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 especially for cat moms 35+ in multi‑cat homes 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
How Can I Train My Cat to Listen to Me? Surprise, Surprise... | Cat Behavior | Ep. 99
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Can you actually train a cat to listen?
As a cat mom, I've often wished my cats would come when I called them, stop fighting, or respond quickly during emergencies. While cats aren't dogs, I discovered that calm communication, consistency, and positive reinforcement made a surprising difference with my own cats.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom podcast episode, I share the simple approach I developed over time, how I introduced short verbal cues, and why building trust mattered far more than trying to control them.
This is simply what worked in my multi-cat household—and every cat is different.
You'll Hear in this Cat Podcast Episode
- Why I wanted my cats to listen during emergencies
- The simple one-word commands I started usin
- How staying calm changed my cats' response
- Why timing and rewards made the biggest difference
- How long it took before I noticed results
- The unexpected peace of mind this created for both me and my cats
Timestamps & Chapters (3:26)
00:00 – Can you train a cat to listen?
00:34 – Why I wanted my cats to respond
01:08 – The simple commands I started using
01:41 – Staying calm instead of emotional
02:05 – Rewarding positive responses
02:34 – Why consistency mattered
02:54 – What changed after a few months
03:09 – Every cat is different
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 personal cat podcast created by Dagmar Gatell, sharing real moments from life with cats. 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.
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Can I train my cat to listen? Welcome to Diary of a Catman. First was wondering if I could train my cat to listen to commands or to follow me like you can do with a dog. So I started thinking about it how I could train my cat. Because in situations like when I need them to come, or when they start fighting together, or when they shouldn't do things, and they know exactly they shouldn't do things, but they still do it anyway. In emergencies when they have to listen to me. I want to have the control in this moment. I want that they recognize the urgency of it. So naturally, as a German, I would use just one or two words like Achtung, here stop. I just started using them whenever I saw them doing something they're not supposed to do, or when I needed them to come to me like for medicine, or like in emergencies when there's thunderstorms outside and they have to come inside right now. What I realized is if I give them short comments, but I'm not seeing them emotionally. I'm just seeing them very neutral, calm, like here, here, when I want them to come to me. Or when I see them fighting and say, Stop, they will stop. Uh when I need their attention, then I say, Achtung, and they will stop what they are doing and looking at mama. The best how I could train them to listen to me was in the moment when they did it, and I gave them the command, and they reacted positively. I said, Good job, wonderful, wonderful, good job. And they gave them a treat and I petted them. And every time when it happened, I stopped myself and reminded myself it needs consistency and it needs that I react in the same way all the time. So they can get used to the structure and I can create my own structure with it. And it took me around, I would say, a few months, perhaps three months, until I saw they recognized the commands and they could respond to it in a positive way. Like they were not scared, they were not overly excited, they just recognized mama wants something. They were able to react to it. If I'm in a bad mood or they are in a really bad mood, then it's not always possible, not always easy. But so more often I practice it with them, the better it works. And what makes me happy, it gives me a great peace of mind. So when I need their attention, when I need them to stop, or when I need them to come to me, I know there is a, let's say, 95% chance that they will do it. So it makes me happier. The kitties get their treats and their petting makes them happy too. This is what worked with my cats, and every cat's different. Thank you for listening. This is Diary of a Cat Mom. There's always another lesson, another story, another message to be shared. Check out my next video in the top.