Speaker 1: Love. This is pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets.
Speaker 2: Hello, feline friends and cat levers. Welcome to counta Tude.
I'm your show host, Michelle Byurne. What a special episode.
This is episode three hundred. My guest today is someone
that so many of us grew up with watching and
loving from one day to time to hot in Cleveland.
She's just an amazing person. She has been in our
life for decades. She's an Emmy Award winning actress, a
best selling author, loved television personality, and, as we're going
to find out, a devoted cat mom. So stay tuned,
We'll be right back.
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Speaker 4: Let's talk pets on Cetlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 2: Welcome back everyone, I'd like to welcome at Valerie Berton. Ellie,
Welcome Valerie. I'm so excited to have you on Catitude.
Speaker 5: I'm so happy to be here. For those of you
who can't see, I have Batman next to me. He
is now scratching his little jowl. But yes, I'm in
my office. I actually have a pillow in my drawer.
Nothing in the drawer. It's meant for a pillow for
Batman because he needs to be next to me when
I'm writing, when I'm doing the things in my office.
So that's my boy.
Speaker 2: So that's Batman. And what are your other cats?
Speaker 5: Okay, I still say Nelson, even though Nelson left us
a year ago.
Speaker 2: I'm sorry.
Speaker 5: With the very first cat that I fostered and decided
to keep. Then Henry, who's an all white with gold
eyes cat. He is amazing. It's like the dude is
high all the time. And he's absolutely gaga in love
with my daughter in law, which is adorable. Like every
time they come over, he kind of knows what the
sound of their car is, so he knows that you
know Andrea is coming in the house and you get
so happy. And then I have Tigger, who is I
call him a tabby tuxedo because he's got an all
white neck and chest and white shoes. And but he's
the one that chirps at me almost every morning at
the top of the stairs. But he doesn't come in
and sleep with me, but he waits for me outside
my bedroom. He's got a couple beds up there and
he chooses which everyone he wants to be in. And
so that's Tig Tig. And then there are Bubba and Bo,
who were my parents' cats, and I had fostered them
for my parents about twelve years ago, and when my
parents passed, I took them in and now they are
no longer my cats. They are Wolfy and Andrea's cats.
They just came back to me because Wolfe's leading on
tour this week, and they were very sad about it,
not just the cats, but Drea and Wolfie walk out
of here crying because they're going to miss their boys
so much. But wow, So I take care of Bubba
and Bo while Wolfy Andrea are on the road. So
you have five at one, yes, I do. I had six.
I have five now, and when Bubba and Bo are
with their parents, I have three. And then I have Luna,
my pup.
Speaker 2: You know, house full of fur babes.
Speaker 5: There's nothing better than a house full of her babies.
I just I wouldn't have it any other way. I
have never not had a cat in my life from
the moment I was born. Like my mom loved cats. Wolfee,
my son has never not had a cat in his life,
so he loves cats. And we've had dogs here and there.
I don't think I'll ever get another dog after Luna
because she's like super special. But I've had other dogs
before her, and you know, Sherman was special in his
own way, but yeah, Luna's something else, so nobody can
compare to her.
Speaker 2: Let's talk about your cat crew. Your main crew is
the three cats, right, is Tigger and Batman and Henry
So who's the boss?
Speaker 5: Batman and he's also the smallest. Yeah, Batman's the boss,
although Tigger, who is the youngest, tries to take over
the boss categories. And they'll get into little fights once
in a while that I have to break up. But
it's pretty much Batman. But Tigger, who's got a good
five six pounds on Batman, can sometimes win those arguments,
so I have to, you know, keep them settled. Sometimes
and sometimes all I need to do is just turn
on bird TV and Batman will be yeah, interested cat,
And like Tigger doesn't care about bird TV. But Batman
and Henry do whatever keeps them excited, whatever keeps them happy. Exactly.
Speaker 2: What is the strangest catastrophe you've ever come home to
or noticed that one of your cats did.
Speaker 5: Oh, there's been stuff where like I'll hear a crash
in the middle of the night, and I'll be what
the hell was that? And I'll be too tired to
get up. I'll come down in the morning and I
have a glass vase on my island that is just
like destroyed and everywhere, and it's inevitably Batman that has
pushed it off the counter. So I don't do that
any longer. I no longer keep flowers in glass vases.
I keep herbs in my kitchen window. And that's to
the extent of it, because they chew on the flowers,
they knock over the vases, but they don't knock over
the herbs, thank God. And I love flowers, so it's
really hard for me to have flowers.
Speaker 2: I don't know if they make Maybe you could do
a plastic baz, but then if they chew the flowers, you.
Speaker 5: Know, yeah, exactly. There's certain flowers that you really shouldn't
have her own cats, so and I know that's lily's.
They've never been interested in lilies, and I keep them,
you know, when I used to get them, I kept
them in a very big vase high up, so they've
always been safe from that. But I love tulips. They're
my favorite flower, and that man has a tendency to
want to chew on those, so I don't get them
any longer. I'll put them up for special occasions, but
then I have to bring them up to my room
or put them behind a clothes room when I go
to bed.
Speaker 2: Isn't it funny how we arrange our lives for cats?
Speaker 5: Oh my god. Yeah. I mean I have to have
little plastic sheets of like little so they don't jump
up on my stove. I have to have stuff on
the counters so they don't jump up there anymore. And
I do that because they started spraying, and oh, which
is not fun. It's not flipping fun at all, No,
So I just have to and they spray. When Wolfe
Andrea's cats are here, they don't even though they've known
each other their entire lives. For some reason, they don't
like those two boys, Bubba and Bo, so I have
to get them separated. Bubba and Bo get the cadio
and the bedroom that hooks onto the cadio. I have one, two.
I have three litter boxes. I should have more, but
right now, well I'm sorry, one, two, three. I have
four litter boxes. There were five cats. I mean it
could I could stand to have one more, but I
don't know where I would put it. But right now,
you know, one little box gets used the most, which
drives me crazy. I just I'm like, there's three other
little boxes, you guys. Come on.
Speaker 2: They all tend to like the same one.
Speaker 5: They do, and I thought they like different ones. I
thought you were supposed to give your you know, a cat.
They're each other own. They just they don't, you know.
And then sometimes they'll like they'll get mad at me
and they will poop outside the box, and I'm like,
what is happening. I now have to put like peepads
up around the walls for the other little box because
they will spray against the wall. And like it's like,
I love them dearly, but they make me want to
pull my hair out. Sometimes I can suggest to your listeners, Yeah,
don't ever get five male cats, mix it up with
male and feed. I have five male cats, and they
just started spraying in the last like since my mom died,
since twenty nineteen. So it's like so frustrating, But you know,
what are you gonna do? I love them so much.
I just wish they wouldn't start marking territory around the house.
It's like, y'all, there's a big enough house. You can
go anywhere you want. Stop marking territory.
Speaker 2: I'm so lucky my male does not, and my cats
are all lazy. So my biggest pier with cats is
I thought they would jump up and knock stuff over
and all that. Nope, they're so funny.
Speaker 5: A couple of my cats can't jump on the counters,
so they don't. But Batman is the one that is
the most agile and jumps everywhere we deal. But you
know what, I couldn't. I don't even want to think
of my life without him right now. He's thirteen years old,
and I hate that. My soul cat died when he
was thirteen, and it was I mean, I still had
them as a screensaver on my phone next to me,
so it's like, I can't do it. I can't. And
I just lost Nelson last year. He was twelve. I
don't like it. I don't like it that cats die
so long.
Speaker 2: Well, they're living longer, they are.
Speaker 5: They are. Yeah, the king is good for a cat.
But I expect these guys to live twenty years at least.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean they could. I think Dennis, he was abandoned.
I think he's seventeen.
Speaker 5: Oh while, Yeah, that's great. Still spin and I had
a cat Ded. She lived till she was like sixteen
and a half. I'm like, that's good, but I want
longer with these boys. I love them.
Speaker 2: Yeah, mo fingers crossed. Let's talk about your new book,
Getting Naked. So where did the title come from.
Speaker 5: I have spent a large part of my life just
trying to get naked emotionally with myself, to get honest,
to get naked, and I wanted to write a book
about this path I've been on and how how I
feel like I've grown so much, and I have information
to share with people that might help them if they
feel stuck in certain places. I have meditations in the book.
I have a chapter called if my pets could talk
to me, because my pets, I really do wish if
I could talk to my animals and if they could
talk to me, because I feel like they spend their
entire lives with us, and like I want to see
myself through my cats and my dog's eyes because I
know how much they unconditionally love me. And sometimes I
want to talk to my the way I talk to
my animals. When Luna, when I wake her up in
the morning, I say, come on, let's go peepe and
She's like, starts wagon her tail or, a whole butt
moves with it. I'm like, you go, a little girl,
look at your little butt move. That's so cute. Like
why don't I talk to myself that way? You know,
Like why don't I talk to myself the way I
love my animals. So that was what that chapter originally
started to be about. And then it's just my love
for my animals and the grief that we feel when
they leave us, and you know, it's just, Oh, I
love them so much, and I want to help people.
I want to help them get through challenging times, and
I hope my meditations will help them, and I hope
listening to my stories or reading my stories may help
them not feel so alone with some of the you know,
challenges they go through in their own life.
Speaker 2: So you talked about in your book you mentioned it's
about getting emotional and all of that. Why would you
tell our listeners if they're thinking, well, why should I
hear that from Valerie BURTNELLI.
Speaker 5: I get it. I totally get it.
Speaker 2: I get it. I've been a fan for years, and
I you know a lot about you, not everything, obviously,
but a lot of listeners might not be as familiar
with everything you've gone through. So what would you tell
the listeners that, yeah, this is why I wrote it,
and this is why you need to be this.
Speaker 5: My life experience. Yes, yes, I mean, I mean, I'm
sixty five years old. A lot of shit.
Speaker 2: Wait, you look like you're about barely thirty.
Speaker 5: Oh my god, you're so kind. You are so.
Speaker 2: Amazing, like thinking, oh my gosh, I need to start
doing something because I oh stop stop wonderful.
Speaker 5: No, I you know, thank you. That's very kind of you.
I actually talk about that in the intro to my
book about you know, why I'm writing it and what
I hope to give to people through writing it. And
then you know what I've been through a little bit,
and I get it. I get it, like, why the
hell should we listen to you your privilege. You're in
a bubble. And I totally understand that I do have
a perspective on life that might not be heard all
the time. I still, you know, lived a lot of
my life not in the public eye, but I live
a big majority of my life like in the public eye,
which you know, makes you see things differently. Even though
I've been in the public eye, I've gone through traumatic things.
I had a traumatic experience that I talk about in
the book when I was eleven years old. I go
through body image and why that's so important for us
to change that in this industry and in the world,
you know, not just this industry, you know, and how
we can love ourselves more and the process is and
why I got to where I had gotten and how
helpful it can be. But I understand people think that
I'm in this privileged bubble, but I've also had life
experience that I think could help them. And listen. Nobody
says you have to listen to me. Nobody says you
have to buy the book or anything. But I think
I could help you if you're open to it.
Speaker 2: I think people need to hear you. And I appreciate
that you you know, mentioned you've had privilege, but you've
had a lot of challenges too, people and that's just
people that know you're you know what whatsoever, always been
out in the public.
Speaker 5: Right right, And I mean I get pretty raw in
this book and talk about, you know, traumatic experiences, because
I also think that once we start naming it and
talking about it, and once we start talking about what
we may feel shame about, even though we know that's
not our shame to carry, I think it could be
helpful for someone else, you know, to work through it.
I talk about my experience with EMDR, which is a
therapeutic experience where you For me, my EMDR was holding
paddles in my hand. It's also an eye movement that
helps your brain settle to a point to where you
can access the emotions so that you can process them.
So I talk about that in the book, and I
talk about things that I'm hoping will be helpful to people.
Even with my I think more importantly, because I had
this privilege, I need to make things available to people
that might not be able to get it. And I
think therapy is important, and I know it's expensive, but
I also think if we open up communication to people
through talk shows like you have, and you know, even
though we're talking about pets, we're still human beings, you know,
I mean pets. There's a lot of stuff to the
people that care for the pets that we love. So
I think it's just about community and making people not
feel so alone.
Speaker 2: I think it's actually very generous of you to share
all of this in a book.
Speaker 5: Oh well, thank you, because.
Speaker 2: There's so many that don't. And you know, it's a
book about a lot of things, and of course you
you know, mention your cat's run the book. But again, yeah,
were all people when we come down to it, and
human and there's a lot that comes with human.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean there's a lot just coming up being
a human being. A lot comes with even just the
world around us is crazy, you know, and then sometimes
our households can be a little crazy. Sometimes our parents
didn't model good loving behavior. Sometimes we all have things
we need to get through. So I hope that the
people who need to hear it and need to feel
seen and heard will feel seen and heard, and the
people that don't need it. I'm cool with that too.
I'm not trying to push anything down anybody's throat.
Speaker 2: Well, I appreciate all of that. Let's talk about food,
because you have been on a lot of food shows,
You've talked a lot about food. You have something coming
up related to food.
Speaker 5: You mention the name, Yeah, Valerie's Place, it's actually place.
That's what live today Valeriesplace dot com. Okay, our act
is going to be coming soon. I have three cooking
shows on it. I will also have live cooking on
it where I can cook with people or they can
cook along with me. I'm going to have a podcast
called Getting Naked Podcast, and I'm going to have a
book club that I want to share book recommendations with people,
and I also have them share recommendations with me. And also,
you know, at least six times a year, maybe more,
I want to have a book group where everyone you
know gets onto a zoom and we actually discussed the
book and we talk about it.
Speaker 2: You're going to be busy.
Speaker 5: I am going to be busy, and I'm good with that.
I'm so good with that.
Speaker 2: I'm a voracious reader, so I love the idea of
a book club what are you reading now? I have
a new author Raise I think her last name is.
But I just finished Christina Hannah her book mid Night Rules.
Speaker 5: Okay, I read.
Speaker 2: So much I have don't sweat the small stuff.
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, I love self help books too.
Speaker 2: I am digital because I use my library card though
so and I'm a big fan of Libby, which I
do not own or anything, but without it, I could
not get by. Yeah. Back in the day when you
had to use your library, you know, when the old
school years ago. I loved that. I loved I think
I used my library card more than I use credit
cards because I always had to have books I have
to have to read. That's why I think I'm nearsighted
because from your young age, I remember sitting there reading
with a stack of books reading.
Speaker 5: It was just like, you know, it's my joy. I
love doing it. I don't get to do it a lot.
But that's what I love about traveling is I get
to get on an airplane and I don't get the
Wi Fi because most of the time it doesn't work anyway. Yeah,
so that's my chance to do my crossword puzzles and
to read a good book. It's my one of my
favorite times because nobody can get a hold of me
and I have just that time to really get myself
into a book.
Speaker 2: Exactly what are you meaning now?
Speaker 5: I'm just about to start Feel of Golden. I finished
Martyr and I thought it was absolutely gorgeous. It's such
a beautiful book. He has a quote in the book.
It was, Oh, what's the quote? Is like something like
love appears when you open the door and walk in
the room or something. He's much more poetic about it
than I am, but it was like, it just hit me, like,
that's so gorgeous. I love Louise Hay, but right now
I want to read the Feel of Golden. I've been
in a book group for almost thirty years and that
is the book group for this month. So I'm about
to go get it so that i can then take
it on airplane because I'm flying on Sunday.
Speaker 2: Good I get with all the reading I've done, I've
never done a book group, so oh, it's so fun
something to look into.
Speaker 5: I'm telling you it is the best. I have been
with these ladies for so many decades, and I learned
about new books through them. I love the books that
they read. Sometimes we have really crappy books. I mean,
we're always very clear, we understand what kind of work
goes into writing a book, and I never disparage the
author at all. I was just like, this isn't for me.
I don't like these characters. It make me comfortable to
hang out with for a while. So there are some
books that I'm likenh but those actually start the greatest
conversations in book group. So even if the book it
isn't something you all love, we have a great conversation.
Speaker 2: I'll have to look for one. You can start your
own or start my own. It's interesting when you say that,
because there are some books since I'll look at different
you know, things online, the best pics, all that kind
of stuff.
Speaker 5: I follow a lot of book talkers on TikTok and yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then sometimes there's a book. There's Sally Rizo
write something I'm probably mispronouncing. Everyone love book book, greatest book,
greatest book. I try to read it. The voice, the tone,
it's just conversational, never ending.
Speaker 5: Right. Yeah, some books are for us, you know, and
I don't disparage the author. I'm just yeah, this one's
not for me. I mean, there was a book I
hate not finishing a book. I hate it. But the
book that I just read last month, I said, I
can't do this anymore. I just don't like these people.
I don't want to be around them anymore. I don't
want to lie in bed and get comfortable and then
just be surrounded by people I don't like. So I
just stopped reading it, and I told the book group
I was that, I'm so sorry, because we really all
do try to finish. About three other women didn't finish
it either. They said, yeah, I couldn't take them. You know,
the writing was beautiful, there was gorgeous poetry in it,
but I didn't like the people.
Speaker 2: Yeah. And what I hate is when I discover an
author and I love the author, read all the books,
and then I'm done. Oh I know like one of
my favorite authors. I mean, it might be a little
chick lidy, but I think she's more than have you
read her?
Speaker 5: Oh my god, I just finished Great, Big, Beautiful Life.
Speaker 2: I've read every all I did the plot twist, I gasped.
I don't know when I read it. It might have
been a while ago.
Speaker 5: Oh okay, I just oh my god, I love that book.
Speaker 2: I've read all of that.
Speaker 5: I'm so with you on her. I I've only read
that book of hers.
Speaker 2: Oh, I've read but everyone.
Speaker 5: I loved it. I'm going to read definitely read more
of hers. She has great But you know what I
also love an author I love that. I've read almost
all her books is Geraldine Brooks. And Horse was a
really good book that I absolutely adored. And then she
wrote a book called Memorial Day after that. She wrote
that about the process of writing Horse when her husband died.
It was so beautiful. I had no idea that her
husband died while she was writing Horse, and for her
to be able to finish that gorgeous book. Going through
all of that, it just made me respect Geraldine Brooks
that much more.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 5: So there it just yeah Horse, look it up. It's
so good.
Speaker 2: Well, I'm taking notes. I generally, you know, on my
list of books, I have some audio from traveling or writing.
Speaker 5: I listened to books too when I take my dog
for a walk.
Speaker 2: Yeah, have some regular ones I always overdo you know,
I have like ten going at the same time or
some Yeah. So yeah.
Speaker 5: I used to not be able to do that, but
now I can because there's certain books I have to
read for the Drew Barrymore show, because I want to
be able to being eligible about the author in their
book and then so I'll put down the book that
I'm reading currently and then pick that up and you know,
go back and forth. It's not like watching a TV
show where you have to like stop midway through. I
try to stop at the end of a chapter so
I can be a little bit more clear.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what's bad is when you started and then you
forget about it and you renew it and you have
it for it.
Speaker 5: I have to go back a couple of chapters.
Speaker 2: Yeah, have you read Jody Picall.
Speaker 5: I had not read Jody Piccoll very good.
Speaker 2: And Lisa Scott I'm going to mess up her name
Scott awaan or Scotta something. She's written some amazing books.
Jody Picall I like, I would say ninety five percent.
There's one that she's written recently about mad Honey was great.
That's good. Okay, all right, hopefully I'm not mixing up
my authors and.
Speaker 5: No, no worries. Yeah. Sometimes I just go to good
Reads and I'll look up the book and it brings
you right to the correct book I don't need.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Lisa's good too, got Laine. We're going to take
a short break and won't be right back.
Speaker 1: I want to know who the latest trendsetters are in Hollywood.
Tell about Irish setters. Find out who's been spotted with spots,
how wait with her jaw and shopping for Gucci with
her Pucci. Get this goop on all the latest celebrity
pet patter right here. Pet Life Radio, Let's talk pets, Let's.
Speaker 2: Talk past, Let's talk pets, pet Life Radio, Headline.
Speaker 4: Radio, Petlight Radio dot Com.
Speaker 2: It's is Lisa Simpson.
Speaker 4: How are you.
Speaker 2: You are listening Staticute on debt Life Radio. Thanks so
much for being here. Welcome back everyone. We're talking with
Valerie Bertinelli. This has been such an exciting and interesting
show so far. I appreciate you making the time to
come on CTITUD. Okay, let's talk more about Valerie's place.
Are you going to be doing any cooking for your cats?
Speaker 1: Oh?
Speaker 5: You know what, I don't think I've ever cooked for
my cats, but I see some of these videos on
TikTok and Instagram, and I'm like, oh my god, some
of the food they make for their animals. I'm like,
I need to do that because I have specially food
for two cats, and I have, you know, other food
for the other cats, so I have separate them when
they eat because they're all seniors, so they need special diets.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 5: One I have to actually get miural acts too, because
he gets stuffed up and he's been that twice to
have enemas unfortunately, so I have to be very careful
to make sure that he his duels stay soft. But anyway,
you know the adventures of a catwoman.
Speaker 2: Mat woman, and hey, if you have any fur babes,
you know that their's you just get past all that.
Speaker 5: Yeah, oh, you absolutely do. Yeah, I mean because you
just want the best for them. You want them to
feel healthy. You can always tell when something's a little
off with them, you know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, my niece would just concern no mat our dogs
audi anous.
Speaker 5: I don't know.
Speaker 2: I want to say that's scary.
Speaker 5: I mean I would be scared too, I would be
I'd be write that down to the Yeah, she.
Speaker 2: Was very concerned. She was asking me, who do you
advise this, and that it was just you know.
Speaker 5: I know that my son and his wife were at
the vet on Christmas Day because one of the cats
couldn't poop and hadn't pooped for three days. Oh, you know,
which is dangerous for a cat.
Speaker 2: Cats are hard because there's such stoic creatures. It is
so hard.
Speaker 5: Can never tell when they're in pain. No, no, no,
you have to really know their behavior. And they were
good at that. They knew they knew something was off,
you know, and at first and you know, plus when
you're cleaning litter boxes, you kind of know, wow, why
is this not you know, why is there no boop
in your so?
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, so that's I had a scare with Dennis.
Not not good. It was almost to the point where
one place wanted to put him down. I said no,
brought him to another vet the next morning. They didn't
have night hours and he seemed okay, kept him there.
He had crystals in his urine. So, yes, that is
common with male cats.
Speaker 5: Dexter had that. With Dexter, they had to widen his
urethra and cut off the feness on. Yeah, it's horrifying,
but you know what Dexter lives.
Speaker 2: Well, you know, you have five mails another five years,
so it's kind of a common thing.
Speaker 5: It is with mail cats. It's very common.
Speaker 2: Okay, So let's talk about you You've reinvented yourself many times,
so you've acted, you're an author, cooking personality. What makes
you curious to go on? And what is the one
that you would define yourself the most as where to
be actress, author, cooking personality. Maybe it's cat mom, maybe
it's all of it, you know, superwoman.
Speaker 5: Well no, no, no, I just have I have been
able to take the things that I find interesting and
make a living, Like I think comedy and drama are
so interesting, and I love acting, and I've been able
to make a living at it. And then I mean,
I've always loved cooking since time was a little girl
watching my Nonny cook in the inn Adline's basement kitchen.
So I've always loved cooking. And then I started writing cookbooks,
and then I was able to get a show on
Food Network, so to start a whole other side career,
which I loved. And I love books, So I want
to have a book group, a public book group. You know,
I love my cats, so I have wilfees me out
on Instagram so that you can see all my cats
and see what they're doing. I like sharing my life
with people, and I like when they share their lives
with me. I don't know. I think it's just I'm
just we're all full, you know, well rounded human beings,
and you know, sometimes, you know, we take one of
those things we love and we make a job out
of it, and then sometimes we're able to make a
job out of all of it because it's just what
we do in our lives. I've just been incredibly blessed
and incredibly lucky that there are people willing to watch
what I do and hear what I have to say.
Speaker 2: I think your amazingness comes across even you know, in
this interview, you're very genuine. You're very generous and humble,
and that's something we need to keep in mind of
and I personally think we need a little bit more
of that in this world.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I don't disagree with you. I think there are
beautiful pockets of people, and I think when we find
like minded souls, it's great to just like make our
circle even bigger and bigger. And that's what I'm attempting
to do with Valerie's place. I just want my circle
to be bigger. I have my dear girlfriends that I've
had for almost thirty years, you know, I have my family,
that I adore. I have people that I love to
work with, and I think as we expand our circles
and let more people into it, our lives just become fuller.
I think community is one of the most important things
we can do, and I think expanding our community is
And you're doing that too with your show. You're doing
that by all of us cat lovers get to get
together and listen to you, and that's special in and
of itself.
Speaker 2: Well, thank you. And you know, one of the things
I love about doing this show is that, besides having
great guests, is that it also spreads a lot of information.
You know, do a lot of talk about.
Speaker 5: T and R.
Speaker 2: I had a great, so important show about declining because
there are still there are cat lovers that don't have
a clue listen.
Speaker 5: I was one of those lovers that didn't have a clue.
I declawed my cat. I think it was twenty six
years ago, the cat that I had back then, And
I feel horrible now about it now knowing what I know,
Like my heart hurts right now that I put my
cat through that. I mean, it's like, thank God, we're
getting information, Like all my cats have their claws now.
I would never ever even think about, you know, declawing them.
My fraisher looks like shit, but I don't care.
Speaker 2: Well, I think we all have that. I bought my
couch knowing that something's gonna get sick on it. You know,
there's some much in a puke on it and scratch it.
And I thought I was doing good until husband said,
look at that side. It's quawed right.
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, right to the bone. Yeah, I saw, you
know what one. I'll get them reupholstered at some point,
but right now. I mean, I also have like scratching
posts everywhere, but cats, cats, they're going to do what
they want to do. And yeah, you know, I try
to cut them every couple of weeks, cut their nails,
but that doesn't stop them from scratching. It just stops
them from you know, like hurting you accidentally scroute you.
Speaker 2: Yes, you are brave.
Speaker 5: I have some cats that are good with it, and
I have other cats that like don't want me to,
but I have to, Like it's burrito time, then oh yes, yes,
you got to wrap them up in a purrito.
Speaker 2: They're feisty. They're feisty. What is the one thing you
would like to tell all of our cat listeners out there.
Speaker 5: You guys are so cool, like you love cats and
cats love you. Do you know what that says about
who you are? Like when you have a cat fall
in love with you and trust you, that's I think
the greatest gift. Now. As much as I adore my dog,
my dog loves everybody, really, yes, and I adore her,
But there's something about a cat when you earn its trust.
My son and his wife have experienced this, Like Bubba
and Ba are my parents' cats, and now Bubba and
Ba love and adore Wolfee Andrea because they trust them.
And I love that. I have built this trust with
Batman and with my other two cats that like they
love me, and they when I come home from work
and they like are all over. They all sit outside
the bathroom if I've closed the door. If I forget
to close the door, they're all in there with me.
Like I'm loved unconditionally. How flip and cool is that?
And we all of us that own a pet get
to feel that, get to feel that love and then
put that love back out in the world.
Speaker 2: Thank you. And what would you say to someone who's
listening hasn't quite made the plants. You know, should I adopt?
I don't know, blah blah.
Speaker 5: Here's what I would suggest, because this is what helped me.
After Dexter died, I thought, I can't get another cat,
like I'll never love anything as much as I love Decks.
A girlfriend of mine who actually runs some foster cares, said,
why don't you try fostering because you're so good with cats.
You can play with them, You could bottle feed them,
because shelters need people to take these poor little kittens
out of the shelter and out of the cages. That's
what I happened with Batman. He was an orphan black
cat and nobody was gonna come save him. He was
like four and a half weeks old.
Speaker 2: And right, I just want to mention because we're on video.
We might have some clips, don't know yet, but Batman's black,
solid black.
Speaker 5: Batman is a beautiful, blackheaded cat.
Speaker 2: Now he's gorgeous. But black cats and black dogs are
not adopted as much.
Speaker 5: Black cats are not adopted. And this guy was more
FAI have any other kittens in the cage with them?
You know some of the you have brought kittens in.
So this is what happens is if they couldn't have
found a foster for Batman, he would have been euthanized.
I happened to be there the day he was into
so I was allowed to foster him and I was
going to find him a home. Well, don't you know,
I fell madly in love with him, so I never
found him a home. I was able to find homes
for about fifteen cats that I all fill madly in
love with. So it's hard, but I think by fostering,
this is what you could do. If you're on the
fence on whether you get a cat or a dog
or not, foster one and then try to find a
home for it and do your best through the agency
that you're fostering the animal from, and they will help
you get connections with people that may be looking for
a pet. But fostering kind of allows you to put
your toe in and care for another living breathings and
still like not fully commit, but know that you can
give your love to a little, you know, a little cute,
little furry thing, and then you know, if you happen
to think like, oh I can't give this cat, then
keep it. Then you've found what you wanted to do
you wanted to then own this pet?
Speaker 2: Okay? And a lot of people say with cats. I
think it was one of our show hosts said this,
they're like potato chips. You can't have just one. I
think two. Bernadine said that. Ab I think two cats
are great because they keep each other company.
Speaker 5: For sure. I mean if I was if I was
a single woman who worked from home, I can see
just having one cat because you can spend all that
time with the cat and you can travel with that
cat or if you know, that's great. But if you
have to go to work and leave the house, having
two cats is fabulous because they but you have to
make sure that they love each other. Because I had
two cats quite a few decades ago that were a
brother and sister, but not there. One was a girl,
one was a boy, but they weren't brother and sister.
Oh my god. They just could care less about each other.
So hopefully they get along. And then there's my you know,
Bubba and Bo, which is my son's cats. They're bonded
because they were brothers. They were born together, so they're
great together. But yes, I think you're right, and you
might not want to do what I did, and foster
a bunch of cats and end up with six. So yeah,
I ended up with six, and then my son took
two of them, and then one sadly passed away. So
you might not want to do that because six boys
in this house is a bit much.
Speaker 2: That's a lot. How did you end up with all boys?
Just chance?
Speaker 5: Yeah? I had girls that I fostered and I found
homes for and I don't know how they Yeah, I
don't know. I don't. It was a huge mistake on
my part because they don't always get But then again,
some girls don't get along with the boys either, so
you just you never know.
Speaker 2: My two girls are sisters from different letters and different mesters,
and they do not get along.
Speaker 5: Oh it's hard because you want them to.
Speaker 2: Oh when we brought the little one in that was Molly,
she was we had to keep her in a cage
because her sister attacked her. Now tax or sister and
Oster is one of these that we have a lot
of litter boxes. I think this might sound crazy. I
think at least six, oh for two cat some are
in the cadeo and I don't have a mansion, so
someone on the cadeo I think two or three, So
three in the house. They have a lot.
Speaker 5: I have one in a back bathroom, the guest bathroom,
two in the cadeo, one in the actual cadio, one
in the room that is connected to the cadio, and
then one like it's like tucked under where you go
out to the garage. So yeah, they're all spread out
through the house. If I had another room to put
one in, I probably would, but I don't.
Speaker 2: It's a lot. But if Charlotte would use them, I
would be so happy. But it's you know, ten years,
but you just deal with it. It's just part of
life's challenges.
Speaker 5: I was told that I stayed by cats they would
not spray, and they didn't spray for ten years. Wow,
and now they're spraying again just because I mean, well,
one sprays. I can always tell which cat has left
a mark on a pepad because Batman just goes on
the like the bottom of the b bet and Henry
sprays against the wall. So I have them taped up
against the wall. I can always tell who sprays.
Speaker 2: They do that. They have stuff that you put on
the wall so that cats done spray. They have stuff
you put on a wall, apees, an automatic box and
your cats doesn't clean their tush as well as they should,
like Sphinx cats. They're known, right, Okay, you know the
bald ones they're they're hymans.
Speaker 5: Who has one of those?
Speaker 2: They're weird looking. I love them, but I was too
afraid that my cats, especially Molly, she's very territorial, would
attack the cat, you know, and then poor little thing
with it.
Speaker 5: I know, I know, I.
Speaker 2: Can't do it. We've taken a lot of time. I
appreciate it so much. What is the one thing you
want to leave our listeners with that?
Speaker 5: I think we're part of a really cool community of
cat lovers, and I think being a crazy cat lady
is now a compliment. I'm so in love with my pets.
I just I can't imagine a life without them. And
when I look back on all the different cuts I've
had all throughout my life, I feel so blessed to
get so much love and to give so much love.
And I think anybody that listens to your program has
to be one full of love person. So ravo to
all of us.
Speaker 2: Is there anything we didn't mention that you want?
Speaker 5: Oh? You've been wonderful.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, well, thank you so much. It's
been so much fun having you on the show and
a pleasure to thank you for all your time, Thanks
for everything you do for just the everyone, for the
the cats, for the people. You know, we need more
of you, so.
Speaker 5: A lot of us out here. I think you're one
of them. I think there's a lot more out of it.
It's just that the nasty people are louder.
Speaker 2: Yeah that's yes. Unfortunately, yes that is true. Well again,
thank you so much for coming on kata Too.
Speaker 5: Thank you.
Speaker 2: I hope you all enjoyed this show. What a trait
it was to talk to Valerie Bertinellie. This is definitely
one of my favorite shows of kata Too, like in
the top three. So Valerie, thank you so much for
coming on Caatitude. Thanks for all you do for the cats.
I just want to remind everybody about everything that you
have going on. Please check out Valerie's place. It's Valeriesplace
dot com. She's doing YouTube videos. She has a podcast
coming out called Getting Naked, so add that along with
Katatude to your list of podcasts and look soon for
possibly a book club. So again, Valerie, thank you so
much for coming on Cataitude. Thank you to all my listeners.
I appreciate you guys so much, so thank you, and
of course thanks to my cat crew Dennis, Charlotte and
Mollie and the show would not be the same without
the magic of Mark Winter, So thank you so much, Mark,
and remember lose the attitude, have catitude.
Speaker 4: Let's talk pests every week on demand only on petlive
radio dot com.
Speaker 5: The t