that is a really good thing for kids to have around because it does teach them about.

Gemma Smith (42:25.218)

consent, it teaches them empathy, you know, and I have to like repeatedly explain to her like, don't pull, don't scream, like he doesn't like that. It's and I think she's learning that like, when I scream, he runs away and he doesn't enjoy that. So she she is getting a little bit better and quieter around him. But some moments she can't help herself. So glad I asked you about that, because your home birth story is really special.

I don't know if I'm just, second time I almost cried today, if I'm just like a hormonal, but that was like really moved me because that's so special that he was there right next to you as you're like bringing, he's like a senior cat and you're bringing new life into this world. Like that's, and made you laugh. And you're a warrior. Like honestly, I don't have any children. So just imagining giving birth and then your cat puts his butt in your face and helps you laugh during those contractions.

Yeah, it definitely like, you know, it's like I said, know, comedy is alchemy and like being able to like laugh and find joy in like moments that are so tough is like, it can sometimes like be life saving and just like exactly what you need. So, you know, he definitely has been a great, you know, he's a philosopher of many wisdoms of just like here, here's a nice butt.

to make you laugh. And I don't know if that was his goal, but it definitely helped. And in addition to him inspiring your podcast, does he inspire material for your standup? has he? He hasn't in the past, but now I definitely like, once I get back into standup, whenever that day comes, I definitely want to talk more about him and talk about cats more because I have just

had such a great time on the podcast talking about cats. And there's so much great material and so many funny cat stories that I think would make great stand-up jokes for sure. Absolutely. And the podcast is really funny. I love the commentary. you. And for folks who want to listen, give us the links for them to listen to My Cat Calling.

Gemma Smith (44:46.954)

Yes, yeah, we're on YouTube and Spotify, all the Apple Pod, all of those places that you find your podcasts. And we're also on TikTok and Instagram. That's where you can find little short videos, little funny videos of Prince that I'll post. So it's more about showcasing him as well. So that's been a really fun part of it too. And I love that you do the video.

If you all listen to my cat calling on podcasts, you see the video too or on Spotify Yeah, yeah on Spotify and on YouTube. There's the video version. So Yeah, you can see Prints Gary. You can see like, know, if some of the guests have cats that come on That's like a really fun part of it as well. That's why I really wanted to have the video aspect because

You know, got to see the cats. yes. You got to those cats. I love it. Yeah. Yeah. And that's one thing that's good about actually doing virtual and not being in person, like in a studio, like fancy people, because they can't bring their cat. Like, you know, most people can't bring cats to a studio, but virtual people are at home. Yeah. And I can like talk to people that are like from around the world or around the country or wherever. And like, you know, I don't have to like...

go to them. You know, there are some places where I've actually like gone to like different cat cafes and I've brought, you know, my equipment and seen the space. But, you know, I just interviewed somebody in Hawaii that has a cat rescue and I was able to, you know, she took her camera around and showed me the whole rescue. And like, obviously that would have been a lot of coordinating for me to go there in person. So it was great to have that virtual aspect. that's so cool.

Check out our podcast and follow us on Instagram, TikTok. And I think one of my goals this year is to be at CatCon. So that's something to keep an eye out for this year. So we're going to do our best to be at CatCon and kind of expand a little bit more that way and connecting with other cat folks. So yeah, thank you so much.

Gemma Smith (47:09.698)

You're very welcome. Okay, well, I do have one last question. Yeah. That I leave everyone with. It can be a tip, a resource, but what is one thing you'd like to recommend to other creative cat lovers? A piece of advice. I would say let your passion for cats lead. I think there is like a really big temptation to like get to like perfectionist about

At least in my experience, being so focused on the craft aspect of it and that leading as opposed to just your passion for cats. think wanting something to be successful is one thing, but just enjoying the time that you have with creating your cat content or whatever it is, your cat projects.

And letting that passion really come through and lead and kind of be your focal point really has made a huge difference for me in creating my podcast. Because, you know, there's a lot of ways to do things and I think it can kind of get, you can kind of get lost on like why you start something sometimes or if it starts to feel too much like work.

Just bring yourself back to the love of the cat Yeah, I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to say It resonates because I hear you I know what it's like to be like, only this many people listen to that episode I put so much effort into it. What am I doing? You know what? it's great those many people listened and that I got to remember I'm doing this because I love having this project and maybe I just need to not put so much pressure on myself and just remember why I

Yes, definitely when the pressure, like when you put that pressure on yourself to succeed or to thrive, it can get a little bit much. so remembering your cat and just the love of that has helped a lot. love that. Okay, kitty cats, those are our listeners. Thank you so much, Krista, for being here today. And I think this is really great advice for our listeners to take with them. Thank you so much. This is such a pleasure.

Gemma Smith (49:36.972)

And that's a wrap for this episode of Tails and Tassels. So if you have any questions, comments, or just want to say meow, feel free to send us an email at talesandtasselspod at gmail.com. Thank you for listening. And don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Also join our community on Instagram at Tails and Tassels Pod for more updates and behind the scenes fun. See you next time, kitty cats.