As cat lovers, we’d be surprised if you haven’t heard of Pam Johnson-Bennett – she’s a best-selling author of 10 books and is considered a pioneer in the field of cat behavior consulting. Pam starred in Animal Planet UK’s series Psycho Kitty and is one of the most popular and sought-after cat behavior experts in the world today.
Pam began making house calls to work with clients on cat behavior problems back in 1982 and published her first book in 1990. Since then, she has led the way as an inspiration and mentor to many in the cat behavior profession. Which brings us to her newest book – CatWise.
With the launch of CatWise, Pam embarked on a national book tour called The CatWise Cat Cafe Tour which was presented by Wellness Pet Food. This unique national book tour took Pam to some of the most popular cat cafes in the United States to meet fans and sign copies of her book. The tour was designed to bring attention to the increasing popularity of cat cafes and how they help in promoting cat adoption. Pam was proud to team up with Wellness for this tour and was thrilled to announce that Wellness donated 1000 meals to each of the shelters associated with the cat cafes on every stop on the tour.
We spoke with Pam and she was delighted to offer us 5 copies of her new book for 5 lucky Purrington Post readers to win (contest details below).
In the meantime, we wanted to get up close and purrsonal with Pam and here’s what she shared with us:
Q: This is your 10th book! Congrats! Now what makes this CatWise different/unique/special from the others?
With the field of cat behavior becoming so popular, many people turn to the internet for their advice on cat behavior problems. While there are many reputable and experienced behavior experts listed online there are also many offering bad advice. I end up getting calls and emails from people who have been burned by bad behavior advice from an unqualified business that had a misleading website. I wrote this book to answer the types of questions I tend to get on a regular basis. It’s written in a Q&A style so readers can either go directly to the section they need or they can read it cover to cover.
Q: What was your primary objective in writing CatWise?
I’ve been in this field since 1982 and many cat parents trust me so I wanted to offer sound, easy-to-understand advice from the source they know.
Q: Can you share a funny/unexpected story that may have happened during the writing of CatWise?
Actually, the most amusing part of doing this book was shooting the cover photo. We went to the Cat Shoppe in Nashville for the session so we could use the cats there who are waiting for their forever home. I spent a couple of hours laying on the floor with dozens of cats climbing all over me. It was hard to get a good shot because most of the cats insisted on facing me which meant their little butts were always to the camera. I felt like a cat play toy with kitties jumping on me. It was so much fun.
Q: Best thing about writing this book?
I love sharing information about cat behavior because it gives readers the opportunity to improve the relationships they have with their cats. Every time I write a book about cats I also end up loving them more than I did before.
Q: Hardest thing about writing this book?
Knowing what to leave out. I get so excited about sharing information and teaching that I could easily write way too much. Thank goodness for editors!
Q: Any chance of another Cat Cafe Tour in 2018?
I’m so glad we had the opportunity to do the first cat café book tour in 2017 and it was such a thrill to see how unique each cat café was. With all the new cat cafes popping up lately it would be great to do another tour but unfortunately, it’s not on our 2018 schedule.
Q: What exciting new projects do you have planned for 2018?
Right now, my schedule includes lectures and nothing brand new. 2017 was a year of so much travel with the CatWise Cat Café Tour, lecturing at the Best Friends National Conference, Pet Connections Expo, speaking at this wonderful festival in Calgary called Beakerhead, the Tucson Festival of Books and many other lectures throughout the country. I’m not as young as I used to be so I’m ok with not living out of a suitcase as much right now. We are working on some very exciting things for 2019 that I have to keep under wraps for the time being. Sorry to be so mysterious.
Q: Any chance of an 11th book?
I am working on the next one right now. I’ve found though that as the mother of two teenagers, it’s getting harder to carve out some quiet writing time.
Q: What’s one sage bit of advice you wish most cat owners would heed?
No matter how frustrating and seemingly random a cat’s behavior may appear, it always makes sense to the cat. Our job as cat parents is to figure out what the cat is telling us by the behavior.
Q: What’s the biggest takeaway for anyone reading CatWise that you wish they’d remember?
Cats are easy to train if you take the time to educate yourself on what they need. It’s never too late to improve the relationship you have with your cat.
Q: How many cats do you own currently? Names? Descriptions?
Currently, I share my home with a rescued melanistic Bengal cat named Pearl (photos below). We think she’s about 10 years old. A few years ago we had to say goodbye to our three geriatric cats, ages 24, 18, and 17 in a relatively short span of time. It was overwhelmingly difficult. Pearl has been wonderful in helping me continue to heal from the devastating loss.
Q: Any words or key message you’d like to share with your many fans?
Thank you for loving cats and continuing to make their lives better. So many people have yet to experience how incredible it is open your heart to these magnificent animals.
* Contest Now Closed
This contest ended on January 12th, 2018. Entrants simply needed to submit a comment in our “Leave a Reply” section at the bottom of this page saying:
I have [insert number] cats and their names are [insert your cats names]. I would love to win a copy of CatWise because [insert your reason].
The winners were chosen by Pam and her team from all the correctly submitted entries and contacted by email.
Be sure to check out Pam’s website at catbehaviorassociates.com Can’t wait to read the book? You can Buy a copy of CatWise on Amazon.
