Mayim Bialik On How Her Skittish Cat Taught Her Family Patience
Mayim Bialik wants all the cat ladies to come out of the closet. She has partnered with PetSmart Charities to promote cat adoption and re-define the stereotypical “cat person” as independent and intelligent. In a recent interview with Parade, Bialik said she’s never personally been saddled with the less-flattering “cat lady” moniker, but readily admits she spends a lot of time hanging out with her cats.
Bialik, a well-known animal lover and vegan, said the charity is encouraging people to share the different activities they do with their cats.
“I’m a huge cat lover. I read books on cats. I spend time with my cats. I post a lot on social media about my cats. I also post pictures of them. Cat people really do a lot with their cats! And some of it is pretty amazing, so we’re really encouraging people to send in pictures of themselves doing interesting things with their cats.”
She shared with Mashable that the adoption of her cat Frances (full name: Frances Miffy Goes to the Zoo) has provided valuable lessons about the individuality of animals, for her and for her sons. Frances is not a sociable cat who seeks out affection. For Bialik, that was an adjustment.
“Well, she’s the one who taught us about patience. I grew up with cats that were very easy to hold and pick up, and that had been my older son’s early experience with our cats, so honestly it was hard. But it gave us a great set of lessons to learn by having a special cat. You learn the different ways to treat an animal, and that every one animal is different, just like every person is different.”
Frances is apparently so shy Bialik’s assistant went months without meeting her, despite frequent visits to her home.
Mayim Bialik attended the first-ever CatConLA on behalf of PetSmart Charities to further the message of adoption.
She told Parade she has adopted cats her entire life, and liked the idea of changing the image of what it means to be a cat person. The campaign encourages cat lovers to tweet selfies with their cats, using the hashtag #meowOUT.
@missmayim wants you to declare cat pride & enter our #meowOUT Yourself Contest. Learn how: http://t.co/1ic3BdboWH pic.twitter.com/ktLAOO2F0x
— PetSmart Charities® (@PetSmartChariTs) June 26, 2015
She emphasized to Mashable that extraordinary things are different depending on the cat and her family.
“In this #meowOUT selfie campaign, people are doing amazing things with their cats — but the amazing thing Frances and I do is we sit on the couch at the same time.”
The campaign runs until July 3. Mayim Bialik will choose 5 selfies that will become part of a PetSmart promotional campaign.
[Photo by Jason Merritt / Getty Images Entertainment]
