Diary of a Cat Mom
Diary of a Cat Mom is a reflective cat podcast created and hosted by Dagmar Gatell about living in deeper awareness — with your cats, nature, and yourself.Based on real experiences with over 50 cats cared for throughout her life, each episode shares quiet observations, emotional moments, and gentle insights from everyday life with cats. From daily routines and caregiving challenges to grief, gratitude, and the small, meaningful connections that often go unnoticed — this is not a how-to podcast, but a space for reflection shaped by lived experience.Beyond life with cats, Dagmar also explores our connection to nature, personal awareness, and...
Ep. 34 - When My Cat Hides… I Take It Personally 🐱💭
When your cat hides or pulls away, it can feel surprisingly personal. In this gentle Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I share what happened when I paused, shifted my perspective, and realized it wasn’t rejection—it was the energy I brought into the space.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You’ll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
Why your cat hiding can trigger feelings of rejection How awareness creates space between reaction an...Ep. 33 - The Stress of Googling Cat Symptoms… And What Helped Instead 🐱💭
In this Diary of a Cat Mom podcast episode, I share a moment many of us know too well—Googling cat symptoms and falling into fear. What starts as a simple search can quickly spiral into anxiety and worst-case scenarios. Today, I tried something different… and it changed everything.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You’ll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
Why Googling cat symptoms often increases anxiety How information overload disconnects you from yo...Ep. 32 - When My Cat Doesn’t Like It… And I Keep Trying Anyway 🐱
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I reflect on a moment many of us experience—trying so hard to do something “right” for our cats, only to realize they’re quietly telling us something different. This episode is about slowing down, listening, and letting go of the need to force what doesn’t feel aligned.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You’ll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
Why cats “rejecting” something is actual...Ep. 31 - The World Is Changing… I’m Preparing Myself & My Cats 🐱✨
The world is changing—and instead of fear, this Diary of a Cat Mom podcast episode is about quiet, conscious preparation. Not stockpiling or controlling the future, but becoming someone who can stay calm, present, and grounded—for yourself and for your cats.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You’ll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
Why preparation isn’t about fear—but about inner stability How small daily habits shape your mindset over time The...Ep. 30 - What I Learned About Calm Changed Everything 🐱✨
In this episode of Diary of a Cat Mom, I reflect on a simple but powerful realization: calm is not something we wait for — it’s something we create.
From breathing and slowing down to intentionally designing a peaceful environment for your cats, this episode explores how calm transforms not only your own state but also your cats’ behavior and well-being.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You’ll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
Ep. 29 - Trying to Do Everything Right… and Still Feeling Wrong 🐱💔
What happens when you try to do everything right for your cats… and it still doesn’t feel like enough?
In this Diary of a Cat Mom podcast episode, I share a moment of pressure many cat moms experience—wanting to make the perfect decisions, follow all the advice, and do everything “right.” But sometimes, that pressure takes away the joy of simply being with them. This episode is a gentle reminder that your best is enough.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https...
Ep. 28 - How My Cats Rescued Me 🐱✨
This Diary of a Cat Mom entry is not just about my cats… it’s about what they’ve done for me.
Because somewhere along the way, I realized — I didn’t just rescue them.
They rescued me too.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You’ll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
How cats can change you on a deeper emotional level Why caring for animals becomes a journey of self-growth The...Ep. 27 - I’m Not Okay… And My Cats Know 🐱💔
Today’s diary entry is a quiet, honest moment: what happens when you’re not okay—and your cats feel it.
In this episode of Diary of a Cat Mom, I reflect on stress, emotional overwhelm, and the subtle but powerful way our inner state affects our cats. This is not about perfection—it’s about awareness, pausing, and coming back to yourself.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You’ll Learn in this Cat Podcast Ep...
Ep. 26 - The Guilt of Not Being a Perfect Cat Mom 🐾💛
Have you ever felt like you’re not doing enough for your cats—no matter how much love and care you give?
In today’s diary entry, I share something deeply personal: the quiet guilt of not being the “perfect” cat mom. This Diary of a Cat Mom podcast episode is a gentle reflection on expectations, self-judgment, and what truly matters in the relationship we have with our cats.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You’ll...
Ep. 25 - My Cat Didn’t Eat… and I Panicked 🐱💔
What do you do when your cat suddenly won’t eat… and your mind immediately goes to the worst-case scenario?
In this honest and emotional diary entry, I share a moment many cat moms know all too well—the fear that rises when something feels off with our little ones. But beneath the surface, this Diary of a Cat Mom podcast episode is about something deeper: learning to stay present, regulate your nervous system, and not let past pain control the present moment.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my c...
Ep. 24 - How I Prevent Picky Eating & Food Stress 🐱💛 Food Variety for Cats
If you’ve ever had a cat suddenly refuse to eat because their usual food wasn’t available, you’re not alone.
In this episode of Diary of a Cat Mom, I share what I learned about offering food variety for cats — and how it completely changed the way I feed my kitties. What started as frustration turned into a simple system that reduces stress, prevents picky eating, and creates more flexibility in everyday life.
This is a real-life reflection on adaptability, routine, and how small changes can make a big difference in your cat’s well-bei...
Ep. 23 - Creating a Calm Environment for My Cats 🐱💛 (And Why It Changes Everything)
If your cats feel restless, fight more often, or seem needy and unsettled, you’re not alone.
In this episode of Diary of a Cat Mom, I share what truly changed the energy in my multi-cat household — not by doing more, but by creating a calming environment in advance.
This is a gentle reflection on how your space, sound, and energy shape your cats’ behavior — and how small shifts can bring more peace, balance, and connection into your home.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and m...
Ep. 22 - Monarch Caterpillar Julistan 🦋💛 — A Story of Care, Trust, and Letting Life Unfold
In this heartfelt episode of Diary of a Cat Mom, I share the story of Julistan—a tiny monarch caterpillar who unexpectedly became part of my daily life.
What started as a simple moment in the garden turned into a quiet reminder of something much deeper: how small acts of care can make a real difference in the life of another being.
As temperatures dropped and survival seemed uncertain, I chose to step in—not to control nature, but to support it. Watching Julistan transform from caterpillar to butterfly became a powerful reflection on trust, resp...
Ep. 21 - Living with Confident Cats and Fearful Moments 🐱💛 (Tree, Bush & Anti-Dweller Behavior)
Living with cats has taught me something deeper than just personality differences.
Some cats love to climb.
Some cats love to hide in cozy spaces.
And for a long time, I thought those differences meant confidence vs. fear.
But what I’ve learned is this:
Both tree dwellers and bush dwellers can be confident —
they just express it differently.
And the real shift happens when a cat moves into fear…
into what I now understand as an “anti-dweller” state.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom podc...
Ep. 20 - Life Is Change—for You and Your Cats Too 🤍🐾
Life doesn’t just change for us—it changes for our cats, too.
In this episode of Diary of a Cat Mom, I share a personal reflection on how our emotions, stress, and energy directly affect our cats’ behavior. From anxiety and overwhelm to calm and balance, our inner world shapes theirs more than we realize.
If you’ve ever felt like everything spirals at once—your mood, your home, and your cat’s behavior—this episode will help you pause, reset, and reconnect.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care fo...
Ep. 19 - Feeling Overwhelmed as a Cat Mom — How Your Energy Affects Your Cats 🤍🐾
This week felt heavy. Not just busy—but overwhelming in a way that affected everything… including my cats.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom podcast entry, I share what I noticed when my energy shifted—and how my cats responded in ways that made me pause, reflect, and reconnect.
Because being a cat mom isn’t just about care… it’s about energy.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You’ll Learn in this Ca...
Ep. 18 - Self-Care & Cats: Putting the Oxygen Mask on Yourself First 🤍
Self-care and cats are deeply connected — more than we often realize.
In this cat podcast episode, I share what my mornings look like as a cat mom, and how easily caring for the kitties can take over everything if I’m not conscious about caring for myself too.
From forgotten vitamins and cold tea to a wake-up call from my own health, this episode is a reminder that we can’t pour from an empty cup. When our nervous system is overwhelmed, our bodies inflamed, and our needs pushed aside, it eventually catches up with us.
Ep. 17 - Cat Mom Guilt & Pet Parent Guilt – You’re Not Alone 🤍🐾
Cat mom guilt is something many of us carry quietly.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I share how guilt used to follow me every time I left the house — even for things I needed, like appointments or moments of care for myself. The worry. The imagining. The feeling that I was abandoning the ones I love most.
Over time, I learned that caring deeply doesn’t mean carrying fear.
And that taking care of ourselves is part of taking care of our cats.
This cat podcast episode is a gentl...
Ep. 16 - Why Cats Feel Like Soul Companions to Me 🐾
Why do so many of us choose cats as our soul companions — especially as we move through different seasons of life?
In this gentle entry of Diary of a Cat Mom, I share a quiet reflection on why cats bring a sense of peace, emotional steadiness, and unconditional presence into our lives. This is not about fixing anything or offering advice — it’s simply about noticing the comfort cats offer when life feels heavy, uncertain, or overwhelming.
Cats don’t ask us to perform.
They don’t expect explanations. They simply stay.If you’re cravi...
Ep. 15 - The Importance of Trust Between Pet Owners and Pets 🐾🤍
Trust is not something we teach our pets with words.
It’s something we build quietly, over time.
In this entry of Diary of a Cat Mom, I reflect on the importance of trust between pets and the people who care for them — how it’s shaped in everyday moments, how easily it can be shaken, and how gently it can be rebuilt.
This is a personal reflection from life with my cats — about safety, patience, emotional awareness, and learning to move at their pace instead of mine.
If you’ve ever wondered w...
Ep. 14 — Intensive Vet Care Experience With Max 🐾🤍
Today in this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I’m sharing something tender and heavy.
My experience visiting Max during intensive vet care — seeing him in a sterile cage, surrounded by machines, learning about insulin, feeding tubes, and slow healing.
It’s a moment that changed how I see caregiving, faith, fear, and what it really means to stay present when you feel overwhelmed.
This cat podcast episode is not medical advice.
It’s a diary entry.
A quiet reflection from a cat mom doing her best.
If you’ve eve...
Ep. 13 - Free Feeding vs Controlled Feeding — What My Cats Taught Me 🐾🤍
Free feeding felt like the kindest choice when I first started my cat journey.
Food was always available. No rules. No pressure.
But over time, my cats showed me something I didn’t expect.
The shy ones waited.
The confident ones moved freely.
And slowly, their bodies — and their behavior — began to change in opposite ways.
This Diary of a Cat Mom entry is a quiet reflection on what I noticed when I shifted from free feeding to controlled feeding. Not as a rule. Not as advice. But as an experi...
Ep. 12 - Being Present With My Cats, While the Past Sits Quietly 🐾🤍
Some guilt shows up later — when we look back and imagine what we could have done differently.
This Diary of a Cat Mom entry is a quiet reflection on letting go of the past, feeling gratitude for the kitties who were part of it, and being fully present with the cats who are here now.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
About the Diary of a Cat Mom
Diary of a Cat Mom...
Ep. 11 - What a Pleasure — A Kabbalah Reflection for Hard Days in Loving My Cat 🐾💛
Some moments arrive uninvited.
A hard day. A mess. A reaction we wish we could take back.
This Diary of a Cat Mom entry is a quiet reflection on pausing, softening, and meeting life — and our cats — with a little more grace.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
How unexpected moments show up A small phrase that changed my reactions Living more gently wi...Ep. 10 - The Moment I Knew Something Was Wrong With My Cat 🐾💛
That day, Max didn’t eat.
He didn’t hide.
And somehow, I knew before I understood.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
A late-night emergency vet visit An unexpected diagnosis And the choice that stayed with meAbout the Diary of a Cat Mom
Diary of a Cat Mom is a quiet, personal cat podcast created by Dagmar Gatell, sharing rea...
Ep. 9 - Letting Go of Expectations, One Cat at a Time 🐾🐈
Some lessons don’t arrive loudly.
They show up slowly, in the way cats flinch, wait, or come closer when we stop asking so much of them.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I reflect on letting go of expectations — with community cats and with the ones who share my home — and how planning, patience, and calm have changed the way we care for each other.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You...
Ep. 8 - When Leaving My Cats Felt Heavy — Separation Anxiety & Love 🐱💛
Loving cats deeply can sometimes make leaving the house feel heavier than we expect.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I share my own experience with separation anxiety—how missing my cats slowly turned into guilt, and how I learned to leave with more peace and balance.
A quiet reflection on love, connection, and allowing yourself a life beyond your front door.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You'll Learn in t...
Ep. 7 - Becoming a New Cat Mom, One Choice at a Time 🐱💛
Becoming a new cat mom doesn’t always start with confidence.
Sometimes it starts with good intentions, a rescue moment, and a lot of questions.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I share how I became a cat mom, the overwhelm I didn’t expect, and how learning—slowly—helped me move from reacting to responding.
A gentle reflection for anyone at the very beginning.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You...
Ep. 6 - Anxious Attachment Style — How My Cats Taught Me a Healthier Way to Love 🐱🤍
I’ve lived with an anxious attachment style for most of my life.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I share how caring for cats slowly helped me regulate my nervous system and learn a healthier way of staying close—without clinging or fear.
It’s a quiet reflection on love, space, and learning to feel safe even when closeness comes and goes.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You'll Learn in...
Ep. 5 - The Cats Who Find Us, and the Stories We Tell Because of Them 🐾📖
This Diary of a Cat Mom entry feels like sitting together late at night, cats moving through the house.
I’m joined by cozy mystery author Camey Carson, and we talk about the cats who shaped her life and her stories.
Rescues, ferals, alley cats, and the quiet way animals change us.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
A lifelong love of cats Cozy mysteri...Ep. 4 - When Loving My Cats Turned Me Into a Helicopter Mom 🤍🐱
Sometimes love looks like control.
And sometimes it looks like learning when to let go.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I share my journey of realizing I was a helicopter cat mom—especially while caring for community cats.
It’s a quiet reflection on worry, responsibility, and finding peace while still doing our best.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
Learnin...Ep. 3 - When My Nervous System Shows Up Before My Cat’s Does 🐾💛
Some days, being a cat mom brings up more than love.
It brings up stress, impatience, and feelings we don’t always talk about.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I share how I began noticing my own nervous system — and how it quietly affects my cats.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
I reflect on frustration, expectations, and learning to pause. Not to fi...Ep. 2 - When Cats Quietly Unteach Perfection 🐾✨
Being a perfectionist once felt like part of who I was.
Living with cats slowly showed me how little control I actually have—and how freeing that can be.
In this Diary of a Cat Mom entry, I reflect on expectations, frustration, and the gentle work of becoming softer with myself as a cat mom.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
Learning how cats challe...Ep. 1 — Welcome to Diary of a Cat Mom 🐾💛
This is a quiet podcast for cat lovers who notice the small things—the routines, the worries, the moments that stay long after the day ends. Each Diary of a Cat Mom episode is a gentle reflection from real life with cats, shared slowly and honestly.
This is where I’ve gathered everything that helps me care for my cats and myself:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
A soft introduction. What this space is meant to hold. Why presence matters more than perfect...
