ABOUT CAT

Who Is

David Cat Cohen?

CAT COHEN is a contemporary Renaissance man who wears many hats.  He is a successful ASCAP songwriter, author, teacher, performer, blogger, and international gourmet cook. A veteran 12-stepper with over 16 years of recovery, he is also a longtime AIDS and cancer survivor with much to share about his journey to physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

David Cat Cohen has been a professional keyboard player, songwriter, author, teacher, and blogger for several decades. In addition, for the past 20 years he has also been a successful participant in the Gambler’s Anonymous 12-step program and before that in Sexual Compulsives Anonymous. Besides regularly attending and often leading meetings, he has sponsored recovering addicts, leading them through step studies all the while reinforcing his own recovery.

Since moving from L.A. to the Southern California high desert, Cat has been an active Palm Springs Writers Guild author member with nine non-fiction books on travel, recovery, food, and pop music.  You can access his amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Cohen/e/B00GG0QB74  .

Cat’s pop, jazz, blues, and R&B songs have been recorded by Cheryl Lynn, Freddie Hubbard, Syreeta, and Bo Diddley and incorporated into the feature films The Rat Pack (HBO) and Undercover Brother (Universal).  His children’s anti-drug operetta The Not So Great Escape was performed throughout Southern California schools by Opera Pacific. You can hear his music at his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=david+cat+cohen and visit his songwriting website at https://www.catcohen.com.

For many years he taught songwriting at UCLA Extension, Musician’s Institute, and Cal Poly Pomona, Cat still speaks and critiques at songwriter organizations like Taxi, Songsalive!, and SongNet.   

Before Covid-19, Cat performed regularly as a pop music therapist in hospitals, recovery homes, and rehab centers bringing healing through American and international hit songs of the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s plus some of his own compositions.  As the pandemic situation is finally opening up, he has resumed modest-sized outdoor concerts at some of his prior venues. 

Cat is a longtime HIV survivor (35 years) and has kept a malignant neuroendocrine tumor at bay for many years without any medical intervention. He has learned many invaluable lessons while coping with these challenges and is happy to share the insights he has realized on his pathway to health, mindfulness, and serenity. In addition to his 12-step work, he practices yoga, zen meditation, reiki, and lightwork to facilitate these goals.