CatWise Book Signing at Meow Parlour- and a Review | Lola The Rescued Cat
Tuesday, May 30, 2017

CatWise Book Signing at Meow Parlour- and a Review

I recently had the pleasure of attending bestselling author Pam Johnson-Bennett’s CatWise Cat Café Tour at Meow Parlour here in New York City. 





The tour, sponsored by Wellness, is promoting Pam’s new book, CatWise. I had heard Pam speak at my first BlogPaws conference in Nashville and was looking forward to seeing her again. 

I met my friend and fellow cat blogger Laura Zaccardi, of Squeedunk Cats there, and it’s always a pleasure to get together with her. We arrived early and had the opportunity to chat with Pam before she began her talk. Pam is very engaging and so pleasant to have a conversation with. She’s very supportive of other authors and bloggers and admires how bloggers keep up with a busy posting schedule, continuously generating new content.

The CatWise Cat Café Tour had one very important mission to fulfill: to give back to animals in need. Wellness donated 1000 meals to Kitty Kind, the rescue that works with Meow Parlour, to help provide cats with natural nutrition while they wait to be adopted. Wellness also generously provided these cute goody bags to the attendees. In my experience working with this company, I have come to learn that they are a big-hearted company and are very giving to the community and to the bloggers they work with. 




One of the resident cats gave the bags her seal of approval. 




This was my first visit to Meow Parlour (I know, I know… how could I live in NYC and have not been here before?) and I loved it! .




There is fantastic merchandise for sale, and the walls are adorned with photos of the resident cats looking for their forever homes.


























And of course, there are cute cats to play with!






Pam described Catwise as a Q and A book with very specific and thorough answers. She decided to write this book because people tend to Google “cat behavior info” and take the advice they find on line which can be very counterproductive. When Pam started in her field “in the Flintstone years”, cat behaviorism was not popular and her family suggested she get a new career. She is glad she stuck with it, and so are all the readers and cat parents she has helped. 


Some of Pam’s speaking points:

Cats need choices 

Many cat owners have their cats eat together from the same bowl or have them eat side by side. Cats’ preferences should be taken into consideration during meal times. I have two separate feeding stations for Lola and Lexy; one in the kitchen and one off the living room. They will eat dinner at the same time in the kitchen, but I don’t put their dishes side by side so they have their own space. Once in a blue moon I will catch them eating dry food from the same bowl, but that’s their choice. 


When walking your cat on a leash, carry a towel with you.  

In the event he or she becomes frightened or you need to separate them from another animal, you can use the towel to wrap them up. I thought that was a great idea! 


 We need to create a “state of home” for our cats. 

Cats need a place where they feel “I don’t have to worry about my food or my litter box.”

Cats need stimulation and play time. 

Cats ambush predators, so we should stick with what is natural for them. Your cat is the best teacher about how they want to play, so pay attention!

I love Pam’s book because it is easy to read and follow, and offers easy advice the everyday cat owner can understand and follow. Some of the questions answered in the book are: 
Do Cats communicate with their whiskers? Will I have to train my kitten to use the litter box or will he instinctively know what to do? How can I help my cat be more comfortable when I have guests over? In each section, Pam provides a text box with tips related to the question, such as: 

Don’t Crowd Me – Most cats don’t like having their whiskers squished when trying to eat or drink, so if a dish isn’t the right size, they’ll dip a paw in the food or water and then lick it or paw the food out. 

Box Basics – Never use a covered box or an electronic box with a kitten. The box setup should be convenient, safe, simple, quiet, and hard to miss. 

The Invisible Cat – Something as simple as a box can provide security for a cat. It’s a way to peek out and observed the environment while feeling hidden. The ability to remain invisible can help reduce anxiety. 

You can learn more about Pam’s techniques and recommendations on her website. 

CatWise is a great resource for anyone who is thinking of adding a cat to their family or for the person who has been owned by a cat for years. There is always a question that pops up, and Pam's book is a great resource. 

What questions have you ever had about your cat? 
Dawn

From the publisher: Even if you’ve lived with and loved cats for decades, chances are that when you're not scratching their backs you’re scratching your head over their seemingly inexplicable habits or sudden shifts of mood.  No one knows cats like Pam Jonson-Bennett, whose pioneering books have changed how owners and experts alike relate to and understand cats.  In CatWise, she provides clear, concise, easy-to-find answers to the questions that most often perplex you about your cat. 


About the Author: Pam Johnson-Bennett is one of the most popular and sought-after cat behavior experts in the world. She is the author os seven award-winning books on cat behaviors, including Think Like a Cat and Cat vs. Cat. Pam has a private cat-consulting practice in Nashville, is a popular guest on national TV and radio, has starred on Animal Planet UK’s series Psycho Kitty, and has spoken on cat behavior at veterinary and animal-welfare conferences around the world. Pam lives in Nashville, TN, with her husband, two children, a rescued Bengal cat, a rescued Sheltie, one well-trained goldfish, and two not-so-well-trained goldfish. 














Would you like to comment?

  1. My human is SUCH a big Pam Johnson-Bennett fan! Her books were the original inspiration for Sparkle's advice columns, and a lot of her persona too (not to mention the way my human interacted with her, and with me). I love the idea of the towel, although so far I haven't needed it - I'll have to have my human carry one with us from now on.

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  2. L & L.....what an awesum all round post two day.....we troo lee N joyed reedin thiz !!! and MEOW parlor rocks !!!!! ☺☺♥♥

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  3. Such a cool event with a really cool lady...and wonderful kitties too!

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  4. You are so lucky to have met her ! Claire is a huge fan of Pam Johnson-Bennett ! Purrs

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  5. So many of the tips you shared took me a lot of time to figure out on my own! I love that Pam wrote a book including all of them. Of course, Bear's taught me a lot of these because he misbehaves when he's not happy :)

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  6. I went to the MEOW Parlour when it was first opened, it looks like they have a lot more items for sale now. Thank you for the sweet comment you left on my blog for the loss of Snowball.

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  7. Meow Parlour looks like a fantastic place!

    One of the mom's cat bibles is Pam's book, Cat vs. Cat. She definitely will get Pam's new book.

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  8. What a great post! I remember when she spoke at Meow Parlour because the next day she came to the cat cafe that's in Philly (I can't remember the name just now). I really wanted to go but I found out about it too late. All the tickets were sold. I also remember a long time ago, my mom got me one of Pam's books. It was definitely the dark ages. This was the early 90s. I know the next time I'm in NYC, I'm going to Meow Parlour.

    Great pics of all the kitties! Those are all great tips. Thanks for doing this post!

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  9. What a cool event! Pam is an awesome and extremely knowledgeable cat lady; how great that you got to meet and chat with her. I hope we can visit Meow Parlour sometime soon. :)

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  10. I love her books and I'm a huge fan of Pam Johnson-Bennett. How nice that you got to meet her. Her book "Cat vs. Cat" came in very handy when we had a cat 'situation' and I was thousands of miles away from home. I ordered the book and had it shipped home to my husband. Upon my return, I learned that he had read the book from cover to cover and started lecturing me on our different cats' behaviour and what it meant MOL.

    I love cat cafés and Meow Parlour would definitely be on my list of things to do if I visit NY. here in Montreal we have two and still more to come soon.

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  11. Congratulations on your book; I hope you have a fantastic signing event and sell a ton of copies.

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  12. Where is the Meow Parlour? Next trip to NYC I want to check it out. Good advice about cats too.

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  13. I work in the NYC area too and only visited Meow Parlour last year. It's great isn't it? There's another new cat parlour as well. I forget the name at the moment. So happy Kitty kind received meals for the cats. I used to volunteer with them. Great no kill organization. Congrats to Pam on the new book.

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  14. Those are some useful tips. Bringing a towel on walks seems handy. That cat cafe looks like a lot of fun! I've been to the one here.

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  15. Beautiful pictures! And very practical advice. Wellness has done a lot with outreach as well, and I'm very grateful for their donations and support to Colorado Pet Pantry.

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  16. Those are some great cat tips from the author. Sounds like such a great book tour. I love that Wellness donated all that food for cats awaiting forever homes. They're a great company.

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  17. The Meow Parlour sounds like a great place, and so cool of Wellness to offer so many meals to pets in need! I have several of Pam's books. I've used them as reference materials too many times to count when pet sitting for cat clients! Thanks for the review of the new book, I need to pick that one up too!

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  18. What a great post - I do not have cat but remember when I did and through these posts see the mistakes I made in those days

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  19. This sounds like an interesting book I should read. Brulee recently began insisting her food bowl be placed under the dining room table away from Truffle. She'll eat at the same time, but doesn't want to be that close to her. She'll sit under one of the chairs and stare at me until I bring her bowl to her.

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  20. The Meow Parlor sounds amazing! Sounds like a purrfect place for a cat book tour.

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  21. This place looks amazing! I love how more and more places are popping up with cat cafes. And what better place to have a book tour!

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  22. Looks like a fun event. Ottawa region has 2-3 cat cafe's now. So I suspect we will see some events there soon. Maybe my dream of having a Sphinx wll come true and I'll be a cat lady again.

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  23. I'm SO jealous, I've been dying to go to Meow Parlor! I'm glad you had the chance to see it and get these great cat tips from Pam. I love all your adorable photos, thanks for sharing!
    Love & Biscuits,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

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  24. Meow Parlor sounds like a great place to visit! I have never walked a cat on a leash, but a towel sounds like a good idea.

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  25. So cool! I have used information from Pam's website in my research for my blog before. She has a ton of great advice. Having a towel on walks with cats is a great idea. Kitties do get a little out of sorts sometimes. It isn't always easy to see what is causing them to react either. Dexter got his leash wrapped around his foot while he was in the exhibit hall at BlogPaws and started freaking out and jumping in the air and hissing at it. Luckily, I had a covered stroller to tuck him into. He felt better after cooling down for a couple of minutes.

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  26. Dawn, thank you so much for coming to the book signing event and thank you for the wonderful review. It was such a joy to meet you. I ordered your book from Amazon and have enjoyed it tremendously. I hope we get to meet again soon.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Pam. I appreciate your comment about my book. I also hope we get to meet again very soon.

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Thank you for your comment! We love meowing with you!