How To Communicate with Your Pet

How To Communicate with Your Pet

From How To! with Charles Duhigg by How To!

April 7, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

Mike Pesca discusses how to communicate with pets, particularly cats, featuring insights from cat owners and behavior consultants.

Living with a cat often feels like a game of high-stakes interpretation, especially when an 18-pound Maine Coon is performing a 4:30 AM tap dance on your head. Today on How To!, Mike Pesca is joined by cat owner Steve, who shares the reality of navigating the vocal demands of his feline companions, Mr. Bad and Vincent Then, cat behavior consultant Dr. Mikel Delgado steps in to debunk the "alpha" dominance myth and the false promise of AI-powered cat translators, explaining how felines actually use subtle body language and house-specific "dialects" to communicate with and occasionally exploit their human caretakers. Delgado offers a scientific look at the "mouse bouche" caloric needs of a predator and provides actionable strategies to help owners reclaim their sleep and treat their cats like the solitary hunters they truly are. Executive Producer Corey Wara Edited by Geoff Craig Booking by Ben Astaire Do you have a burning question or a problem you need help with? Email us at [email protected] and we will consider your topic for the show. For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To receive ad-free content, become a Pesca…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Pesca

Guests: Steve, Dr. Mikel Delgado

Topics covered

  • pet communication
  • cat behavior
  • sleep strategies
  • body language
  • feline diet

Keywords

  • cat communication
  • Maine Coon
  • feline behavior
  • body language
  • sleep deprivation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Peach Fish Projects, AI-powered cat translators

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