Diary of a Cat Mom
Diary of a Cat Mom is a reflective cat podcast created and hosted by Dagmar Gatell about understanding cats more deeply — and creating a calmer, more connected life for both you and your cats.
Based on real experiences caring for over 50 cats throughout her life, each episode shares quiet observations, emotional moments, caregiving reflections, and gentle insights from everyday life with cats. From routines, behavior, and emotional wellbeing to grief, gratitude, overstimulation, trust, and the small meaningful moments many people overlook — this is not a traditional “how-to” podcast, but a space for understanding, awareness, and lived experience.
Beyond cat care itself, Diary of a Cat Mom also explores our connection to nature, emotional presence, personal growth, and the way our inner state can influence the animals who share our lives. Because living with cats is never only about feeding and routines — it’s also about energy, safety, trust, patience, and how we show up emotionally in the spaces we create together.
Created for cat lovers who see their cats as family, this podcast offers companionship, reassurance, perspective, and emotional support during seasons of caregiving, uncertainty, healing, change, and letting go.
Diary of a Cat Mom is a personal storytelling podcast and does not replace professional veterinary advice. Every cat is unique, and medical or behavioral concerns should always be discussed with a trusted veterinarian or qualified professional.
You’re not alone on this journey.
We’re learning, loving, and growing together — one paw print at a time.
Diary of a Cat Mom
Ep. 41 - Cat Mom & The Alpha Role: Why Your Cats Need You to Lead 🐱✨
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There’s a quiet shift that changes everything in a multi-cat home — the moment you stop trying to be just their companion and step into the role of their leader.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I reflect on how bringing a second cat into my home created unexpected chaos… and how that experience taught me something deeper about responsibility, boundaries, and emotional stability.
This cat podcast episode explores what it really means to create peace in your home — not by controlling your cats, but by becoming the calm, grounded presence they can rely on.
What You’ll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
- Why cats need a stable emotional center in the home
- The difference between being your cat’s “friend” vs. their leader
- How structure reduces tension between cats
- What boundaries look like in a calm, loving way
- How your energy influences your cats’ behavior
Timestamps & Chapters
00:00 – Introduction: The Alpha Role in a Cat Home
00:15 – Wanting Love Instead of Leading
00:45 – Bringing Home a Second Cat
01:15 – When Harmony Turns Into Chaos
01:50 – The Turning Point: Realizing the Need for Leadership
02:15 – Creating Structure & Shared Space
02:45 – Setting Boundaries Calmly
03:10 – The Energy Shift Between Cats
03:30 – Leadership Is Responsibility, Not Control
About the Diary of a Cat Mom
Diary of a Cat Mom is a quiet, personal cat podcast created by Dagmar Gatell, sharing real moments, emotions, and experiences from life with cats.
This space is meant for connection, comfort, and companionship. Everything shared comes from lived experience as a cat mom and is not intended as professional veterinary advice. Every cat is unique, and for health concerns, it’s always best to consult your trusted veterinarian.
Most of all, please remember:
You’re not alone on this journey. We’re learning, loving, and growing together — one paw print at a time.
Diary of a catmom Today's diary entry Cat Mama and the Alpha Role. Why your cats need you to lead. You're listening to Diary of a Cat Mom. Today I want to talk about something that completely changed how I live with my cats. Stepping into the role of the leader. Because in a mighty cat household, there can only be one stable center, and that's the catmom. But I didn't know that in the beginning. I just wanted them to love me, to sit on my lap and to comfort me and to be my little companions. I wanted to be their friend, not their leader I didn't think of that I could be or should be a leader. So my first adopted cat was Shiba or Shibi. She was a beautiful Persian blue and I went to the adoption center and she was in a small cage and people were just walking by playing with kittens, admiring the more like perfect cats, but really nobody looked at her. And she looked at me, I looked at her, and in that moment we both knew she would come home with me, which she did. And she really became my little shadow. But when I was working, she was on her own, and I could see that she was bored. So I thought, hmm, maybe she needs a friend. That's really when Kit came into our lives, a very confident, relaxed Australian tabby, a boy who seemed like perfect match. And I thought, oh, perhaps Dave Polinov. I thought now paradise is starting, but instead I created chaos because Kit would stalk Shiby and annoy her and sit above her while she was hiding underneath the sofa. So he really wasn't bad. He just was a boy. But I didn't understand that dynamic and the whole situation totally overwhelmed me. Because suddenly I wasn't in control of the situation at all anymore. But the situation was controlling me and my emotions and my feelings. And that was when something shifted in me and I realized if I want peace in my home, I have to create the peace. And I cannot just hope that the two little ones will figure it out. So I started putting structure in place, like a bed for each of them, a cat tree for each of them, and toys for each of them. Then I made an effort to sit with them, feed them next to each other, and create a calm, shared environment. And when the tension came up, I stepped in. Not with frustration, but with boundaries. I said no when it was time to say no. I redirected when it was time to redirect, and I reward calm behavior with treats. And over time I experienced the energy shifted, like the whole space became much more neutral, and they really learned to coexist. And what I understand is by being the cat mom and leading, it's not about controlling, it's about taking responsibility and creating safety for both of them through clarity, through boundaries and through coexistence. So today I say no when something isn't okay immediately, and I reward them immediately when it's felt right. And they understand. The kiddies, they get it. That when we step into the role of the cat mom and take responsibility, everything changes. So thank you so much for being here with me. This is Diary of a Cat Mom. Don't miss the next entry, where there's always another little moment, another lesson, and another story waiting to be shared. I will talk to you in the next entry. Diary of a cat mom.