Did you know that we share a whopping 90% of our homogeneous genetic material with…cats? That’s actually more than man’s other best friend! And in the Season 2 finale for 6 Degrees of Cats - the world’s #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, history and science podcast - we make the case to promote our pets - especially our cats - as full-time family, full stop. Join us in conversation with a family sciences professor, a family therapist and a kids’ podcast host as we dive deep into what “family” is, and isn’t - and why. By the end of this episode, you’ll notice and appreciate the strength and leng...
Did you know that we share a whopping 90% of our homogeneous genetic material with…cats? That’s actually more than man’s other best friend! And in the Season 2 finale for 6 Degrees of Cats - the world’s #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, history and science podcast - we make the case to promote our pets - especially our cats - as full-time family, full stop. Join us in conversation with a family sciences professor, a family therapist and a kids’ podcast host as we dive deep into what “family” is, and isn’t - and why. By the end of this episode, you’ll notice and appreciate the strength and length of your own family ties, including those with your cat! Tune in and share with your family, near and far!
Special thanks to Bjorn and Trip at the National Council on Family Relations and Dr. Stephanie Coontz.
The producers also thank Dr. Regina Morantz-Sanchez, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
This episode is dedicated to the memories of William O. and Stephanie M.
Support the podcast, sign up for The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter and learn about way$ to help keep this ship afloat for our next season here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.
Referenced episodes:
- Cats Are the Consummate Domesticate: Origins and Evolution of Our Feline Friends
- 5 Ways to Say ”I Love Mew”: Using the 5 Love Languages…With Your Cat?
- The Purr-fect Life: Cats, Kantian Ethics and Karma!
About the experts:
- Katie Bozek, Ph.D., L.M.F.T. is the executive director of the Korean Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN) and the owner and operator of Transitions Therapy, PLLC, her independent private marriage and family therapy practice. She serves on the boards of the West Michigan Asian American Association (WMAAA) and the Michigan Board of Counseling. Follow KAAN @wearekaan on Facebook, Instagram and X.
- Carol Johnston, Ph.D. is an assistant professor at Kansas State University (Go Wildcats!) whose work has explored different ways to measure and operationalize family structure patterns over the life course to better capture a holistic picture of family dynamics. She is also the cat parent to Ash and Arlo, and can be followed at @carolanna12 (Instagram) or @carolannacoffee (X).
- Melissa “Melly” Victor is the founder of 2-time Black Podcast Award nominee Stoopkid Stories, a storybook podcast featuring 7 young Black characters which has been featured on the NY Times’ "A Big List of Podcasts for Bigger Kids", in Podcast Magazine, and by Bello Collective. She is also a musical theatre actress, most recently seen as a member of the touring ensemble for Little Shop of Horrors. She can be followed @stoopkidstories on Facebook, Instagram and X or @melly_music on Instagram.
Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*
- Amanda B. (Instagram @catsuitband)
* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles
Animal voices include:
Music
- Captain Kitty: all music supervision, mixes and arrangements unless otherwise noted
- Leathered: "Look Alive", “Break it Down” and “Nothing But Love” © 2022
- Samples licensed via Loopcloud
- Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com
Logo design:
- Edward Anthony © 2024 (Instagram: @mtotallywired)
Research used:
- AFTH Marketing. (2021, February 5). The complexity of transracially adopting black children. AFTH. https://afth.org/the-complexity-of-transracially-adopting-black-children/
- Boston School of Theology Editors. (n.d.). History of Korean immigration to America, from 1903 to present. History of Korean Immigration to America, from 1903 to Present | Boston Korean Diaspora Project. https://sites.bu.edu/koreandiaspora/issues/history-of-korean-immigration-to-america-from-1903-to-present/
- Brief history of adoption in the United States: Adoption network. Adoption Network |. (2022, September 22). https://adoptionnetwork.com/history-of-adoption/
- Cats Protection. (n.d.). Pregnant cats, birth and care of young kittens. Cats.org. https://www.cats.org.uk/media/1029/eg18_pregnant_cats-_birth_and_care_of_young_kittens.pdf
- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2020, October 30). What is epigenetics? the answer to the nature vs. Nurture Debate. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/what-is-epigenetics-and-how-does-it-relate-to-child-development/
- Claggett, S. R. (2023, July). Native American settlement of North Carolina. NCpedia. https://www.ncpedia.org/history/early/native-settlement
- Crowell-Davis, S. L., Curtis, T. M., & Knowles, R. J. (2004, February). Social organization in the cat: A modern understanding. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.jfms.2003.09.013
- Federal Depository Library Program. (n.d.). FDLP Resource Guides: Military History: American conflicts and wars: Home. Home - Military History: American Conflicts and Wars - FDLP Resource Guides at U.S. Government Publishing Office. https://libguides.fdlp.gov/military-history-american-conflicts-and-wars
- Funk, L. M. (1970, January 1). Fictive Kin. SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_16-1
- Graff, E. J. (2010, September 13). Anatomy of an adoption crisis. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/09/12/anatomy-of-an-adoption-crisis/
- Laybourn, S. M. (2024). Out of place the lives of Korean adoptee immigrants. New York University Press.
- Lussenhop, J., Philip, A., & Eagle, J. G. (2023, June 15). Native American families broken up despite federal law meant to keep them together. ProPublica. https://www.propublica.org/article/native-american-parental-rights-termination-icwa-scotus
- National Geographic Society. (n.d.). New England colonies’ use of slavery. Education. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/new-england-colonies-use-slaves/
- Native Americans. Native Americans | Minnesota Historical Society. (n.d.). https://www.mnhs.org/fortsnelling/learn/native-americans
- PBS. (2003b, April 7). The origins of adoption in America. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/daughter-origins-adoption-america/
- Park, S., Hongu, N., & Daily, J. W. (2016, August 12). Native American Foods: History, culture, and influence on modern diets. Journal of Ethnic Foods. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352618116300750#:~:text=It%20is%20important%20to%20keep,plants%20and%20animals%20for%20food.
- Park, Y. S. (2019, September). Park on mckee, “disrupting kinship: Transnational politics of Korean adoption in the United States.” H-Net network on Diplomatic History and International Affairs. https://networks.h-net.org/node/28443/reviews/4715102/park-mckee-disrupting-kinship-transnational-politics-korean-adoption
- Pearl S. Buck International Editors. (2021, September 14). Pearl S. Buck International: About our founder Pearl S. Buck: Pearl S. Buck International. Pearl S. Buck International. https://pearlsbuck.org/about/biography/
- Putnam, Robert D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Randall, C. (2023, May 19). How much DNA do we share?. AlphaBiolabs. https://alphabiolabsusa.com/learning-center/how-much-dna-do-we-share/#:~:text=Our%20feline%20friends%20share%2090,species%20are%20so%20closely%20related.
- Renick, C. (2023, June 16). The nation’s First Family Separation Policy. The Imprint. https://imprintnews.org/child-welfare-2/nations-first-family-separation-policy-indian-child-welfare-act/32431
- Schwartz, M. (n.d.). A History of Dogs in the Early Americas. The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/s/schwartz-dog.html
- Stack, C. B. (2003). All our kin: Strategies for survival in a black community. Basic Books.
- Tolman, C. (2019, January 15). Kosekis from Gotō: Japanese Genealogy explained. Legacy Tree. https://www.legacytree.com/blog/japanese-genealogy-explained
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (2023, July 24). Hague process. USCIS. https://www.uscis.gov/adoption/immigration-through-adoption/hague-process
- U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Acts. Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/chinese-immigration
- U.S. Library of Congress. (n.d.-b). Overview : colonial settlement, 1600s - 1763 : U.S. history primary source timeline : classroom materials at the Library of Congress : library of Congress. The Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/colonial-settlement-1600-1763/overview/
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