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.

Helping a sick or injured outdoor cat

April 15, 2022September 3, 2021 by Heidi Bender

I’ve had two experiences recently with sick and injured outdoor cats. I will share a short version of those stories and then provide tips and …

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Responding to Cat Dumping Threats

September 1, 2021August 27, 2021 by Heidi Bender

Last week, I received a text message asking me to take a friend’s cat or knew anyone who wanted a cat. His partner wanted to …

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A cat carrier, striped blanket and white cat inside of a cat playpen

5 Cat Playpen Uses [with tips]

December 14, 2025August 13, 2021 by Heidi Bender

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you use the link and make a purchase, I will receive a commission. In the spring of 2017, …

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On the left is painting of a black cat with a bush on the left and pink flowers on the right. Then on right side is the reference photo.

Feral Black Cat Folk Art with Flowers (includes the story)

August 12, 2022July 22, 2021 by Heidi Bender

Every cat has a story, including the outdoor feral cats! The black cat in this painting and photo is not Midnight, the black cat that …

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A gray cat, orange and white tabby cat, and black cat eating in a food shelter.

Where’s Midnight? When The Cat Skips Breakfast

September 3, 2021July 13, 2021 by Heidi Bender

Last Saturday, Midnight gave me a little scare. Midnight is the black cat that has been coming to my yard for food for over three …

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Two orange tabby cats together on a couch

How to Deter Cats From Scratching the Couch

December 14, 2025June 18, 2021 by Heidi Bender

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission. A couple of weeks ago, we purchased …

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Dyson V7 Animal Vacuum in front of cat towers

3 Stick Vacuum Benefits and 3 Uses for Cat Life

December 14, 2025April 30, 2021 by Heidi Bender

A few years ago, we decided to get a cordless vacuum and choose the Dyson v7 animal model. We’ve had a full-size Dyson pet vacuum …

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Lady pretending to lick a cat food can while her cat lays in front of her

Cat Tongue Safety Tips

December 13, 2025April 23, 2021 by Heidi Bender

Most cats like to lick things. To reduce cat tongue injuries, my advice is to limit access to sharp things that your cats may want …

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How many litter boxes do your cats really need?

December 14, 2025April 2, 2021 by Heidi Bender

With the number of litter boxes, the general advice that I see repeated over and over again is one more litter than the number of …

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5 Things I No Longer Have in the House With My Indoor Cats

May 23, 2025February 12, 2021 by Heidi Bender

When I was a new cat owner, I knew almost nothing about cats or cat safety. Over the years, I learned that it’s easier to …

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