Scratch This: Meet Nathan the Cat Lady at Midsummer Scream

Speaking of cat ladies, and there’s been some of that lately, the term has evolved from the cranky old woman in a bathrobe with cats everywhere to a “Yeah, that’s me, and what’s your point?” meme.

Cat ladies sometimes have a lot of cats and adore them but also engage in and promote trap/spay-neuter, etc./release (TNR), the well-being of special-needs kitties, fostering and adoption, especially if they have to temper their tendency to take in more cats than they can handle. Cat ladies are dang proud of being cat ladies, and they’ll swat and claw at anything to the contrary or simply give a catlike shrug of their haunches.

Cat ladies aren’t always female. Nathan Kehn is a professional actor with a number of films to his credit, including a tasty handful of horror movies. In his persona of Nathan the Cat Lady, he’ll play host at Midsummer Scream’s Black Cat Lounge, where he’ll answer your questions about his work as an advocate and introduce you to the really special guests — the cats and kittens. You can dangle a few wand toys for them and maybe adopt a couple.

Nathan made a gradual but inevitable journey into cat ladyhood.

“I grew up with cats and dogs,” he said in an interview with Carlos Amezcua and Lisa Remillard. “But I didn’t want to have cats in LA.”

As an actor, Nathan didn’t think he could give pets the attention they merited if he was out all the time working on gigs or auditioning for them. His roommate got a cat, though, and didn’t pay much attention to her.

Nathan felt sorry for the cat and got a second one as a playmate. When the roommate decided to move out, he said that he was going to take one cat with him and get rid of the other. But the cats had bonded, and Nathan wasn’t going to stand with abandonment. So, he stepped in and took both.

Not long after, Nathan’s ex-girlfriend’s mother found a kitten on the side of the road. She tried to rescue the cat, and he bit her. On her way to the emergency room, the mom called Nathan to go over to see if he could coax the kitten out of hiding. The kitten, knowing a chump when he sensed one, came right out and climbed into Nathan’s hoodie. The idea was to find the kitten a home, but one of Nathan’s cats claimed him, and of course, you know the rest.

By the time his next roommate moved in with his own cat, Nathan was already a cat lady.

“After three, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

Nathan, like some of the rest of us, may lounge in a bathrobe in front of a TV, covered in cats, but neither he nor the kitties make a habit of lying around. The cats, with Nathan’s prodding, clawed their way to celebrity through social media.

Part of Nathan’s auditions for acting jobs included attracting viewers through skits on his social media pages. The sketches featuring his cats got the lion’s share of the likes. After Nathan added the sobriquet Cat Lady, the likes took another leap, and so did Nathan’s professional film work. His channels acquired sponsors, particularly from pet-related brands.

It took only a couple of kitten steps for Nathan to combine his ability to entertain with raising awareness for feline welfare.

“I started out doing entertainment, and I got such a big following and so many animal product sponsors, I realized that I could be giving back and helping,” he said. “But I noticed with the internet, if you only do rescue, it’s hard to maintain a loyal following. Compassion fatigue comes up — you can only donate money so many times. I decided that if I keep doing the funny videos and entertain people, I could do more with my following.”

Nathan reached out to other organizations to spread the benefits and to increase his followers’ awareness of issues affecting cats. One organization was Stray Cat Alliance, based in Los Angeles, which helps community cats and helps the people who want to help cats. Through SCA, Nathan held events and shopping sprees. Most importantly, he formed Nathan’s Fosters, which he’ll tell you about in the video.

Video courtesy of Nathan Kehn

He does lots more, but we’d need more space than we have, so check out Nathan the Cat Lady’s website and social media. We can’t end, though, without mentioning Kitten Rescue Los Angeles, which pulls cats from the streets and city shelters and then transforms them into kitties ready to go home. Some of them get to audition for homes at Midsummer Scream’s Black Cat Lounge. You’re sure to see Nathan the Cat Lady there as well, doing zoomies with his pointy-eared friends. He invites you to come dangle a few toys for the cats and maybe take one or two home.

Yours drooly

Kitten Rescue Los Angeles is one of the largest nonprofit animal rescue organizations in SoCal. Since 1997, they’ve rescued, rehabbed and rehomed over 30,000 cats and kittens through a network of volunteers and fosters. They’re also the cat rescue de choix at the Black Cat Lounge.

Meet these loveable cats and many others at the Black Cat Lounge. Ask anyone there about adoption, or follow the instructions here!

Delia Deetz (left, despite her grazing in Elvira’s dish) and Elvira are ready to go home! Elvira also has two striped siblings, Tiger Tim and Tiger Lily, who’ll be there as well. Delia has amazing resilience despite the cruelty she experienced and deserves a chance to meet as many good humans as she can. And don’t they all!

Here’s 13-year-old Harold with his bestie, Maude (of course). Harold is a gentle giant who enjoys food, sleeping on a comfy bed, and socializing with other cats and kittens! He’s loved every cat he’s met, but he’s especially close to Maude. As a bonded pair, they enjoying relaxing in the sun or play-wrestling on the bed. Hope they go home together — they're guaranteed to melt anyone's heart.

Here’s another bonded pair (think I’m hinting at something?) Sprinkle Cookie (right) is a strikingly beautiful, affectionate kitty who would probably have lots to say if she could talk in human. She loves to be petted and rewards humans with many purrs. She’d love to be adopted with her brother, Jelly Donut, also in photo. They will both run to great you at the door and fill your days with love and joy. They get along with other cats and bunnies, if you have one! They hang out in their foster’s bunny hutch.

Finally, there’s sweet little Ash. Ash had a rough start in life as a bottle baby, but he overcame the odds and is now ready for his forever home. Ash loves both giving and receiving affection and attention. In typical kitten fashion, he's an energetic bouncy ball and needs to be in a home with another playful and loving cat or kitten. Don't let that crazy kitten energy fool you though — one of Ash's favorite things to do is take an afternoon nap with his person and cat, if you already have one hanging around the house.

Tail-waggin’ and nose-boopin’ events

TNR Action, Education and Awareness Group meeting

Do you do TNR (trap/spay-neuter-vaccinate-microchip-release of stray cats) with a passion but want to share resources with and get support from an equally engaged community? Are momcats having kittens in your neighborhood, and are dadcats yowling at them to make more? Are you on your last shred of yarn trying to figure out what you can do?

Get some answers at this grassroots meeting, the first in Long Beach to focus on combining forces to humanely stop the birthing of unwanted kittens in the urban wild. Speakers will include rescues, experienced trappers, and Long Beach Animal Care Services staff members, in particular LBACS cat coordinator Lindsie Merrick. The Little Lion Foundation will present a bottle-feeding workshop for newborn kittens after the workshop.

The group meeting will take place Saturday, July 27, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Education Center at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, at the entrance to El Dorado Park. No parking fee for shelter guests.

Drive-thru event to support unhoused people and their pets

The Department of Health and Human Services is hosting a donation drive to collect essential items to distribute to people experiencing homelessness and their pets. Items such as human food, pet food, toiletries and school items are requested and will be distributed at the Multi-Service Center. Visit this link for a full list of items requested and locations for year-round drop-offs.

The drive-thru will take place Saturday, July 27,9 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Health Department’s Main Facilities Center, 2525 Grand Ave., Long Beach.

Dog Yoga and Fun

First it’s cats, then goats, and now dogs! Come to Signal Hill Park for a free “doga” session! All dogs welcome, but they must be on a maximum 6-foot leash and compatible with other dogs. Bring a yoga mat. For 18 years and older (that’s humans, of course).

Dog Yoga and Fun takes place July 27, 10 a.m.–11 a.m. at Signal Hill Park, 2175 Cherry Ave., Signal Hill.

Life Is Better with a Bulldog calendar contest

Enter that lovely, drooling face to be Southern California Bulldog Rescue’s cover grrrrl or goo’ boy! Winners can also take home prizes like harnesses and gift cards. You can purchase a special day for your doggie, too — not that anyone could forget a face like that anyway! All proceeds to toward the dogs in the rescue who’ve been given up or abandoned and are hoping for a forever home.

Entries accepted until Tuesday, July 30. Rules and information available here. 

Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.