Getting Naked: The Podcast - Foster Love

Episode Date: April 15, 2026

Valerie dives into one of her greatest passions—cats—with Grace Choi, founder of the viral @KittyBoyandFriends. They share the heartbreak and joy of fostering special-needs kittens others pass by���and the surprising ways these tiny lives heal us right back. Plus, in a special Full Reveal, Valerie opens up about “the ultimate gift” pets bring into our lives.

As you can see on today's episode of Getting Naked, the podcast, we have a very special guest. We have two very special guests. This is one of them. This, if you don't follow Kitty Boy and Friends, you won't know who this is, but why aren't you following Kitty Boy and Friends? This is Fifi. And Fifi is a fairy, squirrel kind of creature that could be a cat.

We don't know. But if you want to find out, just tune in to Getting Naked the podcast coming up next. Getting Naked, the podcast, is brought to you by Valerie's Place, your digital home for everything, me. Whether it's the full library of Valerie's home cooking, my new cooking show, now Val's Cooking, or in my book club, and now we're reading. Valerie's Place has something for everyone. Subscriptions start at $2 a month. Add to that, you get early access to this podcast with each episode's full reveal.

Join today at Valerie's Place.com. I have a chapter in my book called If I Could Talk to My Animals and If They Could Talk to Me. and that's important to me because that's who I spend my life with. And they are, Betty White once told me a long time ago that there's a better way to say it than foster failures, even though I live with an entire household of foster failures. But they are my life. I love them. Next to my son and my daughter-in-law, they are my life and my family.

So before we get into today's episode, I do just want to give you a quick reminder to stay tuned for the full reveal. That's a special segment for Valerie's Place members only. And if you want to be able to get to the full reveal and have full access to that, and also get early access to this podcast, just head over to Valerie's Place.com and sign up. Okay, so let me introduce this beautiful woman and this other gorgeous creature in front of me. This is Fifi. Say hi. Oh, Fifi.

You are all Fifi. I just, I've loved you. You've had Fifi. Well, let me introduce you. Okay. Grace Choi is a cat rescuer and content creator behind Kitty Boy and Friends, where she shares stories of fostering and rehabilitating at-risk cats. In 2023, she started the Happy Kitty Rescue, a 501-C3 nonprofit animal rescue organization, to focus on cats that are often overlooked, specializing in those with medical or behavioral challenges. And if you've seen

Kitty Boy and Friends on Instagram or Tuk Talk, you know that this woman knows how to get past behavioral challenges. She started her Instagram, Kitty Boy and Friends in 2020. It has grown into this beautiful community of nearly half a million followers on Instagram and 2.8 on TikTok. Her work is amazing. She tells stories of rescues. She talks about what it takes to help these cats to heal, to build trust and to find homes. And she does it all with a beautiful mix of humor and humanity, tears and smiles that is so refreshing, dare I say, it is spiritual and heartwarming. Grace Choi, thank you for joining me.

We've got Fifi on the road. Fifi said she's just going to, now this is a closed room. Sophie, go ahead and, you know, see what you're going to do. She's got her pee-pishu. Oh, that's right. I'm going to keep her in here.

Oh, in her play pen, okay. I'm... I'm... Okay. Thank you for bringing her. No, thank you. That was a really beautiful intro. Thank you so much.

Well, I just, I have admired you since, well, okay, I'm just going to go back to the story that I'm sure everybody started. I know my son and my daughter-in-law also follow Grace, Kitty Boy and Friends, when it's just Kitty Boy and Joey. Yes. And Joey was featured on the Dodo, like four or five years ago. Yeah. And he, oh, this cat just took all of our hearts. And you, the way you rehabilitated him. And I remember you lived in a place with stairs.

And you said you couldn't keep him, and you were going to find a home for him. And everybody was like, but you've got to keep him. And I know that you wanted to, or I assume you did, because you ended up keeping Joey. I did. Six years later, he's still mine, my little nugget. Yeah, Joey was, he was actually the first adult cat I ever rescued. And he was how old, two, three? So crazy.

I got history on him years later. Did you? Yeah. So, I mean, now we're kind of skipping around. That's okay. The person who dropped him off at the shelter actually reached out to me like two years ago because she found me on Instagram. Stop.

Yeah. And she was like, oh my gosh, like that's the cat I dropped off. Because he's pretty hard to like duplicate. Joey is one of the kind. Just for the viewers. He's missing his two front legs. He's got one claw though. He's got one little pirate hook and he's got these little they're like nubs, like T-Rex.

He's a little T-Rex boy. Yeah. And he, but yeah, she DM'd me and was like, I dropped him off. And so I was able to get his history. And turns out he was only a year old. Yeah, and she was a colony cat that a neighbor took in because he was so cute and special. And then when she moved, she abandoned him outside. Yeah.

Yeah, and he's got no defenses. None. Like I said, he's got no. legs. And so he, he ended up getting mange, which is, it's scaties. Yeah. And then he was just deteriorating outside by himself. And so, so scared. So, so scared. He's terrified of literally everything. Still. Still. Because when you see, and as anyone who lives with cats knows that once they love you and trust you, they're out doing everything all the time. But if anybody comes over, because I already asked Grace, can I come over and meet Joey? She's like, I don't know.

Because Joey doesn't really like anybody. Yeah, he will get used to people, but it takes, like, weeks. Yeah. Okay, I'm moving in. Yeah, if you want to move in, you're welcome. We have an extra room. Okay. Yeah.

No, he takes time. Like, I just moved him with my boyfriend a few months ago, and he's, like, just now, like, starting to come out around him. Yeah, so he's just, like, a very sensitive creature. Well, it took you how long. before he actually, I remember when he jumped on your bed. Oh, yeah. That was amazing.

That took months. Wow. Yeah, he was, he for sure was the slowest. Slower than potato? And who's the other one I'm thinking about the Bruno? Bruno scared me for you. I love, he scared. Still, oh, yeah.

I still have the scars. Bruno really scared me because he really got you. He was scary. I'm still a little traumatized by him. But he was also such a huge lesson for me. And his arc was quite incredible and beautiful too. But yes, he was scary. Yeah.

So how did Joey come into your hands? Yeah. So I believe he was in like a shelter in Orange County. At the time I was working with another rescue called Boomers Buddies Rescue. And Jess, the founder was like, hey, there's this cat in the shelter. Like, would you be open to pulling him? And I was like, yeah. This was like peak COVID.

And all you had was kitty boy? I had kitty boy. And at that point, I had just fostered kittens. Okay. So this would be my first. That's a big job. A first adult cat, but we were in peak COVID. I was so bored as we all were.

Yes, yes. I was so bored. This was like November 2020. And so we were all sitting at home miserable. And I was like, yeah, like this sounds like a fun project. Let's do it. And his video, the video that they took in the shelter was so heartbreaking. So sad.

And immediately just like. He was in the corner. He was in the corner on his hind legs, getting up with his little T-Rex arms, trying to back in. Like he couldn't back up anymore. Exactly. And it was so sad. And they had labeled him actually as feral and aggressive in the shelter paperwork. That is not the boy I see online now.

And I was like, I remember seeing that going, what is a cat with no legs possible? going to do. Right, right. Protect himself however they can. No sense to me. And so I remember I signed, we signed a waiver that was like, yeah, we understand that he's feral and aggressive and we're going to take him home. And so I pulled him from the shelter, brought him home, and he, like, he was terrified,

just screaming, howling. And then the second I, like, put my hand out for pets, he just, like, melted. Oh, Joey. And it was just like that. Really? He just wanted love. Yeah. He was just so afraid.

And then the second I just offered him a little bit of love, it was like immediate purrs. And you exude love. Like just from meeting you from the first time, just hearing the way you speak to your animals online. Like you are the embodiment of that. That's really a hard compliment to take. Take it because you've rehabilitated some really beautiful animals that I don't know that anybody else could. I know there's a lot of beautiful patient people out there, but grace. So yes, you rehabilitated Joey and now, and then you decided to keep him.

I did, and that was six years ago, believe it or not. What finally made you decide? Because I know your stairs scared you for him. Yeah, it was just constantly watching him evolve. Like it was like, he was my first adult cat. And so it was just like, this was such new territory for me. And Kitty Boy loved him. Kitty boy was obsessed with him and he really brought.

He was a huge reason why Joey came out of his shell too. It was just like they were, he was really learning from kiddie boy, which was such a beautiful relationship. And another reason people completely fell in love with their story. And he was just the way that he just kept evolving with a little bit more time, a little bit more patience. Like, I just left the door open to see. And like one day he was just like walking up and down the stairs. With only two legs. With only two legs.

Like army crawl in his way. He's so amazing. It was incredible. I was like, whoa. And then by like, much, he was like, wow. three or four, he was like flying up and down the stairs. He was like running, like fly. It was crazy.

And then he was like jumping on the bed and like totally cool with the dogs and totally cool with the foster kittens. And it's just like over time. I was like, oh. In fact, he loved the foster kittens. Love. He was really good at welcoming them in. Yes.

Yeah. He would always like give a little his first and then immediately just would be like, okay, like you're mine. And it was just the sweetest. Yeah. His story was, I think the fact that it was my first adult cat. was a completely different twist. I think when you rescue an adult,

there is this level of gratitude that they show that I feel like kittens, they're like, this is, yeah, they don't know. But when you have a cat who's really had a rough life and lived an entire year, most likely neglected and abused. Very neglected.

You can tell. To the point where he was kicked out when it was time for them to move homes, he just the level of gratitude that he shows every day is is amazing and transformative and also just the building of trust with them is just like the most rewarding and toxicating I mean that's with cats anyway you know I have cat I have five cats well I say I really have three because now two of the cats who used to be my mom and dad's cats and my mom and dad have since past they have now become Wolfie and Dreia's cats.

But when Wolfie and Dreyer are on the road, I take care of them. Anyway, long story short, what I want to know from you, and I still want to get into every animal, because I want to talk about potato, I want to talk about Bruno, I want to talk about, right now my heart belongs to Cosmo. I just love Cosmo. But here's what I want to know from you, because you're just glowing, and I just want to know what is fostering done for you to expand your heart? Oh, everything. I mean, that's completely transformed me. I mean, six years ago, I was such a different person. And throughout this journey of fostering cats, I've also done a lot of healing work and therapy on my own time, which has been really like a synergistic relationship with the cats. It's just every time I bring one in, I feel like I learn a huge lesson from them. They're always here to teach me something.

Right. And I really believe we're crossing paths for a reason. Specifically. Very specific. Like they are brought into your life specifically. Yeah. I agree. I feel that now, especially in hindsight, and now I'm a little bit more aware.

I'm like, yeah, like we're here for a reason. We've got some sort of sole contract going on. And you're here to teach me something. And every time I gain, I learn something new about myself, I gain a different perspective on life, on love on what it is to be resilient, to heal, I don't know, just all, it's every cat offers a different thing. It's true, because every cat has such a different personality. So different. But what have you learned, I think the, what's the biggest thing you think you could take away from what you've learned about yourself besides like something like you obviously have a lot of patience,

not a lot of judgment? But what is probably the biggest thing you've learned? Honestly, this is a surprising answer in that it's just coming up is honestly how strong I am. I love hearing that from a woman. It's honestly surprising for that. I'm glad you're realizing and recognizing that. Yeah, I'm like, wow, I'm actually shocked at how resilient I've been throughout this journey. Because the grief that you have to go through so often. Yeah, it's tough. It's been tough. And yeah, surprisingly very hard. A lot of highs and a lot of lows. And every time I'm like, I don't know. I'm going to get through it. Well, you just recently lost a kitten.

Was it a couple of months ago? Did I? And it was like, oh, I know, because you've got through. I mean, you helped so many. But the kitten, we really thought she was going to make it, and then she had an amputation. Oh. And she fell quickly.

Petunia. Petunia, yeah. Petunia, yeah, I didn't have her for very long. You didn't have her very long at all. No, but they do. And Canoli went through his fine. He survived, but with some, I mean, he was a huge lesson, actually.

Speaking of lessons, he, I mean, that's the whole thing. I don't know Canoli's story as much as some of the other cats. Yeah, he basically came to me with four legs, but one of them had been broken when he was younger. And so it was healing really wonky. So I took him to a vet that was highly recommended, and she was like, oh, yeah, I got this. I can just, like, chop it up here, chop it up there, put some screws and nails here and put plates. It'll be great. And she's like, time is of the essence.

So we have, like, just a few days to, like, get in there before his, he grows. and the growth plates something something. I was like, okay, okay. And so like in panic, I was like, yeah, even though there was a part of me that was highly suspicious. Always trust your instance. I know.

That's another lesson. And it was just like, I was like, something doesn't feel right. I don't know if I trust her, but she's telling me I need to do this or else. So, okay. And so I did it,

and it ended up being a pretty botched job. He had post-op complications where it got, like, it ballooned up like three times or like four times the size. It was huge and so red and angry and swollen. And I took him back in and she was like, well, keep him here for three days while we massage him. We're going to massage the leg and bring the swelling down. And I was like, okay.

In the meantime, I'm like, something doesn't feel right. In the meantime, I call every vet and every rescuer I know going like, what do you think? And they're all like, Grace. Do you know how painful it is? Like she says the word massage. But what that really means is like really pressing down on a. On an open wound. Yeah.

And so with like screws and plates underneath. And so they're like, honestly, amputation at this point is a very sound choice. And so I brought it up to that vet. And I was like, hey, what do you think about amputating instead of putting him through all this pain? I'd rather just like end the suffering. And cats do really well on three legs. And she lost it. Yeah, it was actually the craziest encounter I've ever had.

with a friend, let alone a human. It was so unprofessional. She freaked out. She was so angry and screaming at how I was wasting her time and how inhumane it was and how she. It was really crazy. I was like, okay, I'm going to transfer him to another. I was like, yeah, yeah. But even like at that point in time, I was so meek and so afraid of conflict. Are you a people, please, sir? Can you tell? Yes, girl. Yes, huge. Just like zero sense of self, no boundaries. Yeah.

So I was so afraid of even like making the decision to transfer him to another hospital. But at the end of the day, it was just like connecting to him. It was about canoli. It was about canoli. And I, at that time, I was also playing a little bit with some animal communicators. And they were kind of teaching me the skill of connecting with the cats and just like connecting with their energy. And so at that moment, I did. And I was like, Canoli, like, what do you want?

What do you need for me? And I just heard him say, like, get me out of here. Just get me out of here. I don't care. Just get me. And I was like, okay. Yeah. Okay.

And so I did the hard thing in that moment, which was pulling out of this hospital with every single person in that hospital giving me dirty looks. Yeah, telling you not to. What you're doing is horrible. Oh, my God. Good for believing in yourself. I mean, yeah. Thank you. Thank you.

But I can imagine how hard that was because we put a faith and trust in people that have been, are more knowledgeable than, than, than we think we are. Yes. But you have a connection with canoli. The way you connect with your animals is what I find so heartwarming because you do have a connection. Is our little girl, Fifi, or is she? Hi, Fee. Hi, Fee, hi, Fee, hi, baby girl.

Okay, sorry, what was the question? How old is Fifi? Hard to say. When I got her a year ago, the owner who surrendered her to me, So she's been... An owner surrender. She was surrendered twice. So she moved through two families.

And so the owner who had her and he gave her to me said she was at least two, if not three. It's a very tiny two-year-old. She's very... I got to tell you guys, like this is a very... You look, you seem like she's a very... She is solid. She's a solid baby girl. Yes.

You are so cute. This is... I don't think we introduced her. This is... This is Fifi. If you follow Grace. which is Kitty Boy and Friends on Instagram and TikTok, you know Fifi.

Fifi is, you do the funniest videos with Fee, because I love the way she stares at you in the morning. She's just such a character. She really is. She's always doing something silly. Just, just. No fear for a cat. No fear.

You're not a cat. No fear. She's, I mean, she's also deaf. So there's a few. The first time that you tried to wake her up, it's one of my favorite videos. I was like, uh, what, how do I do this?

Just go scroll through Kitty Boy and Friends. And scroll all the way to the beginning and just watch different videos. Yeah. So she's got quite a few quirks. She is full ground. She's only four pounds. When I first got her, she was only three. Wow.

She was extremely underweight. Had constant diarrhea. Had a lot of tummy issues. But now she gained a full pound, which is a quarter of her weight. She's fully deaf. She's got polydactal toes. She's got six in the front, seven. Wow.

That's why her paws are so. big. They're giant, and she's just, I think she's got some form of dwarfism. It's those ears, though. It's the ears that do it for me. Is she going to jump down? Probably. Do you want to get back? Are you brave? She's like, I don't really want to be a party's conversation. I feel like I'm going all over the place because it's like there's so much to talk about. She's real. Oh, it is. Did you know that I'm back in the kitchen with a new cooking show? If you head to Valerysplace.com,

Not only will you be able to watch my podcast with the full reveal. You'll also be able to watch my new cooking shows and Valerie's home cooking. And you're going to have a place to hang out and connect with the rest of this amazing community. Share stories, recipes, and more. So just go ahead, head to Valerie's Place.com to learn all about it. Oh, and use the promo code podcast at checkout for 10% off your first month. Okay, so let's go a little bit about your background. Like how, like who are you?

Where did you come from? Oh, my gosh. Where did this magical person come from? Please tell me about you and your background. Okay. What you're comfortable talking about. Yeah, yeah. I grew up on the East Coast.

I'm originally from the D.C. area. Okay. I don't know if that's interesting. But, yeah. It is. Listen, I'm from Delaware, the first state of the Union. Yeah, not far from D.C. I look how you have your little thought right at you.

I'm like, I don't know what Maryland has. We like crabs. Yes, you do. And you're very good at serving them. Yes, yes. They have delicious crabs out there. Grove of Maryland came out to L.A. to go to Pepperdye.

It's a beautiful campus. Beautiful school. And then I just haven't left. So I've been in L.A. ever since. And growing up, I was an only child to two parents who, you know, we're going through their own stuff. And so I was very lonely. I, you know, really hit a big bout of depression in my high school years. And it was actually my senior year of high school.

I, my school required every senior to do two weeks of community service anywhere that we chose. Wolfies did too. Yeah. I think it was amazing. Yeah. So I chose to do it at a dog rescue. I was really struggling with depression. And I started this two week volunteers at this dog rescue.

And it was an hour drive in the middle of nowhere, Maryland. It was like on a farm. And I remember going every day and just feeling the. most joy I've ever felt. Really? In my life. Yeah. Like you were just like, I can't wait to get there.

Yeah. I would be so excited to drive that hour to the middle of nowhere, Maryland, to sit at a farm. And it was just sitting there and watching these dogs who had been through it. And running around this like two acre property just fills with so much love and joy and fulfillment. And I was like, this is what life is about. This is it. and I remember leaving that going, wow, that was a magical experience.

I'll probably never experience anything like it ever again. And I kind of just kept it. It was like one of those, it was just a memory, a magical memory that I never thought I'd feel or seek. But obviously life finds a funny way of taking you back to, you know, taking you exactly where your heart wants to go. Yeah. And I was also on track to really take over my dad's company. So that was. And what did your dad do?

my whole life plan, restaurants. Okay. Oh, wow. He loves your food network shows. Yeah, he loves food. We love food. We're all huge foodies, and he owned restaurants in Chicago, and it was my plan to take those over, and went to business school, got my MBA, like, did all of that.

And then at some point in college, I, like, got an internship at Vanderpump Dogs. I don't know if you're familiar with Lisa Vanderpump. Yeah, yeah. But she has a dog rescue in West Hollywood. And when I initially came to L.A., I had this big dream of Hollywood, the industry. Like, I wanted to be involved somehow. And I thought maybe a producer role or something, you know.

And so I had all these different internships in, like, fashion and magazine. And then I was like, oh, there's this one with dogs and Lisa V. Like, what a cool mashup. Let's try that. Yeah. So I worked there for a year. And I ended up quitting. and wrote a very intense pointed email.

Okay. I left angry. Yeah, and I kind of regret it looking back, not regret, but I'm like, okay, I wouldn't make that choice now. It was just like a very, I was 20. Did you have to vent? Yeah. Okay.

I was 21. I was like, yeah. Like, you know, and so I kind of left in a big plume of smoke. And, but honestly, I am kind of proud of that because she really stood for what she believed in. And I believed that they were prioritizing. things that didn't feel totally aligned to me. And so I left that and then I was going to take over my dad's business.

And then... When did Kitty Boy come into the picture? I believe like in 2019. So I had just... So I was kind of like sitting around about to like get into my dad's stuff and a friend that I had met through Vanderpump at Jess with Boomer's buddies. She was like, hey, I've got these two kittens. I'm out of town for a week. Do you mind just watching them for a week?

I was like, yeah, that sounds so easy. And so I was like, we got them into the house and the week went by and I was like, Jess, I'm not giving them back. Yeah, I know that feeling. No, I was like, this is ridiculous. And so I was like, I'll keep them until they find their home. And so I fostered them for like two, three months. And then we found them a home.

And that just started the cycle of endless fostering. I believe that was 2018 or 19. But you kept Kitty Boy. Kitty Boy, yeah. He was like maybe my fourth or fifth foster. Okay. Yeah. So he came.

And then he... And how did he become a foster failure? I don't know. He was just... He was a special little boy. He was just so special. I remember it was just an instant connection. Something.

He was so snugly. There was a moment where I remember my boyfriend was playing the guitar and he like ran up to the guitar and just sat on his lap and watched him play the guitar. And I was like, what is this? Like magical little thing, you know? And this was, keep in mind, this was like the fifth cat I've ever really interacted with. Like, I had never really been around cats until those two kittens that I fostered for the first time. Yeah. I didn't know cats.

Okay. I didn't know how magical they were. Yeah. I didn't know how. I always find that fascinating with someone because I've never not had a cat in my life. Really? From the time I was a little girl. Wow.

And the same with my son. He's never not had a cat in his life because I've always had cats in my life. Yeah. Lucky you. Yeah. Oh. I just. And it's one of those things that people don't know.

how amazing they are. Unless you've spent time with them. Like really spent time with them. You can't go to a friend's house and like need a cat. Like you're not going to get it. Mm-mm. Yeah, they have to really.

Although I must say everybody that comes over to my house falls in love with Batman and Henry. Okay. Unless you've got a really unique special cat who's super friendly to everyone. Yeah. Yeah. As they are.

Yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. That's. You'll have to come over and meet them. I would be happy to meet you. Oh, my God. Maybe we can have a little play date. Yes.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I fostered for about two years after I lost my soul cat. In fact, he's still the cat on my, you can't see it here, but I took a picture of, my soul cat was Dexter. Dexter. And Dexter's been gone for over 10 years now. But he passed away, and someone that worked with me on Hot in Cleveland said, I said, I'm just not ready for another cat. I don't know that I ever will be.

He just tore my heart out to see him pass. And she said, what you can do is foster. because they need to socialize kittens all the time. So I started fostering from a shelter here in town, and she was right. And I think this speaks to spirituality and to your heart and how open it can be, even in grief, that by taking care of helpless little creatures that need our help, really does open up your heart to a whole new world, even when you think you're never going to heal. So you go to shelters a lot?

I do. Oh, that's so hard. Have you ever been? Yes. I mean, I used to go to shelters. them and they was to take me in the back and take the kittens out that they couldn't put up front yet because they were too young. They needed bottle feeding or like Batman, the cat I have now, he's going to be 13. Like he was a, he was an orphan. He was a black cat. Nobody adopts

black cats, which I don't get. I think they're amazing. I mean, it's the stigma around them. I don't get it. The witch black cat thing. And also they're, they don't photograph very well, unfortunately. So it's hard to like send out picture. All you, all you have to know is that when you find, When you find yourself with a bat cat in your life, your life will be changed forever. It's the best. I mean, they really are. There's a reason they're like the witch's cat. Right.

And they protect us. Yeah, they are magical. Like I, when I'm not feeling well, Batman is on my chest. Yeah. He's trying to heal me. Yeah. But you may think I'm crazy if you don't have cats. But anyway, talk to me.

You don't think I'm crazy. Talk to me about, because I, it killed me every time I would go to this shelter when I would go to pick up new cats after I found kittens after I found homes for them. what is your experience going through it and how do you choose what cat you're going to bring home? Yeah. Because you can't bring them all home even though we would love to. As much as I would love to, I've learned my lesson and taking more than I can handle.

And you have a pretty full house these days. Oh my gosh, it's gotten moreful since I've moved in with my boyfriend because this is his first time fostering, and now he's like, we've got to keep them all. Oh. And I'm like, you'll learn. This is not how it works. No.

I'm like, there's someone crazier than me, which is nice. but also, yeah, so I go, yeah, the shelter, as you know, is, it's a really intense place. The energy in there is heavy. It is. It's really heavy. I feel like I've really learned over the years, and I found that now when I go in, I'm really just full-on dissociating. Like, I go in, and I'm like, okay, I'm here. You have a mission.

I have a mission, and my mission is to have an open heart, and the way that I choose, cat is really just connection, intuition, gut. But you also choose cats that have issues? Yes. I just naturally gravitate towards the ones that are a little, a little wonky. Like I like, and I do love a good project. Like I think I do have that ADHD brain that's like, just give me a big hard project. I want to devote everything to it.

And once it's good and done, like I feel complete and that high. Like, there's something about that that I love. I can't imagine what it felt like. to give potato away or Bruno away. Like you knew that these were cats that were really severely frightened. Yes. And almost feral. Yeah, it was really, I mean, honestly, with both of those,

Potato and Bruno, it was really about these, the women who adopted both of them came to me first. It's not like I had an adoption application out there being like, we're looking, we desperately need to. No, these people found me through my Instagram, had been following their journeys and was like, this is my cat. And I was like, are he short? Yeah.

Are he short? They're handsome. Like, there's a lot of issues. Like, I was like, especially with Bruno, I remember the woman who adopted her, him. I like went, we had like several face times where I was like laying out. I was like, he's aggressive. Because there was a point where you thought you had gotten to him in a good way. Like his aggression was gone and then boom, something happened.

Yeah, exactly. Wow, you have really good memory. I love this story. I have a good memory. Yes. There was like a solid, like. I don't know, maybe month, two months, where we were just making progress after pro.

It was to the point where he was laying on me and praying and just would fall asleep on my chest. And I was like, oh, we completed the journey. We're good here. And then one day, it was like something just like, something changed in his brain. I mean, this is a testament to how sensitive cats are. It was a week where I was really off.

Yeah, I was really overtired. I had been, man. I think this was when Canoli was going through his amputation journey, which was a really interesting. So you were really stressed out for that. I was really stressed out, not getting a lot of sleep, not doing a lot of self-care. And it was like the one day that I had nothing to do. I was like, wow, this is the first day I have nothing to do. So I'm just going to rest.

So I went in, I'm just going to give Bruno's food and I'm going to go lay on the couch. And so I walked in to give Bruno's food, put it down, and I wanted to walk out, which I don't normally do. I usually hang out with him. And I was like, today I'm just going to give him his food and take care of myself. and that was when he attacked me. Wow. Yeah, and I went, oh, I guess I do have something to do today. Wow.

Yeah, it was, I think, I mean, cats are just, they're so sensitive to energy. They really are. And they respond like that. And I think he was feeling that I was off, and then he felt, you know, his insecurity probably flared up. And I think he's, he definitely had abandonment issues. I don't know if he was abused, but he was definitely neglected. and yeah, it just triggered that.

He just went full on feral. That's frightening. Yeah. Because cats are, I mean, I had an experience like that with my youngest cat, who happens to be my biggest cat, 16 pounds, Tigger. He actually lashed out and bit me. And this was like I was walking to go back upstairs after I had woken up in the middle of the night.

And he lunged at me and started to bite me. I went, baby, what's all? And so I was trying to calm him and petting him. And he was just looking at me like, And something, it wasn't Tigger anymore. And then I was like, dude, it's okay. What's happening? And then he just like bit me.

I'm like, holy shit. My hand swelled up. And I thought, okay, this is, Tigger's not here. I don't know where Tigger is, but this ain't Tigger. And he's never, ever done that. This is my little cat that chirps at me every single morning, says good morning, follows me around, like doesn't come out when anybody else is home. What do you think happened?

I think I was traveling a lot. And I had just gone downstairs in the middle of the night, which he's not used to me doing. and I'd say hi to everybody, and I didn't give him any treats. I was just like getting myself a glass of water and going back upstairs. And as I rounded to go to the stairs, it's like, wait a minute, pay attention to me. And as I tried to calm him, I made it worse. I don't know why that is. But he's never done that again, and I've had him for 12 years.

Weird. So it was just a weird thing. Oh, my God. Grace, it looks like you're going to have to come back again, too, because we have so many stories. I know. I feel like we just keep jumping around. I know, but that's okay. That's okay.

That's the meat. Squirrel, you know, that's my ADHD. Undiagnosed. Okay. You know what? We're going to have to get to the full reveal at some point because I could talk to Grace forever. So let's just talk about this. Thank you for listening to the podcast. And we are going to ask a few more questions. I want to talk to you a little bit more in the full reveal, which is just for our subscribers on Valerie's Place. So if you want to hear more, you just head over to Valerie's Place.com and sign up. And for just $2 a month, you can get to hear the full reveal and get early access to every episode of this entire podcast and all of the podcasts. So thanks again for listening. And for those of you sticking around with me and Grace of Kitty Boy and Friends, we're just going to keep going.

Okay? Thank you. Thank you for listening to Getting Naked the podcast. If you want to hear the full reveal from today's episode, head over to Valerie's Place.com and sign up. For $2 per month, you'll get the full reveal and early access to every episode. of the podcast. Use the promo code podcast at checkout for 10% off your first month. I'll see you next week.