Catherine Specter is the author of the advice column Cat's Call, where she brandishes "Cattitude" at every turn, addressing topics from dating your best friend's ex to politics to fashion. After replacing Ann Landers' column in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Cat's Call (www.catscall.com) has become the source for advice and opinions about love, relationships, dating, and everything else. Catherine has been a frequent guest on CBS radio and has 'appeared' on XM's Chick Chat, and Howard Stern News. She has an irrepressible political bent and holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from American University and a Master's degree in Comparative Politics from The Maxwell School at Syracuse University. Catherine lived in Washington, D.C. for seven years and although she never engaged in a political scandal she is always open to new experiences. She is an enthusiastic voter and a romantic stiletto-wearer who loves makeup, dogs, power tools, sushi, and soft pretzels, though not always in that order.

Blog Entries by Catherine Specter

Save Me, Superhero, Save Me!

Posted July 28, 2008 | 05:01 AM (EST)


I never dreamed of being a damsel in distress until now. At this point, it's exactly what I want to be. Dressed in my finery, makeup exquisite and hair done with tendrils purposefully dangling, while I hang precipitously from a tall building. The cause of my distress is hardly relevant...

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Nostalgia For Days Of Impeachment

Posted July 15, 2008 | 03:34 PM (EST)


I miss Bill Clinton. Or, I miss the Clinton years, when people were optimistic and the world seemed open and full of promise. It was so much more fun to debate the ridiculousness of his impeachment than to walk on eggshells around subjects as we do today. I miss those...

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The Way We Word

Posted April 21, 2008 | 01:21 PM (EST)


How difficult it can be to find the perfect thing to say or write, exactly when you need to say or write it. But thank goodness for words, whether written or spoken. They are like music when silence is deafening. Words connect people even when they are alone.

...
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How To Break Up: Part II

Posted February 18, 2008 | 01:58 PM (EST)


This piece is for Breaker Uppers everywhere; those who have broken our hearts, liberated us, made us grow up, showed us their true colors, and acted as a pivot point for much of our romantic lives. We've all known them, dated them, heard about them, or been them. Despite their...

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How To Break Up: Part I

Posted January 31, 2008 | 12:07 AM (EST)


It's the thing everyone fears at one point or another. The thing that can loom in the distance, sometimes even in an otherwise great relationship: The Break-Up. Sometimes it happens as a surprise, other times you feel it coming. It's the final talk or fight or surprising phone call or...

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January is National Breakup Month

Posted January 23, 2008 | 11:09 AM (EST)


Oh. My. Gawd. Get out the ruler and slap my wrists for unforgivable tardiness because I only recently learned that January is National Breakup Month. Alas, I'm so far behind, so woefully neglectful in terms of keeping up. I thought I was good about holidays and celebratory times but obviously...

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When Casual Dating Isn't So Casual

Posted January 6, 2008 | 12:01 AM (EST)


Q: Have you ever noticed that you can be dating someone for many months, but the relationship is still referred to as "casual"? Despite my best efforts, I am what most people would call a "serial casual dater." I don't want to do it, but that's how it always ends...

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Already Attached But Still Have A Wandering Eye? Wander This

Posted December 30, 2007 | 12:57 AM (EST)


I once wrote a funny little piece about the presence of couples in singles' scenes. I hadn't thought about it in a long time until I happened upon a Yahoo! blog entry by David Zinczenko, "Does a Wandering Eye Mean a Wandering Heart?" Zinczenko explores the age-old problem of...

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How To Lift Yourself Out Of Loneliness

Posted December 23, 2007 | 07:02 AM (EST)


Q: I think loneliness is such a universal yet under-discussed subject--maybe because it's sort of taboo. No one wants to admit to being lonely for fear of sounding pathetic, yet so many people actually are, even if they're surrounded by friends, family and love. What do you think?

A: I...

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Hooking Up At The Office Party: Don't!

Posted December 16, 2007 | 06:59 AM (EST)


It's that time of year again. The time when holiday music blares in every restaurant, grocery store and e-card. The time when everyone sincerely swears they, too, saw mommy kissing Santa Claus. The time when office workers toss their inhibitions into the recycled air ventilator winds and get down...

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Googlevision

Posted December 9, 2007 | 09:47 PM (EST)


I received an email from a sorta-friend who was kind enough to send a photo of my place of residence with the caption: "does this look familiar?" Of course it looked familiar, but only in the way that you have an embarrassing moment of doubt: that is my front...

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