Paula Poundstone has been delighting audiences for decades with her razor-sharp wit, observational insights and unmatched improvisational skills.

Poundstone’s career spans more than 40 years, making her a beloved figure in live performances and on-air programs like NPR’s “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!”

She hosts a weekly comedy podcast, “Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone.”

Poundstone provided the voice for Forgetter Paula in the hit animation feature movie, “Inside Out 2” (2024).

Known for her casual conversational style and quick on-the-spot interactions with audiences, she is an icon of smart, accessible humor. Whether riffing on the quirks of everyday life or tackling the absurdities of modern society, Poundstone’s voice remains as relevant as ever.

Poundstone will share her blend of interactive comedy and storytelling, 8 p.m. Oct. 11, Musikfest Café, ArtsQuest Center, SteelStacks, Bethlehem.

A devoted animal advocate, Poundstone often weaves stories about her many pets into her stand-up routines, giving audiences a glimpse of her deep affection for the creatures she shares her life with.

Her household is famously filled with cats, a recurring subject in her jokes, and she is a passionate supporter of animal-welfare causes.

Beyond the humor, her dedication to animals shines through in her advocacy work, whether it’s promoting adoption from shelters or raising awareness about responsible pet ownership. Her connection with animals is as genuine as her comedic delivery, adding yet another layer to her multifaceted personality.

“I have 11 cats and one dog,” Poundstone says during a recent telephone interview.

“Over the course of the summer, I got five kittens. And I’ve been going back and forth to the animal shelter because they’re overcrowded, so they are letting them out before they have them fixed. But you have to agree when they call you to come back and give it to them for an appointment with their vet.

“I was there a couple days ago,“ she adds. “They had some more kittens and so, I had kind of gone in there to look at them and there was another woman in there that was thinking about getting a cat and she was looking around.

“On the lower row of cages, they open this cage and out comes the fattest cat I’ve ever seen in my life. He looked like Mr. Creosote from ‘Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life.’

“His head is vastly too small for his body. He was just enormous. He was walking around. He was very friendly and social. He was just huge. I said to the woman, ‘You know what? That’s the cat you should take,’ and then I left.

“I just kept thinking about that cat, you know,” she explains.

“And I get home, and I call the shelter and I go, ‘You know I was looking at that big fat cat and there was a lady in there that looked like she was going to take him.’

“The person at the desk said, ‘Well, you know what, I don’t know what happened with that. I’ll get back to you.’

“They call me later that day and they said, ‘No, she didn’t take the cat,’” she adds. “And I go, ‘OK, I’ll be there.’ And I went and got him.

“I weighed him yesterday and he’s 23.9 pounds. I was back at the shelter this morning and so he’s been here for two nights, and somebody that hadn’t been there when I got him said, ‘Oh I heard you took the big cat,’ I said, ‘Yeah, I did and I weighed him and he’s 23.9 pounds!

“She said, ‘Oh well then, he’s lost weight since he came in,’” she laughs.

Paula Poundstone’s performance is expected to contain adult language and-or situations. Anyone between 13 to 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. No child 12 or under will be admitted, according to the SteelStacks website.

Paula Poundstone, 8 p.m. Oct. 11, Musikfest Café, ArtsQuest Center, SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets; 610-332-1300; https://www.steelstacks.org/