When we think of actress Kate Walsh, shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Umbrella Academy, and Emily in Paris come to mind first. But did you know she is also a pet parent?
In fact, we recently had the chance to speak to Kate Walsh about her senior cat, Pablo, and her recent partnership with Tidy Cats. And when we introduced Dog O’Day to her, and explained that we liked to let cats share our canine spotlight she let us know,
"I have both a cat and a dog. So I’m an equal opportunity cat and dog lover."
Of course, we love a pet parent who is an equal opportunity dog and cat lover, so this was pretty exciting for us (we are definitely nerds when it comes to dogs and cats!). In the course of our chat we learned more about Pablo, got some tips on entertaining for the holidays when you have pets, and of course got some information about the Tidy Cats partnership. (Plus Kate Walsh has something to say about that cat lady stereotype too!)
Kate Walsh chats about her Tidy Cats partnership and her senior cat, Pablo
Dog O’Day: What inspired you to work with Tidy Cats this holiday season?
Kate Walsh:
"Well, first of all, I’m like, can we please rebrand the cat lady because we’re really super cool. I’m super excited to partner with Tidy Cats lightweight litter because I think for me, I’ve always grown up with cats and dogs. And they’ve always been a part of the holidays. So there’s never been like, Oh, what do you do with the cats when they when company comes? So we wanted to talk about just ways to keep your house tidy, keep your house pet friendly and safe.And one of the basic things we do for keeping it clean, is you move the kitty litter, for instance from a guest bathroom or a guest room to another room when guests come. They just want to make sure it’s in a quiet, calm area so that they feel good about going and finding it and also know where where it’s [the kitty litter] been moved to. And one of the things that’s great about the lightweight litter from Tidy Cats is that it’s 99.9% dust free. So if you have allergies, that’s a plus. It’s great for them so they’re not inhaling a lot of dust, and it’s got a light linen scent. Which is really delightful but not too perfumey. So they like it. We like it, you know basic stuff, a handheld vacuum, tidying up cat toys so that people don’t trip over you know, nobody wants to break a hip on a catnip mouse.And then other things, like I think everyone’s seen videos online of cats crawling up trees and taking them down. It’s very funny, but in real life, it can be a disaster. So I have my artificial tree up. I recommend an artificial tree if you have a cat. If you do have a live tree you just want to protect the water basin because cats love to drink fresh water because they think they’re in the wild and they might find it and lions. And it [the tree water] can be toxic to them, as well as poinsettias, etc. Even mistletoe, which is a new one. I didn’t understand that that could be toxic for cats. So you want to keep that real high. Or like in a drawer after you do you’re kissing. Putting the fragile ornaments at the top of the tree if you have a kitten or a teenage cat and they’re climbers so that it’s safe."
DOD: What’s one of the first things that you do to get ready for the holidays as someone who has both cats and dogs?
KW:
"Well, I just start putting things away. Like I said, I put toys away, I sort of make sure if their food is out that it’s in a place where people are kind of stepping over it or if I move it I show them where it is. Also I like decorating so I just kind of make sure everything’s like cat and dog proof. I mean, you know a dog’s tail is gonna take down some ornaments too. So you just have to sort of be okay, so like I said, even with cats and dogs, I put the non breakable ones on the bottom. And really that’s it and just make sure they have their toys and they know where they are.And one of the things too, with Tidy Cats that I wanted to talk about was really the importance of, if you’re gonna give a cat a toy, anything from a cat nip mouse and stuff, but they are intelligent and they like to find things that are interesting. So other than just like sparkly, shiny ornaments, they love puzzle feeders or great cat scratchers, climbing trees, cat trees. Scratching at a good scratching post goes a long way.Also give back to local shelters. It’s a great thing because this guy is 18. He’s really not interested in toys anymore. He’s really more interested in sleeping and eating. So, you can take your dog or cat’s old toys and bring it to the shelter. You can donate things like Tidy Cat litter, food, your time, so it doesn’t mean just like writing a check, and you can do it in a friend or family member’s name which is really nice too."
DOD: Can you tell us a little more about Pablo?
KW:
"He’s adopted. He had a brother who’s moved on now. He left us a few years ago. But I got him when they were about six weeks old, and they were tiny kittens. They could both fit on a dinner plate. And I had a dog at home at the time, Lucy, so they integrated quite well with her. And yeah, I mean they’ve lived a good life. My people often say they want to come back as my pets because I treat my pets pretty well. I take good care of them.You know we lived for many years in California and then New York, and then Rosie my other dog or rather my other pet she’s about to be 15 tomorrow [December 1]. She’s also a senior and I moved them out, I’m here in Australia, so I moved them from New York almost two years ago."
DOD: So I have to ask what is the best part of being a pet parent for you?
KW:
"Oh, the unconditional love. I mean, they’re just always here for us and bring I mean, I get such joy from them. You know, we are really fortunate right now in where we live. We live right by a beach so I can take my dog down to the beach and she’ll have a swim or she’ll swim in the river. I’m right across the street from a dog park. So that’s awesome to have that and even just to have a dog laying around. One of my old friends would always say you want to grow up like we always grew up, with a dog laying on a kitchen floor. You know, and if you can stay on the ground with a dog and give him a cuddle or a cat, and for me Pablo basically sleeps with us every night. He’s either right here or under the covers, and he is a cuddler, like a little hot water bottle."
DOD: Because we are Dog O’Day we have to ask, what breed of dog do you think Pablo would be if he was a dog?
KW:
"That’s a good question and not too random because I often say he’s like a dog in a cat suit. He thinks he’s a dog. He used to sleep with the other dog and in the dog bed. This dog now, Rosie won’t have him in the dog bed. But like, they drink out of the same water bowl and he thinks he’s a dog. So I would say probably like a St. Bernard or a Bernese Mountain dog like big and slow and calm. But like a yeah, a big dog."
(Sadly we forgot to ask Kate Walsh what breed of dog she would be, but we love that she believes her cat would be a big dog!)