Hannah Shaw, “Kitten Lady,” new book: “Cats Of The World”

by | Jan 29, 2025

Hannah Shaw–recognized as an influential humane educator, her specialty is providing instruction in caring for neonatal kittens; she’s also a NYT bestselling author whose latest book “Cats Of The World,” is a collaboration with her husband, photographer Andrew Marttila—recounts how she developed the expertise in caring for neonatal kittens and, along the way, built a humongous social media following in her “Kitten Lady” guise. This account includes Shaw acknowledging that many well- meaning folks have what proves to be counterproductive response when they see a young, tiny kitten—taking it to the local, which typically is  not equipped with the resources or expertise or hours on end to care for these fragile felines. But now, especially compared to past periods, that hypothetical person has access to a vast array of guidance from Shaw herself, including a library of instructional videos, books, webinars, workshops and more. An animal lover and advocate since she was a kid, explains how she veered into kitten care, led by a random encounter with a little black cat peering out of a treetop. She rescued that five-week-old kitty, made her a family member, named her Coconut (plucked from the tree like one) or Coco, and they were virtually inseparable until the cat died in 2024 at 15. From that first meeting with Coco, Shaw applied what she learned caring for her new friend, and kept learning. And kept going. We touched on some of the educational efforts this evolved to within the Kitten Lady juggernaut, including the workshops she now leads. (https://www.kittenlady.org/events) We moved on to discussing “Cats Of The World,” for which she and Marttila traveled to 30 countries, reporting on cat denizens they found in each locale, highlighting unusual rescue or shelter operations functioning in some sites—some of the most impressive sanctuaries were converted homes, housing 400-plus cats–while Marttila captures the myriad scenes with a sprawling array of gorgeous photographs. It’s a coffee table book with a lot on its mind. One point that’s on Shaw’s mind—as noted in “Cats Of The World,” and amplified in our conversation—her feline-oriented globe-trotting prompted her to re-examine her own country’s philosophy and policies when it comes to animal sheltering and related issues.  In a follow-up to a half-serious aside, I close out the interview asking Shaw, if she were a cat, which country she’d choose to live in. Her answer: England, particularly in the countryside. Her second choice was Nepal. [Photos by Andrew Marttila] (https://www.kittenlady.org/, https://www.youtube.com/kittenlady, https://www.instagram.com/kittenxlady, https://www.facebook.com/kittenxlady, https://www.tiktok.com/@officialkittenlady)

ALSO: I spoke with Jason Cowen, executive director of Friends of Boyd Hill Nature Preserve— the Preserve is a 245-acre, award-winning property in St. Petersburg, featuring six miles of trails and boardwalks through a variety of habitats. This conversation was in advance of the Preserve’s Raptor Fest, slated to take place Saturday, Feb. 1, from 10am to 4pm. This event—which Cowen explains is free to attend, yet through donation opportunities and sponsorships, turns out to be one of the Friends’ biggest fundraisers– will feature demonstrations of trained raptors flying, opportunities to learn about Florida’s native raptor species, photos can be taken with live birds of prey, about 25 environmental and other exhibitors, assorted activities for children and families, and more. (https://www.stpeteparksrec.org/parks___facilities/boyd_hill.php)

COMEDY CORNER: Paula Poundstone’s “12 Cats” (https://paulapoundstone.com/)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.

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