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Heidi Bender

Heidi Bender is a writer and the founder of the Joy of Cats. Heidi has been living with cats since 2003 and loves to talk about cats. Heidi's journey to becoming a cat lady is interesting and she never planned to have many cats.



Along the way she also learned how to do Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) for feral outdoor cats. She has helped TNR more than 50 cats, helping neighbors and friends feeding outdoor cats.



She currently has seven indoor cats and two outdoor cats. Heidi also enjoys creating paintings that feature cats. She also writes about thank-you notes on her site, Tons of Thanks.
Gray cat on a cat tower.

Cat Sitter Checklist With Plenty of Questions To Think About

July 11, 2025 by Heidi Bender

When you’re away from home for vacation or other reasons, having a cat sitter check on your cats can help you worry less. And yes, …

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Cat With Lots of Toys

11 Things I Don’t Let My Cats Play With

May 23, 2025 by Heidi Bender

I want to keep my cats as safe as possible. Here’s my list of things my cats don’t get to play with. I know not …

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A gray cat with a judge at a cat show.

Attending My First Cat Show

February 7, 2025 by Heidi Bender

Last weekend, I attended a Cat Fancier’s Association cat show in Bowling Green, Ohio, with one of my cat lady friends. It was held in a …

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Collage of Heidi's cats with text "Merry Christmas 2024".

The Annual Year Cat Letter for 2024

December 21, 2024December 20, 2024 by Heidi Bender

When I mail Christmas cards, I include a letter about the cats.  I was not organized enough to send out cards this year. Maybe next …

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Woman and cat with a Catit Cabrio Cat Carrier on coffee table.

Catit Cabrio Cat Carrier Review

December 13, 2024 by Heidi Bender

Catit sent me a free carrier in exchange for this review. So far, I’ve used it once to take Violet to the vet. What surprised …

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Cat Lady Heidi Bender on the couch with two of her cats.

5 Reasons Why Living With Cats Is Absolutely Awesome

November 8, 2024 by Heidi Bender

Cats are amazing creatures. Growing up, my family did not have any pet cats. I discovered the joy of cats when my husband and I …

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Heidi at the vet with Elwood on his final day.

How to Know When to Put Your Cat Down

November 1, 2024 by Heidi Bender

It’s been 11 days since we had Elwood euthanized. He had kidney disease. Since then, I’ve wondered if we waited too long to have him …

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Cat Elwood in the sun on the left. Three cats in the sun on the right.

Elwood, My Cat With Kidney Disease Died

November 1, 2024October 23, 2024 by Heidi Bender

When I wrote about the hardest part of having a cat five days ago, I didn’t know we would say goodbye to Elwood just three …

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Woman holding a skinny cat on her chest with another cat sleeping on the couch behind them.

The Hardest Part of Owning a Cat

November 8, 2024October 18, 2024 by Heidi Bender

I love cats and enjoy living with them. They are my favorite. And then the hard part comes. Their fur begins to not look so …

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Two cats, Charlotte and Taco, playing with the butterfly toy.

My 6 Cats Tried This Automatic Butterfly Cat Toy

July 19, 2024June 13, 2024 by Heidi Bender

About a month ago, my cats were sent an automatic butterfly cat toy to play with. This is their first-ever automatic toy. Some of the …

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Recent Posts

  • Cat Sitter Checklist With Plenty of Questions To Think About
  • 11 Things I Don’t Let My Cats Play With
  • Attending My First Cat Show
  • The Annual Year Cat Letter for 2024
  • Catit Cabrio Cat Carrier Review

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