A question for cat people

I write a column about pets and I need to locate cat experts to interview for various stories. Although I have had cats all my life, I have never felt the need to read a book or consult a trainer or anything like that. This is unlike the situation for dogs, where I am very much tuned into what's going on, and for exotics, where I've worked at zoos so I always have a starting place for good sources. But for cats... I've always just lived with them, you know?

There are obviously people out there (all you have to do is google 'cat expert') but I have no idea who is reputable. Yeah, I can call the ASPCA yet again and they'll be thrilled to let me interview one of their people. But I wonder if I am missing something. Are there writers or, who knows, TV personalities, that I should know about - either as good or bad?

To clarify, I'm wondering if there well-known, acknowledged experts that you guys think are good (or bad) - more on the behavior side, because it's easy enough to call a vet school and find a source for a health question. Is there any equivalent of all the well known dog trainers who are experts on the behavioral issues - someone who all the cat people know about? Since people don't tend to train cats, it's kind of a different thing, but since there are certainly magazines and books and websites out there, there is clearly something to say and people who think they are qualified to say it. What I'm hoping is to get some second opinions instead of picking from those sources randomly.

awatkins said:

and gives a great interview.

Click to expand...

Good to know! Thanks.