Now this show beats the hell out of Whale Wars.
I never owned a cat as a kid; I am a dog person. I will say that I get along with cats, though. My friend, with whom I shared an apartment, inherited an older, more mature one from a college friend's parents (they had a dog and a cat, were moving from a house to a condo, could only take one pet and, like most people, the dog went with them and the cat went). Belle was just like her name implies, an older grande dame, spoiled rotten, but a lover not a fighter. She was the first cat I was ever close to emotionally. When I was on the couch watching tv, she just loved to sit on my chest and knead and purr, knead and purr. She was a sweetheart. I don't hate cats, and they seem to tolerate me well enough to rub my legs and enjoy a good scratch around the ears from me. Long ago, I was told, 'Rick, you can't be all bad. Dogs and kids like you!' So do most animals. I even talk to squirrels on my walk down the street. When I 'talk' to them, they'll stop, stand stock still, then answer. My ex called me Dr. Doolittle. I think she was being sarcastic, but I took pride in that moniker.
Anyway, I was bored a couple of Saturday nights ago (the story of my life), and I happened to see this show,
My Cat From Hell, listed. I decided to give it a watch. It is hysterical.
The premise of the show are people who are not owners of cats (no one ever owns a cat), but cat providers. According to the care providers, the cat has issues. The issues are both feline and human. Some of the humans think cats are dogs, roughhouse with them, then get clawed and the hell bit out of them. Some cats have issues because they are not stimulated enough. On last night's show, it was mentioned that a cat's psychology is to wake up in the morning, hunt and kill something, have a bite to eat, then take a nap. People just don't understand cats the way they do dogs as cats are not a pack animal, are independent, but still rely on their humans for stimulation, especially indoor cats.
The 'cat whisperer', a tatooed musician named Jackson, is quite good at what he does, provide cat-oanalysis of the problem feline and owners. The cats I've seen cat-alyzed on the show are some real terrors. One thing I already learned, not being a cat person, is there are two kinds of house cats: Tree dwellers and bush dwellers, just like the big cats in the wild. The tree dwellers enjoy climbing up on things, and like to perch high above it all and survey their domain; the bush swellers like all four paws on the ground at all times. For the tree dwellers, Jackson makes the humans build cat trees and catwalks (no pun intended), so that the animal has a chance to get up high. He also shows what kind of toys are good for humans to use to interact with their cats. It usually involves something that the cat can attack and 'kill'. He also shows how laser pointers can be hours of fun for cats, make them tired, and generally make them more enjoyable to their human providers.
If you have a cat or two, or just like animals, this show is a great diversion. It's a learning experience with humor. The transformation of the pet from unmanagable bordering on being evicted or even breaking up relationships into a healthy animal that becomes comfortable in its home and with its care providers, with enough adventure and play to satisfy its curiousity, is unreal.
The Cat Whisperer, Jackson Galaxy, with his cat bag of tricks guitar case.
