2017-01-27

Editor’s note: Have you seen the new Catster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting area of your vet’s office? This article appeared in our January/February 2017 issue. Click here to subscribe to Catster and get the bimonthly magazine delivered to your home.

The age of the internet has proved to be a time of renaissance for cat lovers. Videos, memes, and podcasts bring cat fans together in a way that wasn’t possible before. Leading the podcast charge are two cat owners and college friends, Steven Ray Morris and Sara Iyer, whose Los Angeles-based Purrrcast show covers many topics a cat lover would want to know.

“It wasn’t until I discovered podcasts and the massive podcasting community in LA around 2011 to 2012 that the idea began to percolate,” Steven said.



Steven interviews YouTuber Taryn Southern’s cat, Tiggie. All photos via The Purrrcast

Since then, the idea has turned into a show.

Steven and Sara share stories about their own cats (Steven’s Penny Lane, and Sara’s Samba) and discuss anything and everything cat. They also invite guests.

“We’ve had on artists, comedians, writers, musicians, and even people who have famous Instagram cats,” Sara said.



Steven and Sara had this photo shot at CatCon in 2016.

“I feel like our show is expanding the definition of what it means to be a ‘cat person,’” Steven said. “These cat conversations can bring out some pretty personal and intimate details of the guest’s life — and our own — and that’s a very special thing to witness.”

Listeners have noticed that the podcast explores and celebrates that special bond between cats and their people. Sara said the feedback has been positive.



Sara talks to guest Georgia Hardstark of the My Favorite Murder podcast and Steven’s cat, Penny Lane.

“Cat people don’t have a lot of places where we go and meet other cat people, like dog people do with dog parks,” she said. So I think The Purrrcast is sort of

like a community where our listeners can hear about other peoples’ cats while sitting at home with their own cats in their laps. Our guests have also told us that they enjoyed having a space where they were allowed — and encouraged — to talk about their cats for an hour or more.”

Sara takes a photo of Emily McWilliams’s cat, Riley.

The community feel the show generates has been nothing short of inspiring to the friends who wanted to share their love for the feline kind. “Listeners email us photos and lovely anecdotes about their kitties,” Steven said. “Like any good podcast, it’s about encourageing listeners to feel like they are also part of the conversation, and they are!”

Co-host Steven talks to guest Megan Baker of The Vintage blog and her cat, SJ.

Follow the Purrrcast on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About the author: Elisa Jordan is a Southern California freelance writer specializing in pets. She has a terrier, Gidget, and a cat, Izzy.

The post The Purrrcast: Casting Purrs Over the Internet via Podcast appeared first on Catster.

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