EDITORIAL - Nathan Kehn Is The Cat's Meow — Jejune Magazine (2024)

Where are you based?
I am based in North Hollywood California.

What got you interested in acting?
I have actually been interested in acting since I was in elementary school. It started with being in a few musicals. I was Daddy Warbucks in Annie and Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Berdie.Then, when I got to high school I became a part of the“Friday announcements” where my best friend and I would film weekly skits about the upcoming events at our school. This really got me wanting to do even more filming, so I began taking acting classes outside of school.

What made you decide to switch career paths from model to actor?
Transitioning from Model to Actor has always been the plan. Not that I don’t enjoy modeling and taking photos, but that was just a means to an end.It was a great starting point for someone looking to get into the industry.

Jejune loves your instagram, @nathanthecatlady. How did you become a cat lady? Do you consider yourself a crazy one?
I have always loved cats and actually grew up with cats and dogs in the house.When I moved to LA I didn’t intend to have pets because I was so busy, but my four little rascals fell into my lap and I wasn’t about to turn them away and so I became a cat lady.Yes, I definitely think I’m crazy, but in the best way possible. Not in the way most people think of crazy cat ladies though, because that stereotype needs to die. More in the crazy, wacky, doing funny videos with no shame sort of way.

Tell us about your four cats: Princess, Pickles, Annie, and Ginger.
Well, my cats are definitely all unique in their own ways.Pickles is the man of the house and acts just like one of the guys. He will get in your face if he’s not happy, but always on the couch hanging out and will always check out any new person who walks into the house to make sure they are ok.Ginger is the momma of the house. She is a total sweetheart and loves attention. She also is the first one in bed at night to curl up and sleep. If there is ever a fight with the other cats, she is the first one on the scene to make sure everyone is ok.Annie is my little orphan from the streets. She is still very shy but getting much better. She can be very sweet in her own way and from time to time can still be feisty like she’s living on the street. Princess is just a total nut. She is very affectionate and loves attention, but she also is always running around knocking stuff over and banging into things. If she had nine lives at one point, she has to be down to two or three at this point.

Other than asking Alexia for your cats, how did you get your cats?
Well, Pickles was the first cat that I got in LA, and I actually wasn’t even the one who got him at first. My roommate had wanted to get a dog and I told him no, because I knew he wouldn’t be around to take care of it. So he asked about getting a cat and I told him that would be fine, knowing cats are more self sufficient. Well, of course after getting Pickles, I ended up being the one to take care of him, but I also was gone a lot. So I convinced my roommate to get a second cat that I would pay half for. Told him it would be his cat, but I just wanted Pickles to have a friend. He agreed, and eventually we were able to find Ginger though an adoption group.The two of them bonded almost immediately and it was great to see Pickles having a friend. But shortly after that, my roommate decided he was going to move in with his brother so I asked him if he was planning on keeping both of the cats together. I’ll never forget his response: “I don’t know. I might get rid of one of them. Ginger kind of sucks”. So I asked if I could take both cats so that I could keep them together. Then, about a year later, the mother of my girlfriend at that time found a little kitten on the side of the road (Annie) and asked if I could watch it until they found a permanent home. So I brought her home and of course Ginger brought her in and began to groom her as though it were her own kitten. Needless to say I now had three cats.Then, a little while after that, I moved in with my current roommate who asked if he could bring his cat Princess from his past relationship. Seeing as how I already had three, I agreed and she has now joined the group, and I consider her one of my own.

Do you have any favorite cat stories with them?
I think one of my favorite cat stories was one that I wasn’t even around for. I strictly came home to see the aftermath.Apparently, one day Princess saw a brand new 2-liter of Diet co*ke on the counter and decided that it did not belong. So, according to my roommate who witnessed this, she go on her back legs and with both paws shoved the soda bottle off the counter. The bottle landed on its cap, which broke, and then shot off like a rocket all over the living room flying back and fourth. So, when I got home there was soda on the walls, the floor, the stereo and everywhere.

Have you always been a cat person or did something spark the light inside you?
I have always been a cat person/animal lover in general. I grew up with cats and dogs, but always had a special place in my heart for cats. My room growing up had big cat posters all over the walls and was filled with plants and green lightbulbs to make it a jungle.I didn’t intend to be a Cat Lady when I moved to LA, but it’s funny how things can circle back and come into your life without your control.

What inspired you to start making videos with your cats?
The originalreason I started making videos for Instagram was actually to build up my acting career.It had gotten to the point where I was losing commercials because I didn’t have a following. After I had already done the casting and been put on hold, the casting department would ask to see my instagram, which had a little over 700 followers, and then release me from the job. So I began making little skits to try and build up my following, until one video I did with Princess went viral, and then another.So I tried a few more and they all seemed to take off. So, after a while, I decided that I should just keep making cat videos because they were fun for me and people really seemed to enjoy them.

Do your fans have a favorite cat?
A lot of fans seem to have their own favorites which is why when I first launched merch, the first items were “Pick your team”. So you can buy a “Team Pickles” or “Team Princess” etc.I would say most people’s favorite is either Pickles or Princess, but I’ve had a few trickle in for Annie and Ginger and ask for them to get more air time.

Which of your cats likes to hog the limelight the most?
I would say Pickles and Princess love to steal the Limelight, which makes it easy for content because the two of them are always trying to do something fun, in their own way.

You work with/promote a ton of (mostly cat) organizations:Kitten rescue LA, SNPLA, Best Friends Adoption, Cat Cafe Lounge, and Stray Cat Alliance, to name a few. Why are these important to you?
I think it’s important for me to bring attention to all of these rescues because they are the ones Actually rescuing cats, and who better to bring attention to them than someone with a big following of cat lovers. These people dedicate their lives to saving cats, I just make silly videos. I think it’s only fair I try and bring the attention over to them as well.

Most of these organizations focus on adoption. Do you feel there is a big adoption issue/stray cat issue?
There is a huge adoption/stray cat issue. There are stray cats everywhere and there are not enough homes for them. On top of that, California has a ban on TNR, which means the population of strays will continue to grow. If you aren’t aware of what T.N.R is, it stands for Trap, Neuter, Release. There are people that go out, trap strays, get them fixed, then return them so they can live out their lives without breeding more kittens. I was told that LA has to put down around 10,000 kittens per year because they have nowhere to go, and that is insane to me.

You helped buildTiny Beans Cat Cafe this summer. How did you get involved with this? How was the experience?
Yes, this summer I helped build Tiny Beans, which was an awesome experience.It all started when the owner of CatCafe Lounge mentioned that she was going to be doing a pop up kitten cafe for kitten season.We had started talking about finding ways for me to advertise it for her and then she asked if I knew good handymen or carpenters that could help with the building and remodeling of the rental space. I told her that I used to do that work before I was a CatLady and I’d be happy to do the work for free.She had a great plan for the place and I think it turned out great. I also got unlimited access to play with kittens and you can’t put a price on that.

Jejune loves how popular cat cafes have become. Why do you think they are so important?
Cat cafes are so important and I can’t wait for the day that this is where all rescue cats end up until they are adopted.The problem with most rescues is, because of lack of space and resources, the cats are confined to small cages and not able to socialize with other cats or people.Cat cafes give cats more freedom to roam around as well as gets them used to being around other cats and people.This also give people the opportunity to meet and play with cats before they decide if they are a good fit for their home.Not to mention it’s one more way to help raise money to put towards the care of these animals, so I really hope that this continues to be the trend.

You don’t just help small domestic cats. You also paid for and built a tiger pool for one of the senior tigers who could no longer climb into his above ground pool at Exotic Feline Breeding Compound. What got you involved in this project? How is our tiger friend doing now?
Yes, back when my page had just begun to grow, I became aware of a place up north called the EFBC.They have tigers and leopards and all sorts of big cats.I didn’t know much about them, but it seemed like they were doing their part to help with the conservation of big cats and I wanted to learn more. So I scheduled a tour to go up there and visit. While I was there, I got to meet Cesar, who was an 18 year old tiger that had been taken from someone’s apartment.He had gotten to the point where he had a limp and could no longer climb into his above ground pool.Keep in mind this was in the middle of the summer and we were basically out in the desert so it was easily 90-100 degrees.I asked the owner’s son why they didn’t dig a pool into the ground for him and they said it was just an issue of money. They needed a team to dig the hole and then had to hire someone to come in and lay the cement. So I got a few of my friends together and we came up one day and dug the hole, which was not easy in that heat or with that rock hard ground. I then paid to have the cement guy come and finish the pool.It was great, because the whole day we were digging, Cesar was right there watching us and we could walk right up to him and say hi while he waited.He was able to use the pool a few times, but unfortunately I contacted them for an update about how he was liking the pool and they informed me that he had passed away.So, I only hope that there will be another senior tiger that can benefit from this pool.

In a slightly different direction, you also worked with Tree People this year, and set up a day for your followers to join you for a day of planting trees. How did that turn out? We love that you inspired others to join you. Did you get a good group of people to come?
Working with Tree People this year sort of came out of nowhere. It was a hot day in LA and I was looking around and thinking “there really should be more trees around because that would fix so many problems”. So I started googling if there was anyone that planted trees or if I was able to do it myself and I came across Tree People. So I sent them a DM and just asked if I could come out for a day and inspire my followers to join. They were all about it, so one Saturday I went out with a few friends — we planted about 24 trees.I don’t know the exact number of people that came out from my page because only a few came up to me at the very end and said they were here because of my page, but were too shy to say earlier.So there were around eight that I know of, but there is a chance more were there that were just too shy. Now that the holidays are behind me I am hoping to line up another day or two of tree planting.

Do you have any advice for pet owners?
The only advice I would give to pet owners, because everyone has their own way of raising their pets, is to just make sure you’ve done everything to give them a good life.Whether it be giving them good places to sleep, good treats, or just making time for them. They depend on us, so they should be spoiled at every turn.

What does Nathan The Cat Lady have up his sleeves for 2020?
I’m playing this one day at a time. I have no idea what this year could bring, but I am very excited for it. I do know that I will be traveling even more and will be doing a lot more cat conventions. Beyond that, who knows. Just crossing my fingers and hitting the ground running.

What is your motto in life?
I think at this point my life motto is “don’t take anything too seriously, and work hard”. It may seem kind of simple, but it seems like in 2019 everything was a life or death situation. People constantly attacking each other over politics, or phrasing of words, or silly videos on instagram. At the end of the day, I think most people have good intentions and if we spent less time looking for a fight and more time getting off out butts and working, a lot more would get done.

To learn more about Nathan and his adorable fluffy friends please follow him via the following platforms: Instagram: nathanthecatlady
Facebook: Nathanthecatlady
YouTube: Nathan Kehn
Twitter: NathantheCL
www.nathanthecatlady.com