Animal Instinct

Do you like coffee? Sweets? Cats? If so, tune in to this week’s episode of Animal Instinct with host Celia Kutcher who is chatting with Emilie Legrand, the ‘catrepreneur’ and co-founder of New York City’s first cat cafe, Meow Parlour. Celia gets the scoop on the city’s hottest new cafe, asking how they were able to bring this idea to life considering hurdles from the Department of Health, how exactly the cat interaction works, and a description of their adoption process if patrons want to take a cat home. Emilie explains that from one cat to another how they tend to adapt to the unique space and socialize with customers. After the break, Emilie shares that Meow Parlour does allow children on a special schedule and that the cats get every Wednesday off, as the cafe is closed. Check out the rest of the episode to hear all about Meow Parlour! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “Very early in the process we contacted the Department of Health, so we have two different store fronts, one with t

We’ve all heard of landmine sniffing dogs, but how about landmine sniffing rats? This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher gets an update from APOPO ( check out APOPO on Episode 13), the organization that trains rats to sniff out landmines as well as tuberculosis. Chatting with US Director, Charlie Richter, about what’s new and where the organization is headed, he shares the numbers of current working ‘hero rats’ and those that are in training to help those in need. He also reminds listeners how exactly the rats detect landmines and TB, all of which upon successful detection is rewarded with a treat. Charlie takes Celia through the life of a hero rat and shares the time he was ‘kissed’ by a rat! After the break, Charlie explains how dire the landmine situation is in the countries APOPO operates in and reinforces their life-saving work in these underdeveloped nations. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “The average rat passes through the process in 9 months and ultimately they l

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is chatting the truth about potbellied pigs with the Marcia Christensen, President of the California Potbellied Pig Association. The California Potbellied Pig Association was founded in 1989, making it one of the oldest potbellied pig clubs in the country. It began with a few new pig owners in the San Francisco Bay Area getting together to discuss this wonderful new pet. From just a handful of people, this club has now grown to be hundreds strong from all over California, the United States and Europe. A non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about potbellied pigs as well as a referral rescue for pigs in need of new homes, Marcie explains that through the organization she has seen the full run of bad and unexpected pig experiences brought on by either irresponsible breeders or uneducated owners. Celia and Marcie go through the basics of responsible pig ownership and agree that in order to own a pig one has to have a great sense of humor! Tune in f

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher welcomes the ladies from the HIppy HIve HoneyBee Co-Op to the studio. The co-op has created a community to become aware of the radical interdependence with honey bees and the imminent dangers to their existence and ultimately ours; to become familiar with time honored, hands on techniques of organic bee caring and mindful honey harvesting, and to share this knowledge and experience. Celia gets the scoop not only on how the co-op started, but also the basics on caring for and tending to bees in a responsible manner. After the break, the ladies share how they treat their hives differently than the average beekeepers, including fun details like naming each of their queen bees and smoking the bees with sage. Tune in to hear all about beekeeping from the ladies who know the trade best! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “If you have a queen who can really rev up her hive and get them working and lay a lot of eggs… it produces a lot.” [15:30]

This week host Celia Kutcher is kicking off 2015 with a brand new episode of Animal Instinct celebrating National Bird Day with Dr. John Marzluff of the University of Washington. Talkin’ all about crows, John answers many questions regarding the well-known bird such as the typical lifespan and social structure of the species. John goes on to relay that crows are exceptionally intelligent and possess social structures that aid in how they learn and communicate with one another. After the break, Celia and John discuss ways in which crows have influenced humans, including language, culture, and even burial techniques. Tune in to hear about the guest’s research and findings he has contributed to the ornithological field and why experts say that crows never forget! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “All the different members of the crow group have slightly different social structures but they do mate for life.” [4:10] “Social animals like a lot of crows, they learn both by direct experience

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is giving tips on traveling with pets along with guest Dr. Patrick Mahaney, holistic veterinarian. Dr. Mahaney is a veterinary consultant for The Honest Kitchen pet food, contributes to PetMD among many other professional advocacy groups, and is a highly sought after VMD. He starts off telling Celia that taking animals on vacation should be considered on a pet by pet basis and sometimes might be best to be left out of the vacation fun. He goes on to give a rundown on international travel with pets and if vaccinations should be kept in mind, plus airline regulations for flying with pets. After the break, Dr. Mahaney gives tips on how to calm an anxious pet once the plane has been boarded and doors shut. Tune in for an informative episode! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “I always suggest to my clients to practice with those medications [tranquilizers] at a time when you’re going to be around for the next 5 to 8 hours to see what the resp

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is talking the history of canines! Welcoming Mary Thurston, author of “The Lost History of the Canine Race,” she has explored fifteen thousand years of canine-human interactions reflected in art, photos, documents and artifacts created by generations of dog lovers. Telling Celia how she became inspired to write the book and what sparked her interest in the history of dogs, she shares that she still hears from avid readers even twenty years after its initial publication. Mary goes on to give listeners information about the first dogs and how for many generations archaeologists did not consider animal relics important enough to keep record of, until the subject of zooarchaeology came about. After the break, Celia asks Mary about the domestication of the first dogs and the evolution of the wild dog to the dog as we know it today. Tune in for a great show! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “Dogs themselves are not a naturally occurring specie

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is talking to Scott Tarter of Twin Lakes Farm all about what it’s like to own an equestrian facility and what riding does for the horses and people. Scott Tarter is Twin Lakes Farms’ stable and general manager where he is in charge of daily horse care and operations. He has been a professional horseman for twenty years in the Westchester County area and holds an A.A.S. from Cazenovia College in Stable & Farm Management as well as a B.S. from The University of Connecticut in Animal Science. In addition to his responsibilities as general manager, Scott also travels with the USEF and IHSA teams and drives the horsevan and trailer. Talking to Celia about how he found himself drawn to the horse world and the history of Twin Lakes Farm, Scott divulges all that the facility has to offer and answers some questions along the way! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “About a third of our riding academy and a third of our borders come from New Yor

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is talking nutrition for pets and welcomes her mentor, Phil Klein, to the show. Phil and his wife began Whiskers Holistic in 1988, there were few if any, alternatives to traditional invasive, harsh, chemically-based animal care. Among the early pioneers of the alternative, holistic pet care movement, they are proud to have had some small responsibility for the growing number of people who understand the benefits of a more natural approach to animal healthcare. Phil is delighted that so many of customers have come to see that herbal remedies work, homeopathy is not just for “health nuts,” and that like humans, animals deserve the highest quality, most humane level of care. Tune in to hear Phil’s thoughts on being a pet parent and to learn about changing a pet’s diet for the better! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “Fiber is a major portion of what they need to eat.” “Holistic means everything touches everything else.” —Phil Klein on Anima

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is delving into the interesting topic of music for animals. Lisa Spector is a concert pianist, Juilliard graduate, and canine music expert. By combining her passion for music with her love of dogs, she co-created Through a Dog’s Ear, the first music clinically demonstrated to relieve anxiety issues in dogs. Lisa heads the Through a Dog’s Ear “Music in Shelters” program, a project inspired by her volunteer work in shelters. Her piano playing is currently played in over 1,500 shelters worldwide, where it is helping increase adoption rates. In addition to calming the dogs, it helps create a quieter atmosphere, encouraging visitors to stay longer and adoption rates to increase. The donated music is also sent home with adopters and their new forever dogs. Explaining to Celia how she came to research and compose music that has been proven to calm dogs, she sheds a great deal of light on how much more in tune dogs are to sounds and humans’ reactions to sounds. Tune in

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is speaking with Farah Ravon of the Vafa Animal Shelter, location in Iran. Founded in 2004, the Vafa Animal Shelter is the first animal shelter in Iran and is dedicated to providing help and shelter to injured and homeless animals in Iran. At present, the shelter is run by a group of devoted volunteers and caring veterinarians who donate much of their services and is home to over 450 dogs. Explaining the conditions that make owning a dog in Iran difficult, including the illegality to walk a dog in the country, Farah takes Celia through the typical adoption process. After the break, Celia delves into what the treatment of pets is like as well as what the most popular Iranian pets are. Farah also shares how she became involved with Vafa Animal Shelter and how listeners can get involved and help the shelter’s cause. Listen in for a truly inspiring show. This program was brought to you by Roberta’s Pizza. “The majority of citizens in Iran are not animal friendly,

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher welcomes Denise Herman of Empire of the Dog to talk about safety tips for dogs on Halloween. Most holidays tend to pack some threat to pets, however the little candies that come along with Halloween tend to be toxic to Fido. Starting off a discussion on costumes, both Celia and Denise recently judged pet costume contests and saw a variety of outfits, some of which were “designed but not engineered,” according to Denise. She goes on to explain signs of stress to look out for when the dog is in costume or in a parade setting. After the break, Denise points out that most sweets and decorations are without a doubt toxic to dogs and cats and how to handle a pet home on Halloween, especially with trick or treaters. Tune in to prep for a safe holiday! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “You need to test drive these costumes.” [4:45] “The dog will eat the candy but the cat will eat the wrapper.” [18:20] —Denise Herman on Animal Instinct

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher welcomes Maggie Howell, Executive Director of the Wolf Conversation Center (WCC) located in South Salem, NY. The Wolf Conversation Center’s mission is to promote wolf conservation by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment, and the human role in protecting their future. The main voice of the WCC, Maggie’s interest and experience with wildlife runs deep. Growing up in New York City, Maggie visited her local veterinarian more often than her pediatrician, routinely bringing in injured city “wildlife” she had rescued. She continued her studies more formally at Vassar, earning a degree in biology, focusing on animal behavior. Chatting plenty of wolf basics with Celia, Maggie also explains the genetic similarities between wolves and common dogs as well as the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park. Tune in to learn all about this remarkable animal and the great things happening at the Wolf Conversation Center. This program was br

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is taking on the topic of animal medicine and spirit animals with guest Dr. Steven Farmer. Dr. Farmer is not only a shaman, but is also a licensed psycho-therapist, working with animal medicine while being an active writer and teacher. At the top of the show, Dr. Farmer explains what shamanism is and goes on to share his personal path to becoming a shaman. After initially attending a workshop, Dr. Farmer felt that becoming a shaman was his life’s calling. He goes on to share with Celia the concept of a spirit animal and how the natural world communicates with us if we choose to hear the message. After the break, Celia and Dr. Farmer discuss the differences between an animal spirit guide and a power animal and what to look for when deciphering possible messages from either. Tune in for a truly interesting show! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “When an animal shows up to you in an unusual way or repeatedly, there’s something pretty specia

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is going nuts for squirrels! Welcoming the one of the country’s experts on the small mammal, Dr. John L. Koprowski, to the show, he explains the evolutionary background of the squirrel and that the squirrel can be found on every continent, minus Antarctica. Dr. Koprowski also explains the various colors of squirrels throughout the country, such as a black or orange squirrel, and the ill-attempts of taming a wild squirrel. After the break, Dr. Koprowski shares the details behind the lifespan, mating habits, and social behaviors of the different types of squirrels. Tune in to learn all about these interesting creatures and what to do if you find a lost baby squirrel. This program was brought to you by Edwards VA Ham. “Squirrels were one of those species that at an early age something I could look out the window [and see]… whenever I would think about biology and what I might want to do in the future with my life, I would always come back to find squirrels in th

This week on Animal Instinct, guest host Denise Herman takes over for Celia and welcomes Juliet Sternberg to talk about a topic that has no doubt touched us all: losing a pet. Juliette is a Licensed Master Social Worker and is also the founder and practice director at Hope Veterinary Clinic. Juliet shares how she came to find that palliative care for terminally diagnosed pets was a real need for many people. Many times when a pet is terminally ill, it is assumed that the pet should be put to sleep immediately. Today, it is common for many to consider pets as real members of the family. With this in mind, Juliet has found that many owners need more time to cope with the loss of the pet and to say goodbye. Denise talks with Juliet about the advancements of pet medicine and pain management, and that these issues now are vastly different than they were even a decade ago. Tune in for an important episode that can help you learn to manage the grief that comes along with the loss of a pet. This program was brought t

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher talks all about racing pigeons! Welcoming Deone Roberts, Sport Development Manager with the American Racing Pigeon Union, to the show, she gives Celia the story behind racing pigeons and how they are still relevant to this day. Located in Oklahoma City, she aids the members of the not-for-profit organization share the sport and hobby of racing homing pigeons and has done so for nearly 14 years. Chatting about the pigeons’ lifestyles and how the sport works, Deone explains the ins and outs of getting involved in area race clubs. Along with being an interesting hobby, she goes on to share that the sport actually fosters a community of bird lovers. The American Racing Pigeon Union endorses a mentorship program for experienced members to help beginners ease into the activity. Exceptionally knowledgable about this bird and excited about the sport, tune in to hear this great conversation between Deone and Celia. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

This week on Animal Instinct, we’re talkin’ lions and tigers! Host Celia Kutcher welcomes Susan Bass, the Director of Public Relations for Big Cat Rescue, to the show. Located on 67 acres just north of Tampa, Florida, Big Cat Rescue is one of the world’s largest sanctuaries for exotic cats and is a leading advocate in ending abuse of captive big cats and saving wild cats from extinction. Susan shares that, currently, Big Cat Rescue is home to about 100 lions, tigers, bobcats, cougars, servals, and other species, most of whom have been abandoned, abused, orphaned, or retired from performing acts. Tune in as Celia gets a behind the scenes account of this organization and its noble mission. This program has been brought to you by Heritage Foods USA. “All of our cats are wild, whether they’ve been pets or not, you can never tame a wild cat truly… and we treat them with the respect and dignity that wild cats deserve.” [2:20] “Every cat has a different story.” [9:09] —Susan Bass on Animal Instinct

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher kicks off the new radio season welcoming guest Dave Marcks, President of Geese Police, a Canada goose control company that, for the past 25 years, utilizes highly trained working Border Collies to herd the geese off a client’s property. Talking to Celia about his business’ beginnings and on his dog breed of choice, he goes into detail about why geese become such nuisances and about the dog training process. What makes his removal business different from other methods to eradicate geese is that he brings no harm to the geese. With his specialized training method, his dogs boast the brains to be patient and over several times a day per week, harass the geese using “fowl play” which forces the geese to loiter elsewhere. Once the geese see the property as an unsafe haven, the geese will simply start to gather in a new location where they do not sense danger. Tune in for an incredibly informative episode! This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

On today’s episode of Animal Instinct Celia speaks with animal communicator, Karen Krueger. Karen has been practicing Reiki for people and pets since 1997. Since then Karen has become certified in many types of healing modalities and is a certified Equine Body Worker through Equinology and the Upledger Institute. Today, Karen introduces the world of animal communication and describes her personal experiences with animals. She mainly deals with physically and/or emotionally injured animals and tries to help them deal with their pain. Karen shares that the best thing about her practice is that anyone can learn how to do it. Tune in as we embrace the idea of communicating with our fellow animals. This program has been brought to you by Brooklyn Cares Vet. “…typically the owners contact me because they need answers, they’d like to get some insight with what’s happening with their animals. A lot of times they’re injured or something’s happened and the owner wants to know what’s happened. Sometimes it’s an emot