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. 69 - Why Is My Cat Acting Destructive? 🐾🐱
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Has your cat ever knocked something off a table, jumped on your laptop, or started causing trouble with another cat the moment you got busy?
In this episode of Diary of a Cat Mom, I share what I learned from living with a cat who always seems to want attention at exactly the wrong time. What looked like destructive behavior at first turned out to be something very different.
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
- Why some cats become disruptive when they want attention
- What I noticed before the behavior escalated
- How routines helped create more peace in our home
- Ways I keep my cats occupied when I need to work
- Why connection is often at the heart of the behavior
Timestamps & Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:05 Why Your Cat Acts Destructive
00:35 When Attention-Seeking Starts to Escalate
01:18 What I Didn't Want to Teach My Cat
01:47 The Real Problem I Discovered
02:12 Routines, Playtime & Keeping Cats Occupied
02:58 Creating a Cat-Friendly Workspace
03:20 Why Connection Matters
03:39 The Headphones Solution
This is where I’ve gathered everything that supports me and my cats:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
About the Diary of a Cat Mom Podcast
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 cat mom. Today's diary entry why your cat acts destructive. You're listening to diary of a cat mom. Has your cat ever started knocking things over, jumping on your laptop, pestering another cat, or loudly yelling at you when you're busy? Yep. It can feel like your cat is being destructive on purpose. Sometimes what looks like bad behavior is actually a frustrated cat, trying harder and harder to get your attention. One of my cats wants attention when he wants attention. Unfortunately, he doesn't always care whether I'm working on a call, on a podcast, or trying to focus on something important. At first he will come over politely. Maybe a head bump, maybe a but if I don't respond, then things start to escalate. He will jump onto my laptop, close my laptop, send my emails, he will start loudly calling hello, hello. Or he will go bother another cat and create trauma somewhere else in the house. So I didn't want to teach him that acting out was the way to get my attention. If I rewarded the behavior every time, then I worried. He would learn that being disruptive is okay and it works. Over time I realized the problem really wasn't the behavior. The problem was that neither of us had enough structure. So it helped most was creating a better routine for us. Like regular eating times, regular play times, regular cuddle times, regular work times. When my cat knew what to expect, he became much calmer. I also learned that it helps to keep cats occupied before you get busy. If I knew I had work to do, a funkal, a podcast, I would often play with him beforehand. I would burn up some out of his extra energy. And having play time made a huge difference. Or like food parcels, thick mats, they also helped to hold him occupied for like 10 to 20 minutes when I needed to focus on something important. That helped was giving my cat um approved ways to stay busy nearby when he wanted to be nearby, like a cat tree next to my desk, window perch, cardbox, paperback, or a Kringle toy, so that he could do something and investigate next to me and still close. And I realized that he didn't want to be necessarily disruptive or had my full attention. Sometimes he just wanted to be included and part of whatever I was doing. So on those rare days when nothing helped, like I simple moved into a separate room and closed the door so I could focus. And thanks goodness for noise bloggers when he decides to yell, hello, hello, through the door anyway. So sometimes a destructive cat isn't trying to be difficult. Sometimes they are frustrated or bored or full of energy or simply looking for a connection, like this one right now. Like a little structure and predictable routines and a chance to use up that extra energy to prevent many of these behaviors we call destructive. That is the key. And sometimes for every cat parent, the best solution is a closed door and a good pair of headphones. So thank you for being here with me. This is Diary of a Cat Mom. Don't miss the next entry. There's always another little moment, another lesson, another story waiting to be shared. I will see you in the next entry.