#326: Dr. Ashlie Saffire (DABVP) is a feline specialist in Dublin, Ohio, whose clients come from as far as California for routine care. She is particularly focused on cardiac disease issues, which often show up in routine wellness exams. She urges cat owners to have regular check ups, especially those purebred cats — Ragdolls, Maine Coon cats, Sphinx and Bengals — which are particularly susceptible to heart problems.

#325: Cathryn Michon's newest book - "i'm still here - a cat's purpose forever," is a prose poem surrounded by enchanting watercolors — reminding us that our cats may have crossed the rainbow bridge but they never leave us. We simply need to be tuned in to their omnipresence.

#324: Cats are obligate carnivores — so why are so many of them eating like they aren’t? Tracie talks with feline nutrition expert Dr. Deb Zoran of Texas A&M University, whose groundbreaking paper “The Carnivore Connection” challenged conventional thinking about feeding cats more than 20 years ago. Dr. Zoran explains why cats are physiologically designed for a high-protein, moisture-rich diet; why dry food makes it harder to provide enough protein and hydration; and how inadequate moisture can contribute to urinary tract problems, constipation and even megacolon. They also discuss obesity, muscle loss, the importance of exercise and enrichment, and why feeding cats well isn’t quite as simple as declaring all canned food “good” and all dry food “bad.” The takeaway: the more closely we can feed cats the way nature designed these carnivores to eat, the better.