Tails and Tassels

Neysa Lozano: How Theater, Tarot and Cats Shape Her Creative World

• Gemma Smith • Season 1 • Episode 17

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In this week’s Tails and Tassels, Gemma sits down with the multi-talented Neysa Lozano, an actor, avant-garde theater artist, tarot reader, and storyteller. Neysa shares how her love for performance and mysticism intertwine, from her theatrical roots to crafting compelling narratives. She also dives into the inspiration behind her heartfelt storytelling piece at Catbaret, where she honored her beloved cat, Buddy. Plus, Neysa treats us to some spot-on cat impressions and talks about the special bond she shares with her cats, Buddy and Midnight.

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Logo by Logan Laveau

Neysa Lozano
I can meow exactly like a cat. It is the first thing on my resume because it is very important to me. So you have to do it. and I will. trust me. And I have different, different levels of it. just.

Gemma Smith (00:18.926)
Welcome back to another episode of Tales and Tassels, the show where you pounce into the lives of burlesque and nightlife performers, their craft, their cats, and how the two worlds collide. I'm your host Jemma Smith by day, I'm a manager at a kitten nursery, and by night I host the Cat Beret, New York City's cat-themed variety show.

Today's guest is the incredibly talented actor, storyteller, and tarot reader, Neysa Lozano. With a background in avant-garde theater, Nesa brings a unique perspective to performance, weaving together art, intuition, and storytelling. We dive into her creative journey, the role Tarot plays in her work, and her heartfelt storytelling piece, A Cat Beret, about her beloved cat, Buddy. Nesa also delights us with her spot-on cat impressions

can't wait for you to hear and share stories about her two very special feline companions, Buddy and Midnight. They actually remind me a lot of the dynamic between my own two cats, Lionel and Luna. It's a conversation full of passion, artistry, and of course, cats. She's obsessed with them. So let's dive into the conversation. Thanks so much for chatting with me today, Naysa. Yeah, thank you for having me.

So I first met you at Caveat for our April show. You're working there and you were like, I love cats and I'm a performer. And we had you at the Meowloween show. So to get started, could you share with our listeners a little bit about your background and journey as a performer?

Neysa Lozano (02:10.328)
Yeah, of course. So I went to NYU for my undergrad, which was a choice. Just NYU is very expensive. But I, through that, got to work with the grad acting program, because I took that on as a work study and eventually worked there full time. So I got to take classes with a lot of really incredible teachers. I did movement classes, voice classes, clowning, and so that kind of expanded me. 

Gemma Smith (02:19.591)
you 

Neysa Lozano (02:40.238)
in ways that I really, really loved. And then when I kind of started on my own, I did a lot of avant-garde theater. My favorite of the shows that I did live too, I did a puppet show called War with Newts. Highly recommend checking out. There's a podcast of that now too. So would recommend checking that out because it kind of gives you the idea of the book that it's based on. And then I also did a zombie version of Awakened Sing called Wake Sing. 

Neysa Lozano (03:10.35)
So avant-garde theater was kind of my bread and butter for a while and then come the pandemic that there was less opportunity for that for obvious reasons. And that's when I kind of switched to writing my own stuff and I'm hopefully working on like a one woman show and like a couple of different things. So we'll see how that all pans out. 

Gemma Smith (03:33.257)
I love that. Okay, you had me at zombie. I feel like I saw R and J and Z once. was like Romeo and Juliet's and zombies. So I have to check out, you said it's called Wake Sing. 

Neysa Lozano (03:42.566)
Yes, yes, it was put up forever ago. was, so, oh, I wish that I had, well, it was with this director called Jesse Friedman. He's incredible, but he loves to do these very, like, avant-garde, kind of pulled from everywhere pieces. And so we did Awaken sing, but like, the first act we were learning, we were coming out of the ground. 

Neysa Lozano (04:09.494)
And then it became, it was mirroring the zombie movie. the very famous zombie trilogy. Night of the Living. Yes, Dawn of the Dead, all of that. So in that, you would see the triplet of the zombies where they first come to life and they're just kind of mindless. And then they start to replicate their human behavior. 

Neysa Lozano (04:36.088)
but they still don't have emotions. And in the end of the trilogy, they start to find their emotional self again. And he mirrored that with Wake and Sing, which is about coming to the realization of being oppressed by capitalism. It was brilliant and also made no sense. The reviews on it were terrible and I loved every minute. 

Gemma Smith (04:56.92)
Yeah, it sounds like a very unique experience and I love that whole like evolution of the zombies. So thank you for sharing that. You're the first person to share an avant-garde zombie theater piece on the pod. 

Neysa Lozano (05:09.132)
What? That is shocking. 

Neysa Lozano (05:10.427)
How is it not just a common thing? 

Gemma Smith (05:13.672)
Now I love that you mentioned you started writing you're creating your own work We have had a lot of artists on the podcast who have shared with me that you know when opportunities seemed less they found a lot of empowerment in creating their own work and so For cat beret you wrote and performed a storytelling piece about your cat for our listeners who weren't there I was wondering if you could share a little bit about your inspiration and a bit about that piece 

Neysa Lozano (05:42.956)
Of course. So that piece, it has many, many names, but it's about my relationship with my cat, Buddy. Buddy, when I first adopted him, was pretty feral. And over time, I was able to help him kind of become the most cuddly thing in the world. And I adore him now with all my heart. And I mirrored that. So my idea for this piece came when I just gotten out of an emotionally abusive relationship. 

Neysa Lozano (06:11.818)
And I had realized in the process of that, I was like, well, why can't he just trust that I know what I'm doing? I know what I'm talking about. It worked with my cat. why like, and, and so that kind of stemmed that. And it was an exploration of my own, like, obsessive need to like help and try and like support other people and how it comes somewhat at my own detriment and how it's a different 

Neysa Lozano (06:39.775)
when it's your pet, your loved one, because you have their dependent on you in a very different way. And yeah, and so that's where that piece kind of came from. it's gone through many different changes, but it's one that I really love. 

Gemma Smith (06:56.215)
I loved it too. And I think it really resonated with our audience talking about adopting a cat who had more perhaps we call it in the shelter world under socialized. We call them also in visi cats because sometimes they hide when they get into an adopted adoptive home. We call them lion tamers for our kittens who are fosters. So yeah, so I think that really resonated with our audience. 

Neysa Lozano (07:24.48)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

Gemma Smith (07:25.903)
And how do your cats, because I believe you have two cats, right? Okay, and we're gonna dive into your cat mom journey and more about your cats in a moment, but how do your cats, or cats in general, inspire or influence your art or performances? 

Neysa Lozano (07:29.206)
I do. 

Neysa Lozano (07:42.222)
Oh my goodness. So cats in general have kind of been a massive part of me for my entire life. I got my first cat when I was like 10 and I was obsessed with her, but she ended up kind of bonding with my mom, which was hard for me and it's okay. the general gist of this is I would just like... 

Neysa Lozano (08:07.854)
I started to like, I can meow exactly like a cat. It is the first thing on my resume, because it is very important to me. I, and I will, trust me. And I have different, different like levels of it. just, but like, I started dressing up like cats just, you know, during the chibi era, like I would always, I would go into work at a nine to five with like cat ears. And. 

Gemma Smith (08:16.208)
So you have to do it. Yes. 

Gemma Smith (08:23.472)
You 

Neysa Lozano (08:34.634)
And just being able to, whenever anything would come up where I could embody a cat, I could like, whatever, I was obsessed with it. And then when I started writing, I was very inspired, particularly by Buddy, I think, because the journey he and I had together was so intense and we are so now deeply bonded that I have written a couple of pieces about him, actually. 

Gemma Smith (09:00.742)
I love that. Okay, 

Gemma Smith (09:02.793)
I didn't know. I knew you loved cats and I knew you loved Buddy and your cats, but I didn't realize the extent of it from childhood and wearing the cat ears to a nine to five and it wasn't even like a nine to five in animal related field. I love it. I think cat ears are cute. Like I wear them to a concert. Yeah. 

Neysa Lozano (09:10.51)
Thank 

Neysa Lozano (09:16.815)
Mm-mm. Mm-mm. 

Neysa Lozano (09:23.598)
I really wanted there's some that react to your emotional state and I want them so bad 

Gemma Smith (09:30.788)
Okay, so anyone listening, this would be a good birthday present for you, any of your friends. 

Neysa Lozano (09:34.382)
100%, 

Gemma Smith (09:37.571)
Now tell us, you, so is now a good time to hear your meows, I wonder? 

Neysa Lozano (09:41.472)
Yes, 

Neysa Lozano (09:41.903)
I was gonna say. so to copy my cat Buddy, he's like, {makes meowing noise}

Neysa Lozano (09:58.286)
And then I've had other cats that are like so midnight goes , {makes meowing noise}

Gemma Smith (10:10.438)
That's really good. I would believe those are real cats if I wasn't looking at you. 

Neysa Lozano (10:14.764)
I, I, it's, thank you. And then my angry cat sound. , {makes meowing noise}

Neysa Lozano (10:25.486)
And then I'm trying to think kittens.  , {makes meowing noise}

Neysa Lozano (10:35.214)
Yeah, I have multiple and yeah, it's interesting. I didn't realize that having my earbuds in, I was like, that changes the way I hear myself. But yes, I will just copy cats. I love to meow like them and I love just like, yeah. And whenever I get stressed or anything, I meow sometimes. It's an obsession. 

Gemma Smith (10:35.406)
So good. 

Gemma Smith (10:58.693)
I'm here for it. you know, sometimes 

Gemma Smith (11:00.393)
I have to look up. I was trying to find like sound effects that if ever I have to when I edit my podcast episodes, if there's like a change of subject abruptly, I usually just add a little bit of our music. But I was trying to like add a meow and there's all this stock like audio of meows. You could do that. You could have yours up there. There's got to be a way to get your meows. 

Neysa Lozano (11:20.168)
I would love that 

Neysa Lozano (11:21.843)
so much. You have no idea. I love it. I love making meowing sounds. 

Gemma Smith (11:27.703)
and you can call your cats. You sometimes I play videos of cats meowing when I'm in bed and I want my two cats to come in bed. It's like a thing, so you don't even have to play the sound on your phone. You could just like do it and your cats will be like, a meow. 

Neysa Lozano (11:42.828)
Yep, yep. I'll just be like, ah-ow, and they'll just like, 

Gemma Smith (11:46.149)


Gemma Smith (11:48.452)
I love that. So you touched on, you have a couple storytelling pieces inspired by Buddy. Are there any other acting pieces or anything else that you have inspired by cats or any other performances you've done? It's 

Neysa Lozano (12:06.412)
Yes, so 

Gemma Smith (12:06.631)
okay. 

Neysa Lozano (12:07.463)
there's a YouTube video that I did a while ago for my friends have a bi-monthly, bi-monthly being every other month performance space for people to put up new and emerging work called Undiscovered Countries. But I did something for that where I was a superhero whose only skills that she could talk to one cat. 

Gemma Smith (12:32.123)
okay. That's an interesting superhero skill. That's really great for this podcast. Someone would, people would love that skill to talk to their cat. 

Neysa Lozano (12:39.308)
Right? Right? But it was just, she couldn't talk to animals, just the one cat, but she was trying to join like a superhero league, because she was like, no, but it's so cool. And then not cat related, but I also have axolotls. And I have a piece about, it's called How to Take Care of a Sick Axolotl, which has the most views because people think that it's actually informative and it's not. It was me dealing with, 

Neysa Lozano (13:08.37)
loss and feeling out of control during the pandemic trying to save this axolotl. 

Gemma Smith (13:15.821)
So we're gonna have to link some of these in the show notes. I'll follow up with you so that folks can watch. And I feel so ignorant. I love animals. I work in animal welfare. Can you tell me more about an axolotl? 

Neysa Lozano (13:27.656)
Yes, so 

Neysa Lozano (13:28.566)
they are salamanders that never make it out of the aquatic phase. They're having a moment right now in pop culture. So like they're pretty popular because it looks like they're always smiling. They're always like, and they have the little like fins gills on, it's gills, not fins, gills on the side of their head. Yeah, and so I have two of them and they're so cute. 

Gemma Smith (13:42.723)
Wow. 

Gemma Smith (13:54.542)
They sound so cute. Okay, I'm gonna have to look these up again. I think I've seen exactly what you're talking about when you said they look like they're smiling. And in a moment, I will ask you more about how they get along with Buddy and Midnight. But first, I definitely wanted us to mention that you're a tarot card reader, which, yeah, which is fascinating. So could you just tell us a little bit about your background in tarot card reading and where folks... 

Neysa Lozano (14:02.19)
Mm-hmm. 

Neysa Lozano (14:13.58)
Yes! 

Gemma Smith (14:23.117)
perhaps in New York City could get a reading from you. 

Neysa Lozano (14:26.188)
Yeah, of course. So I started reading 12 years ago now. Basically, I had been around it my entire life. My mom is pagan, so I've been kind of part of that world. she, when I went to college my senior year, they offered us tarot readings as a like, hey, you're out in the world. Here's something for you. 

Neysa Lozano (14:55.438)
And my reading was terrible. The person told me that I was cursed. She said if I paid $75, she would reverse that curse. And she said it was my grandmother of all people. And I was like, certainly of the people who cursed me, it would not have been my grandmother. And I left there just so mad because I was like, I know that she got paid real money because it was NYU. And like, 

Neysa Lozano (15:20.576)
I know that I could do this better. So I started reading and realized that like the cards spoke to me in a way that they like, it was just a very unique experience where I like understood it beyond just what was in the book. I then did a tarot performance piece like years later and offered readings as my cast gift. And from then on out, I have been doing it professionally because I just, I realized I really liked it. 

Neysa Lozano (15:49.496)
felt there was something there. 

Gemma Smith (15:51.106)
Yeah, it sounds like you really have a passion for it and a skill for it. And I know that you also do tarot readings somewhere in the city. And can you let us know when and where? Because I really want to come and get a reading from you. I've never had a tarot. 

Neysa Lozano (16:06.644)
Yes, of course. So I read Tarot every Tuesdays, every Tuesday at a place called Employees Only. It's in the village. It's like a six minute walk from Stonewall. Yeah, that's right. Good job. It's like a six minute walk from there. So that's the area. It's called Employees Only. It's set up to look kind of like a psychic. 

Neysa Lozano (16:35.916)
like a psychic space and then in the back is the bar. It's really cool. Every day they have a different tarot reader there, but I read on Tuesdays in particular. And I was saying, if anyone mentions this podcast, I would love to be able to give them a discount on the tarot reading at the very least, because that's, it's all just for me. So yeah, and I love being able to do that because sometimes you really get to like make a connection or, 

Neysa Lozano (17:03.882)
uncover people in this really intense and beautiful way. It's my favorite thing. 

Gemma Smith (17:10.444)
my goodness, okay, I definitely want to check it out and I'm gonna be if my own friends, Karina, Ziva, they're cat moms and they are very interested. And Taro, what time on Tuesdays? 

Neysa Lozano (17:20.494)
Yes, so I'm there from 6 to 11. I can stay later. So sometimes I will stay until midnight, sometimes one o'clock. But definitely between 6 and 11, I will be there. 

Gemma Smith (17:35.157)
Wonderful. What a great weekly gig with something that you're passionate about and and speaking of Tarot cards I'm curious our cats inherently tied to tarot or mysticism Is there a unique connection you found between your love of cats and your practice? 

Neysa Lozano (17:53.198)
So I don't, well, I think cats are inherently tied in just in the way that they kind of exist with us. In a very similar way, I would say that a lot of nature and natural animals are, but there is something that is particularly, you're synced up with a cat in a different way. I think just because... 

Neysa Lozano (18:18.304)
you know, not to be the person who's like, cats are so intuitive, but they are, they really are. And they, whenever you're around them, it's like being around a teenager and that like, you know that they want you and you want to be with them, but also they are fine in their own space. And I love that for them. So there is inherently some sort of a connection to like the mysticism and the unknown. But I also would say that like, 

Neysa Lozano (18:44.27)
That could be true of anything that you have this kind of intense connection with But there is a reason that cats are like pretty famously Like known to be your your spirit nuts. Well, what's the word? 

Neysa Lozano (19:05.474)
The word for like a witch's companion. 

Gemma Smith (19:08.401)
Yes, familiar. 

Neysa Lozano (19:10.082)
Familiar, thank you! 

Gemma Smith (19:12.247)
I knew it, I'm happy I knew it. 

Neysa Lozano (19:15.118)
But yeah, I would say that there's a reason cats are known to be your familiar and it's because there is something that is inherently there. That being said, whenever I do try and do something that's like spiritual or witchy in my own space, I do often have to love-ling-ly put my cats in another room because they love to be a part of it and they will knock stuff over like sometimes when I'm reading tarot, just 

Neysa Lozano (19:43.956)
right on top of it. I'm like, you just don't want me to read this. Okay. 

Gemma Smith (19:48.297)
Yeah, that's like when my cat just wants to sit on my laptop when I'm trying to work. So I completely understand. And you know what? I would just love to have you at the I'm gonna do another Meow-Loween cat parade this fall. I would love to have you read Tarot. It could be an act. It could be however you want to do it for the show. Like you could have an audience member come on stage. But I think that would be really cool. 

Neysa Lozano (19:51.63)
Exactly. Exactly. 

Neysa Lozano (20:11.698)
I would love that. Also, I have cat tarot cards. I might pop off camera for like two seconds because I had meant to bring them over and forgotten, but they're literally right over there. Let me grab 

Neysa Lozano (20:33.163)
There are multiple decks and there are other cat tarot cards. These are a little bit more comical in their journey. But I really love them because when you read specifically with comical cards, they give you a harsher reading than the other ones because they're really trying to prove to you. They're like, no, no, I know what I'm talking about, but they're so cute. 

Gemma Smith (20:58.688)
That's so, they're so cute. says page of cups and I think the cat's going in the toilet. And this one says the high priestess. yeah, they My girl cat, she is the high priestess. 

Neysa Lozano (21:03.532)
Yeah, and the high priestess. 

Neysa Lozano (21:09.484)
Yes, 

Neysa Lozano (21:10.015)
same with mine. When I was going through a particularly hard time, she would sleep at the top of my head and I just felt like you're absorbing all of that energy for me. 

Gemma Smith (21:19.647)
I love that. Those are so cute. Yes, you would have to, you could use those at the show. 

Neysa Lozano (21:24.874)
Mm-hmm. I would adore that and I would I would love to do something over there. So please that sounds perfect 

Gemma Smith (21:31.135)
Okay, yes, listeners, you have to stay tuned and remember you can watch virtually if you're not in New York City. And so now is the part of the episode where we're going to talk more about your cats. We've heard you mention them, Buddy and Midnight. So can you share a little more about their origin stories, how they came into your life? 

Neysa Lozano (21:48.8)
Of course. So Buddy was, I mean, he's part of my storytelling. So anyone who did see the show for the previous Meow-A-Lean would know that this was our, that this was my journey with him is that I got him at the ASPCA. He was like, they had said to me, well, you need to be a bit more of an experienced. 

Neysa Lozano (22:13.71)
cat owner and I was like, I'm experienced. And then I realized pretty immediately what they meant. He had his whole room to himself, which was like unheard of. It was meant for three to four cats and it was just him. But he was so beautiful and so loving and he had this energy, like even now he was scratching at the door just a little bit ago. So sorry if that gets picked up. Even now he like doesn't. 

Neysa Lozano (22:41.268)
want to be alone. He's very much bonded to me and very protective of me in a beautiful way. I absolutely adore him. So I am very glad that he was the one that we ended up going home with. He just required trust because the poor thing had been sent back and forth between the vet and or not the vet, the pound, and then the ASPCA and anybody who took him home immediately put him back because he was so hard to take, you know, like not take care of, but like he was so 

Neysa Lozano (23:11.15)
prone to like bite and attack because he was defensive and it was really heartbreaking. Yeah, exactly. So that was his journey and there came a point with him when I like kind of learned what like his eyes would change shape and I knew that that meant he was upset. And I learned that like in those moments if I just took him into another space and closed the door, open the door, he would be fine. 

Gemma Smith (23:16.506)
He was scared. 

Neysa Lozano (23:37.272)
but I had to like remove him from the immediate space or else I became prey. So once we got to a place where I realized he just had a bunch of energy and needed a companion, that's when I was like, we should get a second cat. And I was very lucky that there was this woman in the neighborhood who'd overheard me talking to my partner at the time about it and was like, I have cats. We were like, okay. 

Gemma Smith (24:05.746)
Ha ha ha! 

Neysa Lozano (24:08.27)
Yeah, I was like, yeah. So we went and we went over to her place and she had a bunch. But the one that she was comfortable giving us was Midnight. Now, the only thing I do feel bad for Midnight because she is like this big and very fluffy. So she's like a living cat toy to like Buddy. But weirdly they became 

Gemma Smith (24:08.988)
Works out. 

Neysa Lozano (24:37.966)
pretty friendly. Like, Midnight is still pretty standoffish with him for understandable reasons. But he, like, even though he, like, chases her and they play with each other, he's very cautious to never, like, break skin. He's never, like, made her bleed. And also, he, like, lets her eat first, which I always thought was really sweet. Yeah. 

Gemma Smith (25:05.137)
That is weird. 

Neysa Lozano (25:07.028)
Yeah, I really loved that. And now, like I said, they're not like she's still pretty standoffish. He loves her, but she's like, which again, I support her for she she can climb and he's not as good at it. So she loves up spaces. And we have a couple of like up spaces for her to nicely hide away. But when he comes over in the morning, every morning when I wake up, he comes for like cuddles and pets. 

Neysa Lozano (25:34.966)
and then she'll come for like cuddles and pets. And that's the moment that it's like we're this really lovely, happy family and they'll like touch noses. And I'm just like. 

Gemma Smith (25:45.363)
my gosh, that's so, so beautiful. It's very similar, your story is a little similar, but my cats don't do that. I have a male cat, Lionel, who is more, kind of could be a little feisty after read his body language. It sounds like you read your cat Buddy's body language very well. And then I have a more shy female cat, but, they don't, they don't really get along, but it's interesting that Buddy actually loves her. 

Gemma Smith (26:12.239)
Even though he was more fearful with humans, but he gained your trust. He was like welcoming to another cat. What's your age difference? 

Neysa Lozano (26:21.39)
Um, Buddy is... Let's see. Buddy is 11 and Midnight is 7. So it's a four year age difference. 

Gemma Smith (26:32.688)
That's pretty good though. They're both like grown cats at this point. So now how long have you had them? 

Neysa Lozano (26:39.662)


Neysa Lozano (26:40.463)
I've had Midnight for about six years and Buddy for ten. 

Gemma Smith (26:47.516)
Nice. Yeah, I have 11 and 10 their ages as well. So similar time of life. And I really like that you mentioned Midnight likes to be up high. So you make sure to give her spaces up high. Because oftentimes cats will be like, I think Jackson Galaxy says like tree dwellers or bush dwellers. Does Buddy like to have like his cozy spots more down low? 

Neysa Lozano (27:11.576)
Buddy insists on being wherever we are, like the humans are. Buddy sees no difference in him and us. Like, there was a period of time I tried to get him to not go on tables and that just doesn't happen. It's absolutely a no-go, Buddy is on tables because he has to be the strongest thing in the room. He's once taken down a dog and I felt very bad for this poor dog. I took him on vacation to 

Neysa Lozano (27:41.198)
another ex's house and they had dogs and he's like, it's okay, this dog is trained to be around cats, it'll be fine. And they like met each other and they like touched noses and that's when Buddy was like, I got this and he swiped at the poor thing. And the dog ran and hid and Buddy just plopped right where the dog was standing. And then he started sleeping in his dog bed and I was like, Buddy. 

Gemma Smith (28:06.823)
my gosh, but he's like, no, I am claiming this dog's territory, basically. 

Neysa Lozano (28:10.622)
Mm-hmm. 

Neysa Lozano (28:12.003)
Mm-hmm. He was like, haha, you think you're the strongest thing here. There was a, they had like a table and the father of that family kept trying to keep Buddy off the table. And I was like, he's not gonna, he's not gonna do that. Just so you know, he's not. 

Gemma Smith (28:29.829)
with you like, okay, my cats want to be on the table at the kitchen counter. It's fine. I mean, I keep things clean. Okay, people, but like their cats and their clean cats are pretty clean as well. And so you just wipe things down, let them live their life and be on those tables. 

Neysa Lozano (28:45.632)
Exactly! And it just felt like an unnecessary battle. Like, look, Buddy just wants to be one of us. We are the same in his mind. So just let him sit here. 

Gemma Smith (28:56.781)
Yeah, it's a nice thing. He's comforting. He's being comforted by being near you.  So you're talking about Buddy and Midnight and their relationship with each other. And you mentioned a really special ritual, which is in the morning they both come to you for cuddles and their nose touches. I was curious if you have any other. 

Neysa Lozano (30:15.448)
Mm-hmm. 

Gemma Smith (30:24.943)
Daily routines are special rituals with your cats. 

Neysa Lozano (30:29.258)
I mean that one is the sweetest buddy also whenever I work he always has to be on this side of me It's like a very particular thing. He always has to be on my left side He refuses to ever go on there even though there's always more space on the right And then sometimes midnight will try and take that same space One thing that I think is very cute is midnight was because we got her very young. I got her when she was about 

Neysa Lozano (30:55.934)
six to nine months, like very early into her life. And so she was very much taught how to behave by Buddy. So she's the most anxious cat in the world. like, she just exists with a heart attack. I like to say that her meow sounds like somebody is breaking up with her, but in a very public place. So she has to hold it together. That's the like. 

Gemma Smith (31:07.726)
Mm. 

Gemma Smith (31:22.254)
That's a very good description. I knew exactly what you meant when you're like in a public place. 

Neysa Lozano (31:27.918)
It's just like midnight. Are you okay? She's like 

Neysa Lozano (31:32.718)
But so Buddy trained her to be very social because he's a very social cat. Despite the fact that he attacks very quickly, he loves being around people, loves being the center of attention. So she like greets me at the door, both of them do, they'll greet me at the door when I come home and they always have to like be around me or my partner. Like they just need to like exist with us. 

Neysa Lozano (32:00.875)
But Midnight gets scared at the drop of a hat. So she'll like come and sit right next to me and then like something will crinkle across the room and she'll scatter. 

Gemma Smith (32:13.082)
it sounds like with Buddy, he's very social, loves people like you said, but you can read his body language if he's getting overstimulated and might attack. Like you just have to know their body language. And with Midnight, she sounds like my black cat Luna, who was on the streets till three months old. So she's very fearful and she always runs away. She's very sweet, but she just, she just runs away all the time. Yeah. 

Neysa Lozano (32:28.462)
Mm-hmm. 

Neysa Lozano (32:40.162)
Yeah, yes, but then she's also tiny and cute and very social. And so everybody wants to pet her and she's just terrified of everything. 

Gemma Smith (32:48.974)
Does she like get more 

Gemma Smith (32:50.078)
on her own terms? Like if she comes to you, it's when she comes to you kind of thing. 

Neysa Lozano (32:55.162)
Yeah, 

Neysa Lozano (32:55.723)
she prefers, yes, but the problem is she'll come to strangers. so strangers will come in and she'll be like, hi, and then they'll go to pet her and she'll scatter. I'm like, yeah, she's terrified of everything. But yes, for her, it's much more on her terms. As she gets more comfortable with you, she'll be more comfortable with petting and also like, honestly, if you feed her, she is enamored with you. You feed her more than once, you are her favorite person. 

Gemma Smith (33:21.657)
Nice. Yeah, and what are their favorite treats? 

Neysa Lozano (33:26.646)
Buddy loves, there's like this meat stick that Purina Cat or whatever makes. my goodness. He loves that. I have never heard him snarl the way he did when eating that. He was like, I was like, okay. and I, always have to, if I give them treats, I have to separate them because Buddy will just eat all the treats. He loves treats. 

Gemma Smith (33:42.617)
I'm 

Gemma Smith (33:53.103)
totally. 

Neysa Lozano (33:54.662)
He will he will knock her aside midnight very dainty with eating her treats She like needs to sniff it needs to deduce if it's what she wants, but he will just gobble everything up But then with the cat food I use Purina pro I believe And I've tried other stuff and they either refuse to eat it or it upsets their stomach So that's the only thing and I've had to like learn and be okay with that and that midnight loves 

Neysa Lozano (34:23.862)
She was the first few months of her life, she only ate wet food. And so she loves that one and she'll like eat the whole can herself. 

Gemma Smith (34:33.336)
Oh, it's so good when you find food that they love because you're right, like we can't switch food up a lot on cats. It messes up their stomach or like what my one is food allergies. My other one's on prescription. So I have to add in another food that he likes. So it's definitely like a good thing when your cats like your food, cause that's what they're eating the same food. So yeah. 

Neysa Lozano (34:51.382)
I know, I feel so bad. I like want 

Neysa Lozano (34:53.614)
to switch it up. That's how I found this out is I like went out and I bought like fancy cat food because I was like, let's just give them other options because I know personally I get bored eating the same thing every day. And I was like, let's do that for my cats. And I was like, no, they are creatures of habit. 

Gemma Smith (35:03.029)
Yeah. 

Gemma Smith (35:13.056)
Yeah, completely. Like my cats will still have bad diarrhea if I run out of their food and then I try something else. So I hear you. Now, I was curious, you mentioned earlier when you're doing tarot or your creative work, you kind of put your cats in the other room because of course cats are cats and they're gonna want to get into everything. But have you ever had your cats like incorporated, I don't know, even into like a self tape at home or? 

Gemma Smith (35:40.534)
Anything where they've been like part of your project in a way where they're on camera or they're when you... Yeah, go ahead. 

Neysa Lozano (35:45.796)
all the time. 

Neysa Lozano (35:49.182)
Yes, all the time. So like I said, I've done several like YouTube videos where my cats are either the main focus or have made it appearance. I also one time did a monologue to my cats. 

Gemma Smith (36:03.416)
Okay, you're perfect for this podcast. 

Neysa Lozano (36:06.286)
It was, 

Neysa Lozano (36:08.127)
it was again during the pandemic and they had wanted us, they were like, we're just going to put together like a reel of people doing Shakespeare monologues. And I was like, well, because there was multiple people that this person was talking to. So I had my cats just kind of stay where they were and just monologue. 

Gemma Smith (36:26.71)
I love it. I'm going to 

Gemma Smith (36:27.501)
do a deep dive on your YouTube after this. I should have done it before, but I like learning things about people. I do a little research before, but I don't know. It's fun to also learn about new things and cat performances. 

Neysa Lozano (36:40.172)
Yeah, totally, I understand. 

Neysa Lozano (36:42.584)
But yes, and then of course they appear. I think there have certainly been several audition tapes that haven't gone out because in the middle of it, my cat will either just be like, meow, and I'm like, wrong time, or he'll just decide that I'm not paying enough attention to him and he'll like nip at me. So I'll be like, you know, what studied torments, ow, ow. 

Gemma Smith (37:07.543)
It's so funny. I've done a self tape where my cat decided right then to use the litter box and it was like really loud and I couldn't use it. I thought, maybe not that one. 

Neysa Lozano (37:20.866)
Yeah. Like, well. 

Gemma Smith (37:24.385)
Well, it's been so fun learning about all of your art, your craft, your cats, and how those worlds intertwine. Before you leave us, I would love to know if you could share a piece of advice for either fellow performers who have cats or just an advice or tip for cat parents. 

Neysa Lozano (37:44.906)
I think for cat parents in particular, it's just you want like, and I think everyone who has a cat knows this because you kind of have to learn this with cats, that it's not like, they're my cat, you know, like with a dog, no offense to dogs, you wanna like be there, you know, you're like, this is how you behave, this is how you do things. 

Neysa Lozano (38:13.036)
I think with cats, you have to learn from each other. You each like find out your own like quirks and like whatever and how it meshes with each other. It's a much more peer on peer relationship. You know, I love that cats were never actually domesticated. They technically domesticated us. And I feel like that's how your relationship with them goes. And the more that I know that 

Neysa Lozano (38:41.004)
the easier it is for me to get along with cats. I'm like, anyone who doesn't like cats is someone who probably likes to be very much in charge of a relationship. Again, no offense if somebody, I don't know why you'd be listening to this podcast if you don't like cats, but no offense if you don't like cats. And as far as creating work with cats, I mean, I've been very lucky that my cats, particularly Buddy, is, he's very willing to 

Neysa Lozano (39:09.51)
go along with me in whatever weird thing I do. And so like, I've been very lucky in that it hasn't been hard to create with him or create around him or create, you know, with this inclusion because we just want to always be around each other. I like I'm talking about him as if he is my partner and that is because he is. 

Gemma Smith (39:35.671)
I get it. I'm 

Gemma Smith (39:37.123)
obsessed with my cat, Lionel, and I love Luna too, but like I'm so obsessed with him. So I really relate to you. 

Neysa Lozano (39:42.774)
Yeah, I told my boyfriend, I was like, listen, we're in a poly relationship with Buddy where Buddy is my primary, but you're welcome to be here too. But it's very much that of like, far as creating with them, I guess, like if you're lucky enough to have a relationship with your cat where they trust you, then it's not like it's, I don't know, they will hear you out when you ask them to do things like. 

Neysa Lozano (40:12.972)
I'm almost positive Buddy understands English, partially because there have been several times that I've said things to him and he has reacted weirdly immediately, but also because when I'm filming things, I'll be like, hey, Buddy, I just need you to stay here for five minutes. And he just will be like, like, you know. 

Gemma Smith (40:33.692)
Amazing, you've built so much trust with Buddy. my gosh. And I love your tip about, you know, the kind of symbiotic relationship of cats and humans and they have trained me when to feed them. Yeah, I'm maybe not the best example for like new cat parents of setting like feeding times. They let me know when they're hungry and I trust that they're eating enough. 

Neysa Lozano (40:47.374)
You 

Gemma Smith (40:57.8)
So I always like to say people who don't like cats haven't met the right cat, but you're right that some people may just not be cat people. That's okay. We like the cat people here. I hope they're listening. If you're not a cat person listening, maybe we'll convert you. Well, yeah. 

Neysa Lozano (41:13.292)
Yeah. Come and hang out with my cats. I think that's what every 

Neysa Lozano (41:17.386)
cat person says. It's like, well, but if you meet my cats. 

Gemma Smith (41:20.245)
Yeah, exactly. Then you might see. Or foster a cat and you can learn its personality and see if it's the right fit and adopt the cat. Thank you so much for sharing your art and buddy and midnight stories and for people who want to keep in touch with you, follow you. I'll have it linked in the show notes, but they're going to follow you. You gave me your Instagram before. Can you give it to me one more time? 

Neysa Lozano (41:30.637)
Mm-hmm. 

Neysa Lozano (41:46.69)
Yes, 

Neysa Lozano (41:47.411)
of course. So I'm Neysa Lozano on all social media. I did sign language before and I'll do it again. So it's N-E-Y-S-A-L-O-Z-A-N-O. Nesa Lozano across the board, because I am the only one in the world. Ha ha! 

Gemma Smith (42:06.046)
That's pretty amazing. my gosh, the only one in the world. Okay, so make sure to follow her. Make sure to go to Employees Only for a tarot card reading. Come to Catbaret for Meowloween.thank you so much for being here, Neysa 

Neysa Lozano (42:25.184)
Yeah, thank you for having me. 

Gemma Smith

And that's a wrap for this episode of Tails and Tassels. So if you have any questions, comments, or just want to say meow, feel free to send us an email at talesandtasselspod at gmail.com. Thank you for listening. And don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Also, join our community on Instagram at Tails and Tassels Pod. 

Gemma Smith (08:44.125)
for more updates and behind the scenes fun. See you next time, kitty cats. 

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