Cattitude - Episode 266 Why Can’t My Brother Be More Like My Cat?

<v Speaker 1>Live.
<v Speaker 2>This is pet Life Radio.
<v Speaker 3>Let's Talk Pets. This episode of Catitude is brought to
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<v Speaker 3>for your cat today. Go to meowgreens dot com and
<v Speaker 3>use promo code Catitude.
<v Speaker 4>Hello Blaine, friends, Welcome to Cataitude. I'm your show host,
<v Speaker 4>Michelle Burn. Today we have one of my guests returning
<v Speaker 4>and she's a favorite. I'm so glad she's here, and
<v Speaker 4>we're going to talk about a wonderful book about cats
<v Speaker 4>and brothers children's book. So stay tuned. We'll be right back.
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<v Speaker 1>Let's talk pets on Petlife Radio dot com.
<v Speaker 4>Welcome back everyone. I'd like to welcome Aliyah Sobel Nolan.
<v Speaker 4>She is an esteemed author. She's written many, many, many books,
<v Speaker 4>and she's been uncatatued before. Aleah, welcome back. I'm so
<v Speaker 4>excited to have you back on Cataitude and.
<v Speaker 2>I am excited to be here. This is wonderful. It's
<v Speaker 2>a redo, a redo too. Yes, I guess it was
<v Speaker 2>two years ago that I was on your show and
<v Speaker 2>I loved it. And by the way, I just love
<v Speaker 2>the theme a song. I just absolutely love that.
<v Speaker 4>That's my producer. He's so talented.
<v Speaker 2>It's like, you know, I'm sitting here and I'm going
<v Speaker 2>dude the dude. You know. It's just very catchy and
<v Speaker 2>I love it.
<v Speaker 4>He's written every song for all of our shows except
<v Speaker 4>for Victoria Schaeffer because Paul Shaffer is her father and
<v Speaker 4>he wanted to write hers. But he does such a
<v Speaker 4>good job with that. But I talk about you, okay,
<v Speaker 4>we're getting talk about your book in a second. In
<v Speaker 4>a little bit. What type of books have you written,
<v Speaker 4>because you've written a lot.
<v Speaker 2>Well, you know, I started out by writing. I've always
<v Speaker 2>written humor and I've written feature stories. That's how I
<v Speaker 2>got into it. I was a feature story writer for
<v Speaker 2>local newspapers and I did about ten articles for the
<v Speaker 2>New York Times, but opinions a section, but really very
<v Speaker 2>fun and numerous types of things. And they say that
<v Speaker 2>you should write what you know best. And I've always
<v Speaker 2>had cats, and they are so funny and they do
<v Speaker 2>such really crazy things that I started jotting them down
<v Speaker 2>and you know, one liners or whatever. I didn't think
<v Speaker 2>it would go very far, and my editor actually said, oh,
<v Speaker 2>cats are are fad, you know, or this this will
<v Speaker 2>be gone like next next year. You know, he should
<v Speaker 2>know never, he should only know. But that's how I
<v Speaker 2>started out by writing things. I used to observe my
<v Speaker 2>cats and what they would do, and how they would act,
<v Speaker 2>and how they would be, their personalities, the different types
<v Speaker 2>of personality. One would be a snuggle bunny and the
<v Speaker 2>other one would give you the side eye, and the
<v Speaker 2>other one wouldn't even you know, acknowledge you. But they're
<v Speaker 2>just so quirky and you never know what's going to
<v Speaker 2>happen with them. So I started diving things down and
<v Speaker 2>I've written i'd say, thirteen cat books for adults, and
<v Speaker 2>I also write Bible books, and I write devotionals and
<v Speaker 2>humor books for picture books for children, but I've never
<v Speaker 2>written a children's book about cats, which is like, so ridiculous.
<v Speaker 2>So the last book I did was Heavenly Headbuts, and
<v Speaker 2>it was about cats in heaven. And this book, I
<v Speaker 2>wanted it to be light and sweet and fun and
<v Speaker 2>be something that children would really appreciate. So I decided,
<v Speaker 2>this is.
<v Speaker 4>Your first children's buck about cats.
<v Speaker 2>Yes, my very first book. After thirteen books about cats,
<v Speaker 2>this is my first cat kids book.
<v Speaker 4>Wow, kids, bog and tell us about your cats.
<v Speaker 2>My cats? Which one is sitting here and she won't
<v Speaker 2>get out of my way? I'm you know, ago, this
<v Speaker 2>is Colleen Fiona Shannon Nolan. Now she's got all these
<v Speaker 2>names because I couldn't make up my mind which one,
<v Speaker 2>so I named her all of them. And she's a
<v Speaker 2>sheltered cat and she's very quiet and demure and the
<v Speaker 2>only time that she ever gets rampunctions is around one
<v Speaker 2>o'clock at night when she gets what she gets the
<v Speaker 2>midnight crazies. Last night, I was like, I'm gonna have
<v Speaker 2>to put this car outside my room. Uh, but yeah,
<v Speaker 2>I'm used to it. I take naps in the afternoon
<v Speaker 2>because you know, all night long, throughout the night, she's
<v Speaker 2>you know, she's she's jumping on my head. She's, you know,
<v Speaker 2>telling me to look at the ghosts that she's shaking.
<v Speaker 4>They do that, right, they except I'm fortunate because when
<v Speaker 4>the cat's usually jumping me out, it's my husband's side,
<v Speaker 4>so he gets all the attention. They leave me alone.
<v Speaker 4>So yeah, so it's I don't know, I don't know.
<v Speaker 4>Maybe maybe because he gives him more treats. I don't know,
<v Speaker 4>I don't know what it is. And then what about
<v Speaker 4>your other cats?
<v Speaker 2>Now, my other cat is hysterical. He is Bubba. His
<v Speaker 2>name is Nolan Nolan. Now. The reason he has the
<v Speaker 2>double name is because when I went to the shelter,
<v Speaker 2>I wanted a black cat because black cats don't get
<v Speaker 2>adopted very often, and I always have a black cat,
<v Speaker 2>so but I didn't want a baby. I didn't want
<v Speaker 2>a kitten because I'm in the middle of writing a
<v Speaker 2>book and you know, you have to keep taps on
<v Speaker 2>them and see that they're not killing themselves. So I'm
<v Speaker 2>on my way out because I didn't see any and
<v Speaker 2>I just happened to look over and there was this
<v Speaker 2>little ball of black fluff, couldn't have been more than
<v Speaker 2>six months old, and I'm like, no, no, walk away, least. Yeah,
<v Speaker 2>But but meanwhile, what's the cat's name? Oh, my gosh,
<v Speaker 2>that's his time. Well, my husband says, they must have
<v Speaker 2>seen you come in and switched theme and put Nolan
<v Speaker 2>on there. So of course I had to get him.
<v Speaker 2>And I called my husband to come and see the cat,
<v Speaker 2>and he said, well, you're gonna get it anyway, so
<v Speaker 2>just bring the cat home. I said it might be
<v Speaker 2>a relative Nolan. So he's Nolan Nolan.
<v Speaker 1>He is.
<v Speaker 2>She Colleen is about eight pounds. Nolan Nolan's about twenty
<v Speaker 2>one pounds. He is a bubba and he is very
<v Speaker 2>smart cat. He stands up on his hind legs, puts
<v Speaker 2>his two paws on the cabinet door and walks backwards
<v Speaker 2>so that he opens the cabinet because that's where the
<v Speaker 2>food is. So I had to get a child locked
<v Speaker 2>because one day I came home and all the cabinets
<v Speaker 2>were opening and I thought we got raw. It's like
<v Speaker 2>it was like it was him, he was looking for
<v Speaker 2>the food. But he he's he's a sweetheart. He's more
<v Speaker 2>active than she is. You know, she's she's naps all
<v Speaker 2>day long. He's, you know, looking into things and swatting
<v Speaker 2>things off. The counter and you know, getting into trouble,
<v Speaker 2>but I love them.
<v Speaker 4>Has Nolan ever swiped anything open, Like if you had
<v Speaker 4>a bag of kibble or chips or something on the
<v Speaker 4>counter that he just sliced it.
<v Speaker 2>Well, what he does is he learned how to open
<v Speaker 2>the cabinets and then you know, I said, well, he
<v Speaker 2>can't get at the food because it's it's you know,
<v Speaker 2>it's not open. But we do have some open food
<v Speaker 2>and we put it in a tupperware container. Well, wouldn't
<v Speaker 2>you know he learned to open the tupperware yet, like
<v Speaker 2>the wet food. The pet sitter said, I came in
<v Speaker 2>and I didn't believe. What he also does is, you
<v Speaker 2>know a lot of cats want to give you gifts,
<v Speaker 2>you know with their outdoor cats that want to give
<v Speaker 2>you you know a snake or you know a gopher. Well,
<v Speaker 2>since they're indoor cats, he picks up clothes. So if
<v Speaker 2>I leave, you know, like my bra around or I leave,
<v Speaker 2>you know, a pair of my jeans, he puts them
<v Speaker 2>in his mouth and he walks down the steps with them,
<v Speaker 2>me outing. You know, I don't know what that is.
<v Speaker 2>It's like crazy, but I can't leave any Yeah, he's
<v Speaker 2>he's uh, he's something. I tell you, he's got a
<v Speaker 2>personality plus but it's fun, you know, because you never
<v Speaker 2>know where.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, and you have such a sparkling personality. So I
<v Speaker 4>think it's a good match.
<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, yeah. So many times I get annoyed with
<v Speaker 2>him because you don't need to watch, you don't need
<v Speaker 2>a clock, you don't need your phone. He can tell
<v Speaker 2>you what time it is because the you know, the
<v Speaker 2>crack of three o'clock. He has to eat and he
<v Speaker 2>will sit at the bottom of the stairs going now,
<v Speaker 2>you know, and so you know, and people say, well,
<v Speaker 2>you shouldn't give in to him, you should let him
<v Speaker 2>me out, but it drives me crazy. So I feed him.
<v Speaker 2>You know, he has to have his food, and I
<v Speaker 2>have to close the door to where he eats his
<v Speaker 2>food because he will then finish his food and run
<v Speaker 2>upstairs to get her food. You know, he's like a
<v Speaker 2>crazy cat when it comes to food, but very loving.
<v Speaker 2>You know, he's a loving animal. He's he's got a
<v Speaker 2>lot of personality. He's always good.
<v Speaker 4>Okay, so let's talk about you've written for books for children,
<v Speaker 4>for adults, for tweens. Is there any particular age group
<v Speaker 4>that you have a preference.
<v Speaker 2>For well, you know, I do like to do my
<v Speaker 2>adult humor because there are so many people who are
<v Speaker 2>into cats now so they understand what I'm talking about.
<v Speaker 2>Because initially people used to look at me like, oh,
<v Speaker 2>you're gonna make earrings out of your cat hair. Oh
<v Speaker 2>you've got cat hero all over you. You know, they
<v Speaker 2>didn't understand about what goes along with owning cats. You know,
<v Speaker 2>so now people are like they stand you know, now
<v Speaker 2>they get it. Yeah, they get it exactly. You're right,
<v Speaker 2>they get it. You know, if you come to you
<v Speaker 2>can get all dressed up and the cot will jump
<v Speaker 2>on you when you get hair all over. You know,
<v Speaker 2>you cannot get rid of every single bit of hair
<v Speaker 2>that you have on you.
<v Speaker 4>You know, So I think with your when you're a
<v Speaker 4>pet parent, you dress for your pets, for your fur babes,
<v Speaker 4>if you can like more dark clothed and like. And
<v Speaker 4>I thought I was the only one until I found out,
<v Speaker 4>know what's a thing Like some people, if they have
<v Speaker 4>a white cat, will wear a lot of white clothing
<v Speaker 4>or light colored clothing.
<v Speaker 2>And you know, as far as keeping a house that
<v Speaker 2>is picked to perfectly, forget about it. You know, you know,
<v Speaker 2>I bought a new couch that has like a chase.
<v Speaker 2>So I thought, if my husband, you know, wants to
<v Speaker 2>nap or something while he's watching TV, you know, he
<v Speaker 2>can stretch his legs out. Well, who's who is now
<v Speaker 2>using that? But we adopted just recently a dog from
<v Speaker 2>one of the rescues. She was a puppy mill dog,
<v Speaker 2>poor thing, and she but guess what we named her? What?
<v Speaker 2>Nolan Nolan? No, we named her miss kitty. Miss kitty.
<v Speaker 4>That's better. That's much more creative than that. Oh, that's funny.
<v Speaker 2>Well, what we did was, you know, my husband is
<v Speaker 2>used to uh calling the cats here kitty, here, here, kitty,
<v Speaker 2>kitty and all of that, and so he did that
<v Speaker 2>with the dog. He started. So we said, that's great,
<v Speaker 2>we'll call her miss kitty. This is what everybody's kitty,
<v Speaker 2>and we don't have to think about easy.
<v Speaker 4>Yeah, you know, it's kind of said that when you
<v Speaker 4>have cats. What is the saying it's their house? You're
<v Speaker 4>just uh, how does that go?
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Well, it's it's sort of like they own the
<v Speaker 2>house and you're just there to to be served pretty
<v Speaker 2>much for the for the food and cleaning up the
<v Speaker 2>kitty litter and you know, fluffing the pillows, and when
<v Speaker 2>I go away, I have a list of like four
<v Speaker 2>pages of the pet for what the pet sitter should do,
<v Speaker 2>and that Colleen gets stuff and such amount of food
<v Speaker 2>on a China dish, the small china dish, and she
<v Speaker 2>gets it heated in the microwave for one minute. You know,
<v Speaker 2>all these instructions like three pages.
<v Speaker 4>You're not unique or unusual doing that that, I say
<v Speaker 4>is kind of norm versus just putting.
<v Speaker 2>It in the ball.
<v Speaker 4>And that said, and I've had my dogs are on
<v Speaker 4>doggy Heaven now, so I just have a cat crew.
<v Speaker 4>But you know, for my dogs, I didn't get that fancy.
<v Speaker 4>But for the cats, yeah, you kind of do. I
<v Speaker 4>don't know why. It's like you need to. I mean
<v Speaker 4>it might nine of them refresh the eaters.
<v Speaker 2>I think they demand it because you know, this is
<v Speaker 2>what and we spoil them because when I first got Colleen,
<v Speaker 2>she wouldn't eat anything, right, but then she kind of
<v Speaker 2>liked only the fish, so she wouldn't eat them. You know,
<v Speaker 2>if I put out meat wet food, she wouldn't eat it, Okay,
<v Speaker 2>chicken wet food. So then I started just giving her
<v Speaker 2>that and then she would eat a little bit. But
<v Speaker 2>I noticed that if I put.
<v Speaker 4>It, if it was too cold, she know, if it's
<v Speaker 4>too cold, they don't want it. If it's too hot,
<v Speaker 4>they don't want it. If they're not in the mood
<v Speaker 4>for salmon, but they want, you know, some other kind
<v Speaker 4>of fish.
<v Speaker 2>But we give in to them because you know, I
<v Speaker 2>think to myself, oh my god, she's not eating you know,
<v Speaker 2>she'll waste the way, you know. Whereas the dogs, you know,
<v Speaker 2>they gobble everything. They don't care what it is, you know,
<v Speaker 2>so they're not as fussy as cats are. But I
<v Speaker 2>think we sort of encourage that, or you know, we
<v Speaker 2>let them get away with it, because I a couple
<v Speaker 2>of times I came up with like six different kinds
<v Speaker 2>of cat food, you know, to see if she would
<v Speaker 2>eat one of them. And then the funny part about
<v Speaker 2>that is she'll eat it, and you'll get all excited.
<v Speaker 2>You'll say, oh, isn't it wonderful. We found the cat
<v Speaker 2>food that she likes, and you go out and you
<v Speaker 2>buy you know, four cases of it, give it to
<v Speaker 2>her the next day and she tries to bury it. Oh,
<v Speaker 2>she doesn't like it anymore.
<v Speaker 4>That's cats, that's cats, Okay, We're going to take a
<v Speaker 4>short break and we'll be back and we'll talk about
<v Speaker 4>your book Why can't my brother be More Like My Cat?
<v Speaker 4>We'll be right back. Hey, guys, Michelle Furne here, is
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<v Speaker 1>Let's talk past.
<v Speaker 2>Let's done that at.
<v Speaker 5>Life Radio, Headline Radio, Petlifradio dot com.
<v Speaker 4>Welcome back everyone. We're talking to Aliyah Zoebel Nolan. She
<v Speaker 4>is the author of Why Can't My Brother Be More
<v Speaker 4>Like My Cat? And this is a children's book and
<v Speaker 4>it's the first one, first children's book you wrote with
<v Speaker 4>the cat. So first of all, I have to ask
<v Speaker 4>about the type of cat. It's the Ostasians are gorgeous,
<v Speaker 4>thereby Lee Wildish and they're just stunning. They're so adorable.
<v Speaker 4>Why a great cat? Is it a certain typers it
<v Speaker 4>just a great cat?
<v Speaker 2>Well, here's the thing. This man is a New York
<v Speaker 2>Times best selling illustrator. And I wasn't sure I would
<v Speaker 2>be able to get him because he's always busy, and
<v Speaker 2>you know, he doesn't know me from Adam. I self
<v Speaker 2>published this book, so you know, for me to just
<v Speaker 2>write him a note saying I want to, you know,
<v Speaker 2>would you do this for me? I didn't think. I
<v Speaker 2>took a chance, which is what I encourage people to do,
<v Speaker 2>take a risk, because you know they can always say no.
<v Speaker 2>And he was in between books and he said he
<v Speaker 2>would love to do it. And I almost fell off
<v Speaker 2>the chair because I was so excited. So I left
<v Speaker 2>it to him. What he did is there are three
<v Speaker 2>characters in this book, the brother, the cat, and the
<v Speaker 2>little girl. Now I fell in love with the look
<v Speaker 2>of the little girl. She's got red hair that is puffy,
<v Speaker 2>and she has these big glasses. And his interpretation of
<v Speaker 2>these characters is just off the charts. Cute.
<v Speaker 4>Wait, let me ask you. So you just said, lead,
<v Speaker 4>this is the bug, go for it.
<v Speaker 2>Well, this I gave him an I worked directly with him,
<v Speaker 2>rather than working through a publisher and an art director
<v Speaker 2>and you know, the marketing department. It was just me
<v Speaker 2>and him and I wrote it. But what's called an
<v Speaker 2>art brief, and that is you tell the artist what
<v Speaker 2>you want to see on every page. Now, you don't
<v Speaker 2>tell them down to the last you know, eyeglass or
<v Speaker 2>the color of the cat. So I left it to him,
<v Speaker 2>and he showed me the three characters that were going
<v Speaker 2>to be in the book ahead of time, rather than
<v Speaker 2>you know, finish all the drawings, and I say, well,
<v Speaker 2>I hate the way that looks, and I love the cat.
<v Speaker 2>I didn't tell him what, you know, unless you have
<v Speaker 2>a really really big preference, like if you if I
<v Speaker 2>wanted a black cat, or I wanted a you know,
<v Speaker 2>some kind of tabby or whatever. But I think also
<v Speaker 2>because the girl has this shocking red hair, that maybe
<v Speaker 2>he stayed away from, you know, a ginger cat or
<v Speaker 2>a black cat because it would be too much of
<v Speaker 2>a contrast. The gray just works out, you know. The
<v Speaker 2>cat personality comes through this cat. And I left it
<v Speaker 2>to him because you know, I've seen his work and
<v Speaker 2>I knew he would do a great job, so I
<v Speaker 2>left it to him.
<v Speaker 4>I think the cat's adorable. I think all the characters
<v Speaker 4>are adorable. Why did you introduce a cat between a
<v Speaker 4>brother and a sister?
<v Speaker 2>Yes, exactly. Now, simple rivalry has been around since Cain
<v Speaker 2>and Abel, okay, and and and Cat. And every time
<v Speaker 2>I go into a store and you see the brothers,
<v Speaker 2>you know, got a face and the little sister is
<v Speaker 2>you know, trying to get or crying or whatever, and
<v Speaker 2>I thought, you know, this would I actually went back
<v Speaker 2>to my original books for that. I do for adults
<v Speaker 2>and I saw that I had one hundred and one
<v Speaker 2>reasons why a cat is better than a man, another
<v Speaker 2>one hundred and one reasons why a cat is better
<v Speaker 2>than a man. Why is a cat still better than
<v Speaker 2>a man? So I thought, there's a theme going on here,
<v Speaker 2>and if I can adapt that to a children's book,
<v Speaker 2>I think I might have found my theme. So instead
<v Speaker 2>of having the brother and the sister be exclusively in
<v Speaker 2>this rivalry, I said, I think that I want to
<v Speaker 2>put a cat in there, and put a cat in
<v Speaker 2>the mix, and not have a brother against sister, but
<v Speaker 2>comparing the cat against the brother, And that seemed to
<v Speaker 2>really work out well. So that's what I did. I
<v Speaker 2>think it's great. I didn't have a brother, so I
<v Speaker 2>couldn't really take from my childhood. But I did have
<v Speaker 2>a sister who was very a little nutsy in that
<v Speaker 2>once she put a what do you call it? A
<v Speaker 2>lobster in my bed, She put a lobster in my
<v Speaker 2>dad and I went into the bed. Oh, you know.
<v Speaker 2>She did like things like what the brother is doing
<v Speaker 2>in the book. So I called that information from my childhood.
<v Speaker 2>And my sister also, she used to be a nutcase
<v Speaker 2>as far as fresh air and in the middle of
<v Speaker 2>like a night like tonight, when it's like, you know,
<v Speaker 2>minus eight degrees, she would have all the windows open
<v Speaker 2>and tell me, oh, it's good for your health. You
<v Speaker 2>know you should we should have the windows open, and
<v Speaker 2>I would be freezing. And another thing she did, she
<v Speaker 2>was teaching me how to dance, and she was twirling
<v Speaker 2>me around and the floor that we were dancing on
<v Speaker 2>was like linoleum. So she twirled me around and let
<v Speaker 2>me go. I was I was flying across the room.
<v Speaker 2>So those are things. Those are things that I can
<v Speaker 2>imagine are on part with what the sister and the
<v Speaker 2>brother would go through.
<v Speaker 4>I have two brothers, and I think perfectly yes, perfectly correct.
<v Speaker 2>And then you know, I wanted kids also to take away.
<v Speaker 2>You know, kids are always looking towards the you know,
<v Speaker 2>their animals, my dog, my cat, and cats are wonderful
<v Speaker 2>in they're they're just the best. But when things bush
<v Speaker 2>comes to shove and you need someone to help you
<v Speaker 2>with a bully or help you with math, your your
<v Speaker 2>brother's there to help you, and most of them will
<v Speaker 2>be very happy to come to your aid. There's a
<v Speaker 2>saying that I think Kenny Rogers said, friends come and
<v Speaker 2>go but family is forever.
<v Speaker 4>For better or worse. Family is forever better or for worse.
<v Speaker 4>And you know, even in the Bible, there's a I
<v Speaker 4>looked it up. There's a phrase I re remember. There's
<v Speaker 4>a scripture that says a friend loves at all times,
<v Speaker 4>but a brother is born for adversity. And that's like,
<v Speaker 4>this is what this book is all about. You know
<v Speaker 4>about how the brother comes to the We're not going
<v Speaker 4>to tell how, but the brother comes to the to
<v Speaker 4>the sister's age, which is nice.
<v Speaker 2>It's a nice thing.
<v Speaker 4>You finished all your children's books rhyme.
<v Speaker 2>No, But and here's the thing. Rhyming is very difficult.
<v Speaker 2>Everybody thinks that they can do rhyme, but there's a
<v Speaker 2>certain beat to it, and there's a certain I am
<v Speaker 2>the pentameter. There's all these AA B B and this
<v Speaker 2>that and the other. And if you're looking to publish
<v Speaker 2>with a traditional publisher, they are very strict about it.
<v Speaker 2>But rhyme sticks in a child's mind better than regular text.
<v Speaker 2>I have a friend who had a granddaughter who memorized
<v Speaker 2>one of my books because it's sing song and she
<v Speaker 2>even though she couldn't read, she memorized it.
<v Speaker 4>That makes total sense, I mean one of the most
<v Speaker 4>well known book authors.
<v Speaker 2>Doctor. It's difficult, but rhyming. If you do it well,
<v Speaker 2>kids can remember it and they can sort of, you know,
<v Speaker 2>go along with it, or or keep a couple of parents,
<v Speaker 2>keep a couple of sentences in their head. I like
<v Speaker 2>to for this age. The book is. The book is
<v Speaker 2>really for everybody, all ages, but the book is targeted
<v Speaker 2>towards from three to seven, and that age they really
<v Speaker 2>do like rhyme. But I'll tell you one thing. I
<v Speaker 2>once did a conference with kids and I asked them
<v Speaker 2>what do you like better in a book? The words
<v Speaker 2>or the pictures? And of course you know what they said,
<v Speaker 2>not the word pictures. So you know, so kids really
<v Speaker 2>you know the visual at that age.
<v Speaker 4>So do you hope that by you know, us as
<v Speaker 4>cat pet parents, because most of my audience are not
<v Speaker 4>probably not children, but I do have some children listeners
<v Speaker 4>out there and tweens, And do you hope that by
<v Speaker 4>introducing books and talking to them about books, it will
<v Speaker 4>help them to, you know, become readers in their adults.
<v Speaker 2>Oh? I hope.
<v Speaker 4>So reading is We could talk for hours about why
<v Speaker 4>reading is important. We both shared a little before the
<v Speaker 4>show about how much we love reading. I've been an
<v Speaker 4>avid reader my entire life, probably why I'm near sighted,
<v Speaker 4>but but I cannot imagine not being able to read.
<v Speaker 4>And I know unfortunate because some people unfortunately have challenges
<v Speaker 4>with it. But I think reading is the best thing ever.
<v Speaker 4>Do you think us as cat parents, because mostly of
<v Speaker 4>us are a little older, by starting children with you know,
<v Speaker 4>getting them engaged at a young age, that will influence
<v Speaker 4>them as adults to be you know, become readers.
<v Speaker 2>Well so, And I think so. I did another conference
<v Speaker 2>about why picture books are so important because it's not
<v Speaker 2>just the language, uh and the and you know, teaching
<v Speaker 2>them new words, but they're also getting a look at
<v Speaker 2>different you know, cultures, and they're getting something that they
<v Speaker 2>wouldn't they they wouldn't normally see at their preschool or whatever.
<v Speaker 2>It takes them into different lands and different types of things.
<v Speaker 2>And you know, there's an exercise that I do sometimes
<v Speaker 2>with children, and I don't put the words in and
<v Speaker 2>I let them look at the pictures and then they
<v Speaker 2>use their imagination to make up the story. And this
<v Speaker 2>is so important for their just for their whole being,
<v Speaker 2>that they're able to use their imagination, you know, to to.
<v Speaker 2>You know, what do you see in this book? Is
<v Speaker 2>that little girl? What is she doing? And you know,
<v Speaker 2>it opens them up to not be afraid to see
<v Speaker 2>or say what they see. That's number one. It gives
<v Speaker 2>them language opportunities to learn new languages, new cultures, new
<v Speaker 2>ways of doing things, and it broadens them, you know,
<v Speaker 2>because when a kid goes into preschool, they've never hear
<v Speaker 2>they've probably never seen other kids that don't look that
<v Speaker 2>aren't a mirror image of them. So it's good to
<v Speaker 2>get them. So it's not a shock. It's like what,
<v Speaker 2>you know, I've never seen a person with a you know,
<v Speaker 2>like a headband on or something like that. So these
<v Speaker 2>types of picture books expand the child's imagination and their
<v Speaker 2>world really and let me tell you, I couldn't live
<v Speaker 2>without a book. My mother in law, God versus soul
<v Speaker 2>used to take books in her purse and anytime she
<v Speaker 2>was like online or you know, online at a grocery store,
<v Speaker 2>she whip out the book. And you know, books are
<v Speaker 2>your carpet to other worlds. I mean, I can't I
<v Speaker 2>can't stress enough that children should be introduced and you
<v Speaker 2>should try that with the kids. What do you see
<v Speaker 2>on this page. What do you think that you know
<v Speaker 2>the girl is doing and why is she doing that?
<v Speaker 2>And blah blah blah. You know, get them involved, you know,
<v Speaker 2>in the book. It's not just reading to them, it's
<v Speaker 2>getting them involved in the book. That's engaged. That's the
<v Speaker 2>word I'm looking for. So that they will, you know,
<v Speaker 2>they'll want they'll want to read another book about you know,
<v Speaker 2>about cats, or or you know, introduce them to show
<v Speaker 2>them a book or an encyclopedia of all the different
<v Speaker 2>kinds of cats. It's not just you know, your your
<v Speaker 2>rescue cat. Look at this cat is the sphinx. He
<v Speaker 2>doesn't have any hair.
<v Speaker 4>Aliah, I'm thinking of your next book Cats different cats. Yeah,
<v Speaker 4>like stinks, no hair, this one it has little little ears.
<v Speaker 4>A lot of people aren't aware that cats don't just
<v Speaker 4>look like you know, the standard cat as well a
<v Speaker 4>lot of people, but kids really don't, right.
<v Speaker 2>I did an article for a kid's magazine that talked
<v Speaker 2>about introduced them to all the different kinds of cats
<v Speaker 2>and also show cats you know, uh, the Persian cats
<v Speaker 2>and the sphinx cats and the you know. I find
<v Speaker 2>it fascinating that sometimes there are new cats or cats
<v Speaker 2>that i'd never you know, I don't know about And
<v Speaker 2>it's fascinating when you go to these cat shows and
<v Speaker 2>walk up and down the aisle and you see all
<v Speaker 2>the end they're so patient, the cats are being groomed
<v Speaker 2>and they're just sitting there like, okay, do your bed
<v Speaker 2>and make me look. It's amazing. They're for me. They're
<v Speaker 2>wonderful creatures. Now, I just we just got this dog
<v Speaker 2>and I never had a dog, and I'm learning that, Well,
<v Speaker 2>this dog is exceptional because she doesn't bark, and she
<v Speaker 2>doesn't she's not in your face, I swear, well, because
<v Speaker 2>she was in this bucking mill. You know. I don't
<v Speaker 2>think he was ever in the house, so she had
<v Speaker 2>to get used to, you know, walking up and down
<v Speaker 2>the steps and she you know so. But I'm I
<v Speaker 2>must say, I'm I'm understanding now why people are so
<v Speaker 2>nuts about dogs too.
<v Speaker 4>Even though we're all about cats on atitude, a lot
<v Speaker 4>of people have dogs and cats. And I know that
<v Speaker 4>our listening audience knows. Dennis was my first cat, which
<v Speaker 4>is good because he's part main coon and they're the
<v Speaker 4>dog of cats.
<v Speaker 2>Oh gosh, I love that.
<v Speaker 4>Yes, for me, the reason it was good is because
<v Speaker 4>I grew up with dogs and it was always about dogs,
<v Speaker 4>so I had to learn. However, getting Molly and Charlotte
<v Speaker 4>taught me about cats. And as we talked about earlier,
<v Speaker 4>you're so right. They all have their own quirky you know,
<v Speaker 4>habits and reacts and personalities. It's just they're just amazing creatures,
<v Speaker 4>which is why we love them. Where can people find
<v Speaker 4>your book?
<v Speaker 2>Well, this new book and most of my books are
<v Speaker 2>on Amazon, but this latest book, why Can't My Brother
<v Speaker 2>Be More Like My Cat? You can get it anywhere.
<v Speaker 2>It's at Warnes and Noble, It's at frifty Books or whatever.
<v Speaker 2>It's anywhere. If you go online and you can pick
<v Speaker 2>your favorite bookstore. And if they don't have it, they
<v Speaker 2>can get it because I have extended distribution this time,
<v Speaker 2>so anybody can get it.
<v Speaker 4>Also, where can people find out more about you? I
<v Speaker 4>know you have a great website?
<v Speaker 2>Well, I have a website. It's very simple. It's w
<v Speaker 2>w W Aaliyah Wrights a l l I A and
<v Speaker 2>the word Rights dot com correct Aliah Wrights dot com,
<v Speaker 2>yeah dot com, yeah yeah, And it has mostly all
<v Speaker 2>of my books. I try to keep it up to date.
<v Speaker 2>It's oh, this book one Zippy a War won an
<v Speaker 2>award already. I'm so excited.
<v Speaker 4>Uh oh, congratulations coming award. It's called there's a publisher
<v Speaker 4>called Zibby Zibby Owens, and she's very big in publishing.
<v Speaker 4>But she had a terrible thing happened. She lives in
<v Speaker 4>New York and she lives in California, and she was gonna.
<v Speaker 2>Have an award. We were gonna go there and it
<v Speaker 2>was gonna be a whole big thing, but her house
<v Speaker 2>almost caught on fire because she was in La. Her
<v Speaker 2>house was in La, so obviously she had a you know, cancel.
<v Speaker 2>But we just got our little certificates. So you know
<v Speaker 2>that in fifty cents gets you on the subway. But
<v Speaker 2>but it's nice.
<v Speaker 4>Well it's still an honor, you know.
<v Speaker 2>It was especially this This book isn't out very long,
<v Speaker 2>but I think, you know, it's a fun book. My
<v Speaker 2>last book was about cats in heaven, and by right,
<v Speaker 2>it was a little sad. So this book is all
<v Speaker 2>such fun. And every time I look at it, I
<v Speaker 2>just love the little girl and the cat and the brother.
<v Speaker 2>It's just I love it. It's one of my favorites.
<v Speaker 4>It's a wonderful book.
<v Speaker 2>One last thing this summer. I have a book called
<v Speaker 2>Finding Harmony, The Kitten Who Taught Friends' Kindness, and that
<v Speaker 2>will be.
<v Speaker 4>Come okay, and maybe you can come back on Catitude.
<v Speaker 2>Oh that would be nice.
<v Speaker 4>I would love to have you. Aliah, thank you so
<v Speaker 4>much for coming on Catitude and telling us all about
<v Speaker 4>your cats and about your book Why Can't My Brother
<v Speaker 4>Be More Like My Cat?
<v Speaker 2>Thank you. I appreciate your support.
<v Speaker 4>You're so welcome. I hope you all enjoyed this show.
<v Speaker 4>I love having Aleiah on. She's so sparkling. That's the
<v Speaker 4>word for her. She has such an effervescent personality and
<v Speaker 4>it comes across in her books. Please check out Aleah
<v Speaker 4>Wrights dot com. There will also be the link on
<v Speaker 4>the page Petline Video dot com go to Catitude, go
<v Speaker 4>to this show and there'll be a link to her site.
<v Speaker 4>I want to thank my cat crew that let me
<v Speaker 4>read them the book because I don't have any little
<v Speaker 4>ones at my house, so I write it to my cats.
<v Speaker 4>Why Can't My Brother Be More Like My Cat? By
<v Speaker 4>Aleiah Zobel Nolan. So thank you, Mollie, Charlotte and Dennis,
<v Speaker 4>and of course thank you to everyone listening the Caatitude.
<v Speaker 4>I appreciate your listenership so much. Thank you so much.
<v Speaker 4>I'd also want to thank my producer, Mark Winter. This
<v Speaker 4>show would not be the same without him working as magic.
<v Speaker 4>Thank you Mark for all you do, and thank you
<v Speaker 4>for the music that you write for well. My Catitude
<v Speaker 4>song is amazing, but thank you for all the ones
<v Speaker 4>you do. And thank you again Patitude listeners, and hey
<v Speaker 4>remember lose the attitude and have Catitude.
<v Speaker 1>Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on petlifradio
<v Speaker 1>dot com.