Vault: She doesn't tell her dates she has cats

Summary

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The Bert Show: "Vault: She Doesn't Tell Her Dates She Has Cats"

Air Date: June 19, 2026
Hosts & Contributors: Wendy, Jen Hobby, Steve, Jeff, Charles, Bretzky, and callers (Shane, Travis)

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Episode Overview

In this lively and candid episode, the Bert Show gang dives into the unexpected pitfalls of dating with pets—specifically, owning cats. Wendy kicks off a revealing discussion about why she hides the fact she owns cats from potential dates due to the lingering "crazy cat lady" stereotype. The crew and a few engaged callers dissect whether pet preferences should be disclosed early, if the cat stigma is real, and how pet ownership affects romantic prospects. The segment is humorous, filled with honest confessions and gentle ribbing—classic Bert Show style.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Wendy's Cat Concealment Confession

• [01:02] Wendy: Shares she's single and actively dating, but purposely omits mentioning her cats on first dates.
• [01:32] Wendy: Explains her anxiety about telling men she has cats, fearing the "cat lady" stereotype.
  • “I am so hesitant to tell guys that I have cats … there's a stereotype … guys will ever say is, I don’t want to date a girl with cats.”
• [01:52] Wendy: Tries to redirect pet questions to her dates to avoid revealing her feline status.

The "Cat Lady" Stereotype

• [01:52–02:22] Cast Discussion: Jen and Jeff point out the longstanding stereotype of the "crazy cat lady," often depicted as lonely and with a house full of cats.
• [02:35] Steve: Observes the double standard, noting it's acceptable to have three dogs, but not three cats.

Pet Numbers & Judgement

• [03:05] Wendy: States she has only two cats and is wary of getting more due to the stereotype.
  • “I have two, and I’m never gonna get more than two because of that reason ... I refuse to tell guys that I have cats because I don’t want them to judge me right off the bat that I’m this single lonely person who’s filthy with nothing going on.”

Pets and Dating Strategies

• [03:38] Steve: Asks if Wendy hides the cats when people come over.
• [03:43] Wendy: Tries to postpone inviting dates to her home as long as possible to avoid the cat reveal.

Smell and Cleanliness

• [03:51] Wendy: Defends the cleanliness of her home.
  • “By no means does my place smell. It’s not nasty. Actually—”
• [03:56] Jeff: Jokes, “People with cats say that.”
• [04:14] Steve: Debates whether cat litter smell or “old wet dog” is worse.

Is Withholding Cat Ownership Lying?

• [04:18–04:30] Discussion: The cast debates whether omitting cat ownership is acceptable in the early stages of dating.
  • [04:25] Steve: “Yeah, in the beginning—absolutely.”
  • [04:30] Jeff: Asserts it's fine until they're invited home.

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Callers Weigh In

Cat Guy Perspective

• [04:45] Shane (Caller): A man who owns two cats says he wouldn't judge a woman for having cats. Suggests cats are “the most convenient pets you can have.”
• [05:16] Wendy: Points out that cat owners don’t have the stigma, but “You have to find a cat guy!”

Cat Pride Advocacy

• [06:15] Charles (Caller): Offers advice to Wendy:
  • “If you’re wanting to get involved with a guy, you have got to be honest with him straight up and just tell him, look, I love cats. If you don’t accept me for that, then you don’t want to date me or get involved with me.”
• [06:42] Steve: “Be proud of your cats is what he’s saying.”

Smell Stereotype Returns

• [06:51] Stephen (Caller): Cites his work in cable TV, claims he can smell cats before getting to some houses.
  • Quotes That 70s Show: “Best case scenario, we get the smartest cat that’s ever existed on the planet, and it craps in a box in my house.” ([07:09])
• Group agrees it's a pet owners' responsibility to manage the smell.

Should You Hide Your Cats?

• [07:55] Travis (Caller): Thinks Wendy's obsession over hiding cats is “far crazier than whether or not she has cats.” Says most guys won’t jump to the crazy cat lady conclusion.

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Dogs vs. Cats: The Pet Debate

• [05:47] Jeff: “I think you get cool points if you have a dog, too.”
• [05:50] Wendy: Owns both a dog and two cats.
• [07:24] Jen Hobby: “Are you Team Dog or Team Cat?”
• [07:31] Jen Hobby: Makes the point: “At least the cat goes in a box … Dog just goes on your floor.”
• [07:43] Jeff: Adds that cat litter box placement is key, as it can gross out guests.

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Humorous & Memorable Moments

• [08:59] Jeff (to Wendy): “Whatever room your litter box is in, it stinks. … Just put it in a room that’s not going to be near your living area.”
• [09:12] Jen Hobby: Jokes: “We keep Gugu’s litter box under the dining room table. … We just pour a pile of litter on the floor underneath the dining room table at least.”
• [09:26] Steve: “Ngugu still goes on that pile of sand on the floor, where the dog goes wherever the hell it wants to go.”
• [10:17] Jeff: Compares cat owners’ claims with bridesmaids’ dresses: “It’s the same thing as cat people saying my house doesn’t ever smell like a cat. Yes, it does. That’s all I would say.”

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Wendy [01:32]: “I am so hesitant to tell guys that I have cats ... there's a stereotype ... the first thing guys will ever say is, I don’t want to date a girl with cats.”
• Jeff [02:22]: “There's a crazy cat lady... if you are single, and I think if you have more than two, you can be qualified for that category. And I don't know why that is.”
• Charles (Caller) [06:15]: “If you’re wanting to get involved with a guy, you have got to be honest with him straight up and just tell him, look, I love cats. If you don’t accept me for that, then you don’t want to date me or get involved with me.”
• Stephen (Caller) [07:09]: “Best case scenario, we get the smartest cat that’s ever existed on the planet, and it craps in a box in my house.”
• Travis (Caller) [07:55]: “Wendy’s obsession over whether or not somebody cares about the cats is far crazier than whether or not she has cats.”

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Advice & Takeaways

• [06:42] Steve: “Be proud of your cats.”
• [08:38] Steve & Jen: Don’t consider getting rid of pets to please a romantic interest; pets should come first.
• [10:52] Wendy: “My animals are not going anywhere. They’re staying.”

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Final Thoughts

The episode offers a playful, unfiltered look at how pet ownership can feel like a dating liability, especially for cat owners. Ultimately, the team (with help from callers) lands on the message: be authentic about who you are and don’t hide things like beloved pets to attract a partner—because the right person won’t mind, and sometimes, they’ll have cats too!

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Transcript

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[Wendy]

So, I mean, I am, I'm obviously single. I've talked about my single life and dating.

[Jen Hobby]

You're obviously single.

[Steve]

It's just your comments, right?

[Wendy]

I think everyone probably knows at this point I'm single and I'm going out and I'm dating a lot. And when I meet guys for the first time, there's a little detail that I leave out because, you know, you discuss things you like, discuss where you're from, your family, how many brothers and sisters do you have? What part of town do you live in?

[Steve]

Do you lie about what I do for a living?

[Charles]

Right?

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[Steve]

I'm marketing.

[Wendy]

Do you live in an apartment? Do you live in a house? But when the pet question comes up, they asked me, do I have any pets? And I am so hesitant to tell guys that I have cats.

[Jen Hobby]

Why?

[Jeff]

Because you think you're gonna be upset?

[Jen Hobby]

That creepy cat lady.

[Wendy]

I almost try to avoid the question and turn it on them before I could really answer the question. No, because I think there's a stereotype that comes with cats. And then almost the first time thing guys will ever say is, I don't want to date a girl with cats

[Jen Hobby]

because how many cats do you have?

[Jeff]

Guys have said that to you before or they've just been like, around you,

[Wendy]

around me in conversation. Because there's a stereotype with you being the cat lady, which I don't really understand what that means.

[Jeff]

What's wrong with cats? Well, there is a stigma.

[Steve]

Being.

[Charles]

Stigma.

[Jeff]

There is a stigma. There's a crazy cat lady. Like if you are single, and I think if you have more than two, you can be qualified for that category. And I don't know why that is, but I. I make that assumption too. But if you feel bad, but if

[Steve]

you have three dogs, nobody thinks anything about it.

[Jeff]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Wendy]

Because there's always been that cat stereotype, I think, ever since you were little.

[Steve]

But my thing is why? Like, I understand the stereotype, but where's.

[Jen Hobby]

Because doesn't every neighborhood have the woman who feeds all the stray cats and she's usually alone.

[Jeff]

The crazy cat lady.

[Jen Hobby]

Yeah. Her house is kind of smelly and she's got newspapers from 1970 piled up on the.

[Steve]

So that's why they think her house is going to stink.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Wendy]

Well, I could see like feeding a stray cat at their body like a dumpster or something, but I'm not going to, like, bring them in.

[Jeff]

How many cats do you have?

[Wendy]

I have two, and I'm never going to get more than two because of that reason, nor do I want to even deal with anymore. So I only have two. But I will refuse to tell guys that I have cats because I don't want them to judge me right off the bat that I'm this single lowly person who's filthy with nothing going on.

[Steve]

So when. Because eventually they have to come to your place. So do you go as far as to hide the cats or at that point is when you reveal that. You know what I gotta tell you. I gotta tell you something before we go in. Like, you're standing at the door, you unlock and say, wait a second. Before we go inside, I got something I need to tell you.

[Wendy]

I try to put off coming to my place as much as possible. So I'm like, I'll just come over there. It'll be okay.

[Jen Hobby]

You're not one of those people. You don't have like the.

[Jeff]

That is a different step.

[Jen Hobby]

You don't have the litter box, like in the bathtub of the guest room, do you? Or something?

[Jeff]

No.

[Wendy]

And by no means does my place smell. It's not nasty. Actually.

[Jeff]

People with cats say. Oh, people with cats say that.

[Wendy]

And you can tell.

[Jeff]

It's something that you say if you have cats.

[Steve]

And it's so funny that people who have dogs actually think their dogs don't smell bad.

[Jeff]

No, they don't smell like cat litter,

[Jen Hobby]

though cat litter does have a special

[Jeff]

smell that has a special.

[Jen Hobby]

But it's fine.

[Steve]

I guess like that. I guess guys like that better than the old wet dog smell on a couch.

[Jen Hobby]

Is it okay? Is it acceptable in the dating world to leave out details like that?

[Steve]

Yeah, in the beginning, absolutely.

[Jen Hobby]

For how long? How long is defined beginning, then?

[Jeff]

I mean, I think it's fine until you decide he's okay to come over to your house, because that's a whole new step. I know when they're allowed in.

[Wendy]

There hasn't been anybody allowed in yet.

[Jen Hobby]

Hey, Shane. Welcome to the bird show.

[Steve]

Shane.

[Charles]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Hey, I got two cats myself, and I would never think it's weird for a girl to have cats or anything like that or any of the stereotypes you guys just talked about. It might be the guys who, like, might be a little weird. I don't know. But, I mean, it's like there's just the most convenient pets you can have, you know?

[Steve]

Have you ever had a girl judge you for having cats as a guy?

[Charles]

No.

[Steve]

No.

[Bretzky]

All right.

[Shane]

See, I don't date a lot of girls either, and I just broke up with my girlfriend recently, so I don't know.

[Jen Hobby]

Okay.

[Steve]

They would say I'm a. Yeah, I'm. I'm a cat lover, so.

[Wendy]

Well, see, I think he has cats, so he doesn't have that judgment. So he already has the pets.

[Steve]

But, guys, you have to find a cat guy.

[Jen Hobby]

We just hung up on Shane, and

[Steve]

you could have made.

[Jen Hobby]

You could have made a brady bunch out of cats. Your cat family could have met his cat family.

[Bretzky]

Then y' all could have lived together.

[Wendy]

So are you judging cats?

[Steve]

Yeah, I think it's funny she gave a look. So you would judge a guy if he had cats?

[Wendy]

Well, because he just added to the stigma. You're single, and you're like, it's me and my cats. That's all I've got going on in my life. Me and my cats just hanging out all day long. That's all I do.

[Jeff]

See, I think you get cool points if you have a dog, too. And you have a dog, right?

[Wendy]

I do have a dog, yes. So I have a dog and two cats.

[Jeff]

See, I think that's cool points, I guess.

[Jen Hobby]

So now you've just become.

[Steve]

I come from a dog person.

[Jen Hobby]

You become an animal.

[Jeff]

I'm a dog person. I'm not a cat person. I like my friends cats. I'm totally fine with that, but I don't want one myself.

[Jen Hobby]

Well, don't you have a cat? Your friend has a cat who can drive a car and use the toilet and read.

[Jeff]

Yeah, Kirby uses the potty.

[Jen Hobby]

Hey, Charles.

[Charles]

Yes, sir.

[Jen Hobby]

What's up, Charles? You're in charge.

[Jeff]

Oh.

[Charles]

All right. I got a little advice for Wendy. I grabbed a cat. I absolutely love cats. My wife loves cats. And I think. I think you're kind of missing the big picture. If you're wanting to get involved with a guy, you have got to be honest with him straight up and just tell him, look, I love cats. If you don't accept me for that, then you don't want to date me or you don't want to get involved with me.

[Steve]

Be proud of your cats is what he's saying.

[Jen Hobby]

Hey, cat pride, Steve.

[Steve]

That's right.

[Wendy]

My campaign.

[Jen Hobby]

Hey, Stephen, welcome to the show.

[Charles]

Two things real quick. First of all, I do cable TV and a lot of houses. You get to. You can smell the cat before you get to the door. You know, clean the box out. That's fine. But I think that 70 show read. The father said it best. When kitty. His wife wanted a cat. He said, best case scenario, we get the smartest cat that's ever existed on the planet, and it craps in a box in my house.

[Jeff]

You're not a cat person, are you?

[Steve]

Yeah, it doesn't sound like that.

[Charles]

There we go.

[Jeff]

He and I are Dog pride. Dog love dog pride.

[Steve]

Cause dogs never go in the house.

[Jen Hobby]

Who are you? Are you team dog, or are you team cat? Like, at least. Yeah, that's a good point, Melissa. At least the cat goes in a box.

[Jeff]

It's cat, dog.

[Jen Hobby]

Dog just goes on your floor.

[Jeff]

Yeah, only once in a while. And those are accidents.

[Charles]

All right.

[Jeff]

But cats poop in the house every

[Jen Hobby]

day in a box. On purpose. On purpose. I would take intentional box pooping rather

[Jeff]

than whatever room that litter is in. It's. And I'm just telling you, if you put it in your bathroom and your guests have to go use that bathroom, they're grossed out. Hey, Travis, just giving you a heads up.

[Jen Hobby]

What's going on?

[Charles]

Well, I was just thinking from a guy's point of view, I have dogs and cats. That Wendy's obsession over whether or not somebody cares about the cats is far crazier than whether or not she has cats. The last thing I'm gonna think of if you mentioned to me you have cats is that you're a crazy cat lady, if anything. But you think you're a crazy cat

[Jeff]

lady because you're team cat.

[Steve]

We've talked to three guys who've had cats, so there's plenty of cat. There's plenty of guys that have cats that you could date and not Be a problem.

[Jeff]

You have to be team cat.

[Steve]

Guys. Jeff has a cat too.

[Jen Hobby]

Meow. I would like to. I would like to make an observation. I would like to make a Jen hobby observation.

[Jeff]

What?

[Jen Hobby]

Because Bert can't stand cats?

[Steve]

Yeah, he eats them.

[Jen Hobby]

He's talked about that on the air. I don't hate cats for years. And Jen, it's like, has never made a comment in alignment with cats being stinky or disliking cats until she got Carolina her dog. Now all of a sudden, she's like in the allegiance of like, yeah, I got a dog.

[Jeff]

I'm only giving you a heads up that whatever room your litter box is in, it stinks. So just put it in a room that's not going to be near your living area or anywhere people come over to visit. You go and you're good to go.

[Jen Hobby]

We keep Gugu's litter box under the dining room table. Hot that way. We don't like people stretching their feet out too far. Cause then they kick us. So that stops them pretty quick. We actually don't even have a litter box. We just pour a pile of litter on the floor underneath the dining room table at least.

[Steve]

But Ngugu still goes on that pile of sand on the floor where the dog goes wherever the hell it wants to go.

[Jeff]

I'm just saying, courtesy from an outside dog person who's not your friend who won't want to offend you that you're wherever your litter box is, it smells like a cat lives there.

[Steve]

I think we got the point. Okay, angry, angry dog.

[Jeff]

You got the point.

[Steve]

I hate cats. Generally.

[Jeff]

That is incorrect. I don't hate cats at all. I like cats and I like my friend's cats. But I'm just telling you, just giving you the heads up. These cat people like to say, but

[Jen Hobby]

my house doesn't smell like, hey, what's going on?

[Charles]

Not much. I was just going to tell Wendy that I think she should hold off on telling people about the cats because, like, half the guys I know hate cats.

[Shane]

I mean, no offense, I'm not big

[Charles]

on cats, but it'd be better to hold off.

[Jeff]

I agree.

[Wendy]

See?

[Jeff]

Yeah, I think you're doing the right thing.

[Jen Hobby]

So is what you're saying, Jen, essentially go dogs, Is that what you're saying?

[Jeff]

I'm saying team dog. No, it's fine. I think cats are fine. I'm just giving you the heads up. You can't ever. It's just like a bride saying to a bridesmaid, you're going to wear this dress again. No, you're not. And it's the same thing as cat people saying my house doesn't ever smell like a cat. Yes, it does. That's all I would say.

[Jen Hobby]

I would like to.

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[Jeff]

And not all cat.

[Wendy]

Well, we all know Jen Hobby's friends, houses smell like cats and not all

[Steve]

cat people think their house doesn't smell like cats. But I do want to say too, Wendy, don't go to the point of getting rid of your cats to please a guy. Like to me, I would have it come up in conversation because I'm like, you know what? My animals are going to come before the the person that's coming in the house.

[Wendy]

Oh yeah. My animals are not going anywhere.

[Jeff]

True.

[Wendy]

They're staying.

[Jen Hobby]

Another in depth conversation on the bird show.

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