6 Degrees of Cats

Pizza Paws: Decoding the Internet's Obsession with Cats and Pizza

Discover the fascinating origins of internet culture in this episode of 6 Degrees of Cats, the worlds #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, history, science and - in this instance - tech podcast. 
Did you know that pizza was the very first item ever bought and sold online? Or that approximately 1% of all internet activity revolves around adorable cat photos and videos? While some of these facts may not be independently verifiable, it's undeniable that cats and pizza have become iconic symbols of the worldwide web.
Join us on an entertaining journey into the depths of host Captain Kitty (a.k.a. Amanda B.)'s psyche as she explores the intertwined relationship between felines and pizza. Alongside Roberta's Pizza alumni and renowned pizza consultant Anthony Falco, delve into the reasons behind this peculiar connection. Special guest Maria Bustillos, a prolific writer and expert on cat internet culture, sheds light on the unique charm of online communities and the pivotal role of cats within them.
Prepare to immerse yourself in the quirky, captivating world of internet folklore, where pizza, cats, and eccentricity reign supreme. Together, let's celebrate the delightful weirdness that makes the internet such a vibrant and fascinating place.
Tune in for a truly enjoyable and enlightening exploration of pizza, the internet, and our beloved feline companions in this wonderfully weird episode!
Support the podcast, sign up for The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter and learn about way$ to help keep this ship afloat for our next season here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
Referenced artifacts:
Image of the original Geocities Hamsterdance page
PizzaNet original form
The (alleged) first cat video posted on YouTube
Referenced episodes:
Cats Are the Consummate Domesticate: Origins and Evolution of Our Feline Friends [Pilot]
Did You Know the Vikings had Cats? Magic, Freya and Norse Folklore
Cats vs Cupid: Why Cats are the Better Valentine’s Day Mascot
About the experts:
Maria Bustillos is an American editor, journalist, information activist, and the founding editor of Flaming Hydra, Popula, and the Brick House Cooperative. She authored the viral essay, “How Cats Won the Internet” (BBC.com, via Cat is Art Spelled Wrong, Coffeehouse Press, 2015). Maria can be found at https://thebrick.house, https://mariabustillos.com/ and on Mastodon at @maria@thelife.boats.
Anthony Falco is an American chef, author and pizza consultant. He is the author of Pizza Czar: Recipes and Know-How from a World-Traveling Pizza Chef and can be found at https://www.piz.za.com. Follow Anthony’s pizza travels on Instagram at @millennium_falco.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles
Animal voices include:
Binky & Snuggles _^..^_
Music:
Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2022
The Captain & Tenille 2: Snuggles: "Not the Hamster Dance Original Song"
Samples licensed via Loopcloud
Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
Edward Anthony © 2024 (Instagram: @itsmyunzii)
Research used:
Beaver, Gilbert (2023, January 31). Cats Overtake Dogs As America’s Most Popular Pet: Exploring The Reasons Behind This Trend. Hyaenidae. https://www.hyaenidae.org/cats-overtake-dogs-as-americas-most-popular-pet-exploring-the-reasons-behind-this-trend.
Blackburn, R. (2011, November 4). 1493 by Charles C Mann – review. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/04/1493-americas-charles-mann-review 
Bolster (Ed.). (2020, July 10). From LiveJournal to myspace Tom: A Social Media timeline. Bolstered. https://medium.com/bolstered/from-livejournal-to-myspace-tom-a-social-media-timeline-164461e47da1 
Bryant, M. S. (2016, March 3). 20 years ago today, the World Wide Web was born. TNW Insider. https://thenextweb.com/news/20-years-ago-today-the-world-wide-web-opened-to-the-public 
Buckley, J. (2021, March 12). How this fruit became the star of Italian cooking. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/tomato-italy-history 
Bustillos, M. (2022, February 24). How cats won the internet. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150918-how-did-cats-win-the-internet 
Cheslak, C. (2018). Biography: Hedy Lamarr. National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/hedy-lamarr 
Collins, L. (2018, December 27). The oral history of the Hampsterdance: The twisted true story of one of the world’s first memes | CBC arts. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/arts/the-oral-history-of-the-hampsterdance-the-twisted-true-story-of-one-of-the-world-s-first-memes-1.4958325 
Crosby, A. W. (2016). Ecological imperialism: The biological expansion of Europe, 900-1900. Cambridge University Press. 
de Argaez, E. (Ed.). (2023, November 15). World internet users statistics and 2023 World Population Stats. Internet World Stats. https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm 
Emspak, J., & Zimmermann, K. A. (2022, April 8). Internet history timeline: ARPANET to the world wide web. LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/20727-internet-history.html 
Ferdman, R. A., & Ingraham, C. (2014, July 28). Where cats are more popular than dogs in the U.S.—and all over the ... The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/07/28/where-cats-are-more-popular-than-dogs-in-the-u-s-and-all-over-the-world/ 
Graham, M., & Sengupta, A. (2017, October 5). We’re all connected now, so why is the internet so white and western? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/05/internet-white-western-google-wikipedia-skewed 
Hoffman, J. (2018, July 30). The first thing that ever sold online was pizza. The History of the Web. https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/postscript/pizzanet/ 
Kemp, S. (Ed.). (2023, October). Digital around the world - datareportal – global digital insights. DataReportal. https://datareportal.com/global-digital-overview
Markoff, J. (2012, June 25). How many computers to identify a cat? 16,000. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/26/technology/in-a-big-network-of-computers-evidence-of-machine-learning.html
Morais, B. (2013, October 15). Ada Lovelace, the first tech visionary. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/ada-lovelace-the-first-tech-visionary 
National Science and Media Museum, The. A short history of the internet. National Science and Media Museum. (2020, December 3). https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/short-history-internet
Phillips, O. (2018, January 30). The numbers don’t lie: Dogs are the internet’s favorite animal. The Outline. https://theoutline.com/post/3128/dogs-cats-internet-popularity 
Reiter, A. (2015, October 12). Can you guess the world’s most-instagrammed food? Food Network. https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/news/2015/10/can-you-guess-the-worlds-most-instagrammed-food 
Richter, F. (2022, February 21). Infographic: English is the internet’s universal language. Statista Daily Data. https://www.statista.com/chart/26884/languages-on-the-internet/
Sparkes, M. (2021, April). What does Wi-Fi Stand For?. New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/question/what-does-wi-fi-stand-for/ 
Turim, G. (2012, July 27). Who invented pizza?. History.com. https://www.history.com/news/a-slice-of-history-pizza-through-the-ages 
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024). Cats and the internet. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_and_the_Internet 
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024). Digital Revolution. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Revolution 
Witter, B. (2021, January 19). Katherine Johnson and 9 other Black Female Pioneers in science. Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/scientists/katherine-johnson-black-female-science-technology-engineering-mathematics

How the Cat Stole Christmas: Introducing the Yule Cat of Iceland

Join us as we celebrate the Winter Solstice, also known as Yule and explore the intriguing tale of Iceland’s legendary Yulecat and revisit the captivating history of Viking settlements in Iceland on this episode of the world's #1 cat-themed culture, history and science podcast, 6 Degrees of Cats.
In this illuminating discussion, led by renowned Iceland folklore expert Terry Gunnell, Ph.D., discover why the typically cat-loving Icelanders avoid encountering this colossal cat, and gain insights from journalist Haukur S Magnússon on strategies to evade its clutches. Musician Júlía Hermannsdóttir shares her childhood experiences immersed in these captivating folktales.
By the end of this episode, uncover the deeper significance behind this seasonal folklore - it’s a revelation that goes beyond mere storytelling.
Join us as we explore the fascinating world of Icelandic folklore and traditions intertwined with the Winter Solstice and Christmas!
Support the podcast, sign up for The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter and learn about way$ to help keep this ship afloat for our next season here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
Referenced episodes:
Did You Know the Vikings had Cats? Magic, Freya and Norse Folklore
Witches, Whiskers and Whisky: Re-introducing the Original Cat Lady of Halloween! 
About the experts:
Terry Gunnell, Ph.D., is a professor of folkloristics at the University of Iceland. Gunnell is a leading published expert on Norse folklore and history and has served as a consultant for films such as The Northman.
Júlía Hermannsdóttir is a Reykjavík, Iceland-based musician and health technologist who performs vocals and synthesizers with her indie shoegaze band, Oyama.
Haukur Sigurbjörn Magnússon is an Icelandic musician and journalist. He was the editor in chief of the magazine Reykjavík Grapevine from 2012-2016 and is the guitarist of the band Reykjavík!
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles
Animal voices include:
Binky & Snuggles _^..^_
Music:
Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2022
The Captain & Tenille 2: Snuggles: "(Don't) Let it Snow"
Samples licensed via Loopcloud
Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
Edward Anthony © 2024 (Instagram: @itsmyunzii)
Research used:
Árnadóttir, N. (2018, February 6). From Iceland - Reykjavík Catwalk: A brief history of cats in Iceland. The Reykjavik Grapevine. https://grapevine.is/mag/articles/2018/02/07/reykjavik-catwalk-a-brief-history-of-cats-in-iceland 
Budrovich, N. (2023, January 3). The Wild Holiday that turned ancient Rome Upside Down. Getty. https://www.getty.edu/news/the-wild-holiday-that-turned-ancient-rome-upside-down/ 
Dunn, M. (2023, October 26). Bonfires, feasts, and human sacrifice: How the Vikings celebrated “Christmas.” All That’s Interesting. https://allthatsinteresting.com/yule 
Gunnell, T. (2001). GRÝLA, GRÝLUR, GRØLEKS AND SKEKLERS: Medieval Disguise Traditions in the North Atlantic. In ARV: Nordic Yearbook of folklore 2001 (pp. 33–54). essay, The Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy. 
Karlsson, Á. G. (2020, December 17). The Yule Cat. Icelandic Folklore. https://icelandicfolklore.is/the-yule-cat/ 
Lea, R. (2021, October 26). When is the winter solstice and what happens?. Space.com. https://www.space.com/winter-solstice 
Magnússon, H. S. (2015, January 21). From Iceland - The Christmas Cat. The Reykjavik Grapevine. https://grapevine.is/culture/art/2008/12/10/the-christmas-cat/ 
McAfee, S. (2023, January 16). 2 “pagan roots of Christmas” claims you can refute. Catholic Answers. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/refuting-the-pagan-roots-of-christmas-claim 
McGowan, A. (2023, December 4). How December 25 became Christmas. Biblical Archaeology Society. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/how-december-25-became-christmas/
Torres, D. (2021, January 8). Which literary genius had the biggest inner cat lady. The Best Cat Page. https://thebestcatpage.com/which-literary-genius-had-the-biggest-inner-cat-lady/ 

The Purr-fect Life: Cats, Kantian Ethics and Karma!

Dive DEEP into the meaning of life...through cats...with the help of experts in Western and Eastern philosophy on this episode of 6 Degrees of Cats, the world's #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, history and science podcast.
Dr. Abigail Levin, an animal ethics professor at Niagara University, returns to the podcast to explore our duty through deontological (say that five times fast!) ethics according to one Immanuel Kant, after a few false starts with the fathers of so-called Western philosophy: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Dr. Levin, a practicing Buddhist, is joined by fellow Buddhist and animal ethicist Janet Gyatso, Professor of Buddhist Studies at Harvard Divinity School, whose lifelong love of cats and compassion for animals provide a focused lens on cats and Buddhism.
You will be as enlightened as host Captain Kitty (Amanda B.) by the end of this playful and profound episode in which we assess the life we have chosen for our pets - and the life they might have chosen if they had their say.
Support the podcast, sign up for The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter and learn about way$ to help keep this ship afloat for our next season here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
Referenced episodes:
The Golden Age of Cats: The Medieval Middle East, Muezza and the Mark of Muhammad (or Mary)
Community CATalysts: Kosovans Caring for Their Animal Survivors
About the experts:
Janet Gyatso, Ph.D., M.A., is Harvard Divinity School's first Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She is a specialist in Buddhist studies with concentration on Tibetan and South Asian cultural and intellectual history. 
Abigail Levin, Ph.D., J.D., is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Niagara University in Buffalo, New York. Her primary research interests are in political philosophy, animal ethics, feminism and philosophy of race and gender. She recently published a book about celebrity animals and the ethical obligations arising from keeping animals in captivity.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles
Animal voices include:
Binky & Snuggles _^..^_
Music:
Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2022
Samples licensed via Loopcloud
Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
Edward Anthony © 2024 (Instagram: @itsmyunzii)
Research used:
A&E Television Networks. (n.d.). Code of Hammurabi: Laws & facts. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/hammurabi 
Attending to animals. Harvard Divinity School (HDS). (2019, October 29). https://hds.harvard.edu/news/2019/10/29/attending-to-animals 
Burnham, D. (n.d.). Immanuel Kant: Aesthetics. https://iep.utm.edu/kantaest/ 
Camenzind, S. (2021, February 16). Kantian ethics and the animal turn. on the contemporary defence of Kant’s indirect duty view. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7919796/ 
Descartes, R. (1972). Treatise on man (T. S. Hall, Trans.). Harvard University Press. 
Hatfield, G. (2023, October 23). René Descartes. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes/ 
Jones, T. (2014, February 8). Two meanings of karma. The Buddhist Centre. https://thebuddhistcentre.com/westernbuddhistreview/two-meanings-karma 
Karlis, N. (2021, December 13). A “talking” cat is giving scientists insight into how felines think. Salon. https://www.salon.com/2021/12/12/a-talking-cat-is-giving-scientists-insight-into-how-felines-think/ 
Plato. (1980). The Allegory of the Cave. In The Republic of Plato. essay, Cambridge Univ. Press. 
Public Broadcasting Service. (n.d.). Islam: Empire of faith - profiles - Muhammad. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/profilesmuhammed.html 
Scharping, N. (2023, March 21). How the ancient code of Hammurabi reveals a society both similar and alien to ours. Discover Magazine. https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/how-the-ancient-code-of-hammurabi-reveals-a-society-both-similar-and-alien
Wormald, B. (2015, April 2). Buddhists [Pew Research Center]. Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/04/02/buddhists/

The Golden Age of Cats: The Medieval Middle East, Muezza and the Mark of Muhammad (or Mary)

We all know cats were considered gods (well, god-adjacent) in ancient Egypt - but did you know that nearly 2 billion people in today's world still consider them in connection to their religion? Find out more here at 6 Degrees of Cats, the world's #1 cat-themed culture, history and science podcast.
In this episode, we set sail across oceans of, um, water and time to Islam's Golden Age, a period marked by innovation and artistic brilliance in the Near East aka the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) aka Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA).
Religious scholar Dr. Megan Goodwin sets us up for this historical journey by providing historical context for Europe's Dark Ages and their misguided anti-feline decrees.
She is joined by Dr. Ali Olomi, our Islamic history expert, as he unpacks the significance of cats in the region during that era and sheds light on why they continue to hold a special place in the Islamic world. Discover the profound connection between caring for cats, all animals, and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, as demystified by Dr. Olomi.
Season 1's guest, Catholicism researcher René Ostberg, shares a delightful anecdote affirming our podcast's theme that everything is interconnected.
Come for the fascinating cat facts, and stay for the enlightening exploration of Islam's Golden Age (which was also a Golden Age for Cats, at least on that side of the world.)
Complete our anonymous LISTENER SURVEY and sign up for a limited edition free 6 Degrees of Cats postcard! Go to https://tinyurl.com/6Doc-postcard23
Support the podcast, sign up for The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter and learn about way$ to help keep this ship afloat for our next season here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
Photo of Binky’s “M
Referenced episodes:
Witches, Whiskers and Whisky: Re-introducing the Original Cat Lady of Halloween!
A Mother’s Tail: Introducing St. Gertrude, the Patron Saint of Cats (and Her Mom)
About the experts:
Ali A. Olomi, Ph.D., is a writer, historian, and podcaster of Middle East and Islamic history. He is Assistant Professor of History at Loyola Marymount University,  an Affiliated Scholar with the Rutgers Center for Security, Race, and Rights and the host of “Head on History”, a podcast on Islamic intellectual history. Dr. Olomi can be followed on all social media @aaolomi
Megan Goodwin, Ph.D., is the host of the hit podcast “Keeping it 101: A Killjoy’s Introduction to Religion” and author of “Abusing Religion: Literary Persecution, Sex Scandals, and American Minority Religions” (Rutgers University Press). She can be followed on X/Twitter @mpgphd 
René Ostberg, M.S., is a Chicago-based writer and researcher who specializes in Catholic culture whose writing has appeared in many publications such as National Catholic Reporter and Encyclopaedia Britannica. 
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles
Animal voices include:
Binky & Snuggles _^..^_
Music:
Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2022
Samples licensed via Loopcloud
Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
Edward Anthony © 2024 (Instagram: @itsmyunzii)
Research used:
A&E Television Networks. (2023, June 6). Middle ages - definition, Timeline & Facts. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/middle-ages 
Arabian Peninsula, 1000–1400 A.D.: Chronology: Heilbrunn Timeline of art history: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (n.d.). https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/07/wap.html 
Blakemore, E. (2023, June 6). What life in Medieval Europe was really like. History. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/what-life-in-medieval-europe-was-really-like 
Chism, C. (2009, March). Arabic in the Medieval World. Modern Language Association, 124(2), 624-631.
Dash, M. (2013, July 22). Islam’s medieval underworld. Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/islams-medieval-underworld-15821520/ 
Hoh, A. (2017, October 26). A Thousand and One nights: Arabian story-telling in world literature: 4 corners of the world. A Thousand and One Nights: Arabian Story-telling in World Literature. https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2017/10/a-thousand-and-one-nights-arabian-story-telling-in-world-literature/ 
Moritz, B. M. (2019, February 25). Tycho Brahe - “those who study the stars, have god for a teacher.” Science meets Faith. https://sciencemeetsfaith.wordpress.com/2018/10/24/tycho-brahe-those-who-study-the-stars-have-god-for-a-teacher/ 
Nicolaou, E. (2019, May 24). The origin story of “Aladdin” is far wilder than you know. Is Aladdin Based On True Story? Surprising Myth Origins. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/05/233443/is-aladdin-true-story-real-legend 
Ortega, R. (2023, October 27). National Black Cat Day 2023: Why do people struggle to trust them?. MARCA. https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/us-news/2023/10/27/653be17a46163f9c518b458c.html 
Prager, S. (2020, June 10). In Han Dynasty China, bisexuality was the norm. JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/in-han-dynasty-china-bisexuality-was-the-norm/ 
Sheldon, N. (2021, April 17). “Thou shalt not suffer a cat to live”: Why pope Gregory IX’s Vox in Rama implicated cats in devil worship. History Collection. https://historycollection.com/thou-shalt-not-suffer-a-cat-to-live-why-pope-gregory-ixs-vox-in-rama-implicated-cats-in-devil-worship/
Yale School of Medicine. (2005, September 15). From the Middle East, in the Middle Ages. Yale School of Medicine. https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/from-the-middle-east-in-the-middle-ages/  
Yuko, E. (2023, August 9). How Cats Became Divine Symbols in Ancient Egypt. History.com. https://www.history.com/news/cats-ancient-egypt
Zeitlin, J. T. (1997). Historian of the strange pu songling and the Chinese Classical Tale. Stanford University Press.

Witches, Whiskers and Whisky: Re-introducing the Original Cat Lady of Halloween! [Season 2 Premiere]

We are back for Season 2 of "6 Degrees of Cats," the world's #1 (and only) cat-themed history, culture, and science podcast just in time for Halloween! Learn about the original cat ladies and what they really were brewing in those cauldrons - as well as what the heck was up with those hats.
Learn about weird trivia, women’s history and whisky brewing with Dr. Megan Goodwin, host of hit religion and history podcast “Keeping It 101” who gets to the heart of the witch trope; food historian and author of “Endangered Eating” Sarah Lohman who explains the origins of the witch costume; and Kings County Distillery founder and writer Colin Spoelman, who introduces us to distillery cats Carlos and Jeffy. 
Celebrate the launch of season two on this special haunted holiday for an alternative history of the original crazy cat lady - the witch. 
uisge beatha (Middle Irish / Scottish Gaelic)  → usquebaugh (English)  → whisky 
Recommended listen: Witch podcast (BBC) 
Support the podcast, sign up for The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter and learn about way$ to help keep this ship afloat for our next season here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
Referenced episodes:
Cats Are the Consummate Domesticate: Origins and Evolution of Our Feline Friends [Pilot]
Did You Know the Vikings had Cats? Magic, Freya and Norse Folklore
About the experts:
Colin Spoelman is the founder of award-winning Brooklyn whisky distillery, Kings County Distillery, and co-author of DEAD DISTILLERS: A History of the Upstarts and Outlaws Who Made American Spirits, “A spirited portrait of the unusual and storied origins of forgotten drunkenness.” Follow Colin on Instagam @colinopolis and Kings County Distillery @kingscountydistillery
Megan Goodwin, Ph.D., is the host of hit podcast “Keeping it 101: A Killjoy’s Introduction to Religion” and author of “Abusing Religion: Literary Persecution, Sex Scandals, and American Minority Religions” (Rutgers University Press). She can be followed on X/Twitter @mpgphd 
Sarah Lohman is a culinary historian and author of “Endangered Eating: America's Vanishing Foods”, one of Eater's “Best Food Books to Read This Fall”. For more information about Sarah and to access archives of her influential blog, Four Pounds Flour, visit https://sarahlohman.com.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles
Animal voices include:
Binky & Snuggles _^..^_
Music:
Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2022
Samples licensed via Loopcloud
Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
Edward Anthony © 2024 (Instagram: @itsmyunzii)
Research used:
Bennett, J. M. (1999). Ale, beer and Brewsters in England: Women’s work in a changing world, 1300-1600. Oxford University Press. 
Brooks, Laken. (2021, March 8). Why did women stop dominating the beer industry?. Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/women-used-dominate-beer-industry-until-witch-accusations-started-pouring-180977171/ 
Guilford, G. (2018, February 13). The Dangerous Economics of racial resentment during World War II. Quartz. https://qz.com/1201502/japanese-internment-camps-during-world-war-ii-are-a-lesson-in-the-scary-economics-of-racial-resentment
Miller, A. (1996, October 13). Why I Wrote the Crucible. The New Yorker.
The explosion of Irish Whiskey Distilleries. Distiller. (2023, July 12). https://distiller.com/articles/new-irish-whiskey-distilleries 
The origins and history of whisky: Scotch Whisky experience. The Scotch Whisky Experience. (2023). https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/about/about-whisky/history.
Tucker, A. (2021, October 28). The Spooky History of how cats bewitched us. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/10/31/the-spooky-history-of-how-cats-bewitched-us/
Whiskey or whisky? The Water of Life Etymology. Silverback Distillery. (2021, March 25). https://www.sbdistillery.com/blog/2021/2/14/whiskey-or-whisky-the-water-of-life-etymology

[Trailer] 6 Degrees of Cats is back for Season 2 on October 31!

6 Degrees of Cats, your new favorite cat-themed culture, history and science podcast hosted by lifelong cat custodian Captain Kitty, aka Amanda B. launches in one week on October 31 (Halloween!)
Please follow @6DegreesofCats on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, sign up for the mailing list at linktr.ee/6degreesofcats and tell all your friends to subscribe now!
Support the podcast, sign up for The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter and more here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
謝謝, gracias, 감사합니다. धन्यवाद, merci beaucoup, ありがとう, dziękuję, asante, شكرا لكم, danke schön, thank you so much...
 
_^..^_
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles
Animal voices include:
Binky & Snuggles _^..^_
Featured voices:
Malina Moye, award-winning blues guitarist and singer (Instagram: @malinamoye)
Sarah Lohman, food historian (Instagram: @fourpoundsflour)
Megan Goodwin, Ph.D., religion scholar, writer and host of Keeping It 101 Podcast (X: @mpgphd)
Jackson Galaxy, cat behaviorist, YouTuber and host of My Cat From Hell (Animal Planet)
Featured tracks:
Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2022
The Sailor's Hornpipe - Leopold Moeslein (1906)
Logo design:
Edward Anthony © 2022 (Instagram: mtotallywired)

Captain Kitty on Nuances Podcast: Amanda B. on 6 degrees of cats, educating in the domestic violence space, and her experience as a trans-national & trans-racial adoptee

GREAT NEWS EVERYONE!
Save the date for Halloween, 6 Degrees of Cats Season 2 drops October 31! Turn on your notifications for 6 Degrees of Cats to be the first to listen when it drops.
In the meantime, we are thrilled to share with you a fun, uplifting, and thought-provoking conversation that your favorite #1 cat-themed culture, history and science podcast host, Captain Kitty (“Amanda B.” when off-mic) had for the season finale of the Nuances Podcast. 
Featuring guest experts from across the Asian diaspora on topics like comedy, religion, feminism, media and history, Nuances is one of Amanda’s favorite knowledge- and nuance-packed longform podcasts.
Listen in on this dynamic discussion with Nuances’ host Lazou Lee to get to know a little more of your favorite host's backstory - and learn about topics like power-based interpersonal violence prevention*, intersectionality and Amanda’s hot take on the limits of empathy for behavior change.
Listen to Nuances wherever you get your podcasts, or follow @nuancespod on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn. Show notes and transcript for this episode can be found at https://nuancespod.com/2023/09/24/amanda-b/. Thank you, Lazou!
And everyone - we can’t wait to see you in a few weeks!
If you love 6 Degrees of Cats, please help keep us going! You can support the podcast by signing up for The Captain’s Log and pledging your support, and subscribing and following us at these links: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats. And for a limited time only, the team will send you a free limited edition postcard for listeners in the United States, Canada and Mexico who take five minutes to complete this survey: https://tinyurl.com/6Doc-postcard23.
* If you, or someone you know, has been harmed by power-based interpersonal violence such as sexual, or intimate partner violence (also called "domestic violence"), please visit this link for English-language resources available to North Americans. There is never an excuse, and we can all prevent and interrupt violence in our spaces. And to consult with Amanda on pro-social bystander intervention and other ways to be an ally to survivors, please visit tinyurl.com/Ask4Amanda.
Music:
Leathered: "Break it Down" © 2010
Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
Edward Anthony © 2022 (Instagram: mtotallywired)

Felines & Fatherhood: Exploring Masculinity, Father’s Day, and the Unique Bond Between Men and Cats

It's the season 1 finale of "6 Degrees of Cats," the world's #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, history and science podcast! And just in time for Father's Day, the team explores the remarkable and often overlooked bond between men and cats.
Join us as we uncover fascinating insights, starting with Niagara University professor of philosophy Abigail Levin’s commentary on the gender stereotypes applied to cats, and the remarkable hunting skills they exhibit. We're also joined by Gabe García, a DEI analyst and LGBTQ+ youth advocate, who helps us delve into the origins of gender-based stereotypes and labels that Tony Porter of “A Call to Men” collectively refers to as "The Man Box" and led to the misconception that men can't have cats.
Additionally, friend of the podcast and returning TNR celebrity Sterling "TrapKing" Davis shares his experiences in educating communities about trap/neuter/return while promoting a broader understanding of masculinity and its relationship with cats.
Throughout, host Captain Kitty herself reminisces about her late father, who exemplified masculinity and fatherhood through his care for her and her cats during her childhood.
Tune in to this special episode as we celebrate Father's Day and unravel the multifaceted connections between masculinity, cats, and personal experiences that challenge societal norms.
Support the podcast, sign up for The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter and learn about way$ to help keep this ship afloat for our next season here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
About the experts:
Abigail Levin, Ph.D., J.D., is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Niagara University in Buffalo, New York. Her primary research interests are in political philosophy, animal ethics, feminism and philosophy of race and gender. She is currently at work on a book-length project about celebrity animals and the ethical obligations arising from keeping animals in captivity.
Gabe García is a DEI analyst and marketing consultant who leverages their background in philosophy, economics and communication studies to drive diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging in all their spaces. They serve on the board of OkaySo, a free confidential text-based app for LGBTQ+ youth and young people with questions about relationships, sex, identity, mental health and more. Gabe can be followed @gabefgarcia on most social media platforms.
Sterling “TrapKing” Davis is an Atlanta, GA-based trap hip hop musician, community organizer and educator on feline trap-neuter-rescue. Davis and his team consult across the continental U.S. to provide sustainable, humane solutions for feral cat population control from a positive, collaborative and community-centered approach (trapkinghumane.org).
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles
Animal voices include:
Binky & Snuggles _^..^_
Children’s voices: Arie B., Benjamin C., Ira B. and Kamron P (special thanks to the parents!) 
Music:
Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2022
Leathered: “Indictment” © 2010
Samples licensed via Loopcloud
Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Provided with permission:
Corey Rodrigues: “Cats Are Better Than Dogs” © 2018
Logo design:
Edward Anthony © 2024 (Instagram: @itsmyunzii)
Research used:
Banks, M. S., Sprague, W. W., Schmoll, J., Parnell, J. A., & Love, G. D. (2015). Why do animal eyes have pupils of different shapes? Science Advances, 1(7). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1500391. Retrieved from: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1500391
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, November 8). What noises cause hearing loss?. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/what_noises_cause_hearing_loss.html 
Fair, J. (2022, May 11). Apex predators in the wild: Which mammals are the most dangerous?. Which mammals are the most dangerous? | BBC Wildlife Magazine | Discover Wildlife. Retrieved from: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/hunting-success-rates-how-predators-compare 
Nash, O. (1941). “The face is familiar: the Selected verse of Ogden Nash”, Garden City Publishing Company, Inc. Provide with the permission of the Ogden Nash estate.
Porter, T. (2023). Healthy manhood. Healthy Manhood. Retrieved from: https://www.acalltomen.org/healthy-manhood