Yet more cat stuff: My Cat From Hell and other things
Fair warning: if you are not that into cats, this isn't going to interest you much. That's all this post is about. If you are, or just into animals generally, then it might! Plus, I figure if my bud fireflower314 can do reviews or comments on Vampire Diaries or Leverage, I can do reviews on My Cat From Hell. Right?
Serious cat teal deer follows.
If you want to see this show for yourself, I just found out that there is going to be a mazumbo 8 hour long My Cat From Hell marathon tomorrow on Animal Planet. I don't plan to be parked out in front of my TV for 8 hours, but I figure that if I have to do laundry and clean the house, I can do laundry and clean the house with the TV on.
For those of you just joining us: there is a show on Animal Planet with a cat behaviorist named Jackson Galaxy, called My Cat From Hell. I posted a bit about it earlier, here.
I got interested in it because when I was home for Christmas, my Dad mentioned that he loved watching *The Dog Whisperer.* That surprised me, because while I like *The Dog Whisperer,* I didn't think it would be his thing. So I wondered if there was a Cat Whisperer, and this is sort of that show.
Here are a few highlights from previous episodes. I have left in plenty of surprises and almost no spoilers.
S1EP1: Young lady with dickish fiance who says he prefers dogs. Cats so freaked out that they are hiding in the cat box. Fiance is converted to being a cat person by the end of the show, something that has the pure satisfaction of reading a slash story in which the guy decides maybe he is gay after all. AWWW. Also, the raw thrill of walking your cat!
S1S2: This is a nice one, with a guy who truly likes animals and has cage after cage of pet scorpions but can't quite deal with this one cat. Also, guy with recently moved-in girlfriend who says "I want her out." Recurring theme: the person who does NOT like cats and who has a bad attitude about it. Galaxy is good at working with these. Audience at home yelling at TV "dump him/her! keep the cat!" but they can be saved! SAVED! Also, the inadvisability of bringing a cat home and saying "honey, guess what?"
S1EP3: Very nice couple trying their utmost with a cat who turns out to be feral and they are trying to cope with her anyway. PROPS TO THEM. That is brutal. Also, why you don't hold cats upside down. Audience at home snickers as cat kicks the shit out of boyfriend's arm, then feels guilty about it.
S2EP1: Why you don't name your cat "Larry" and then forget to spay her, and why that is a stupid way to get a cat from behind your microwave.
Also, why you should buy your cats their own nice furniture. They can use Pilates equipment, too!
S2EP2: Part Bengal cat owned by a very nice lesbian couple goes for throats, no kidding. More cat-walking thrills! Also, why people who think that cats smother babies are too dumb to be having babies.
S2EP3: Girlfriend's cat does not get along with boyfriend or his cats. Featuring cats lined up like, no kidding, machine guns aimed at each other, and a proposal that has to rank up there with the worst ever in a pet-related reality show.
Also, the most AWWW-worthy cat/dog moment. Galaxy and at-home audience choke up, in no way related to shit-kicking cat embedded in closet. (Seriously, the end of this one is adorable.)
S2EP4: My favorite so far: couple with a gorgeous house and a lot of animals who want a baby and who have the dreaded Cat Who Pees Everywhere. While this couple seems a little clueless at times, they do really want the best for their animal, and it is no fun having a Cat Who Pees Everywhere. Take it from one who knows. This, scratching, and aggression are the three things that get most cats turned in to shelters, where 71% of them are euthanized. And Peeing is very hard to stop. Second half: giant Maine Coon who attacks his owners and chases them upstairs, evidently thinking "it's a game! It's a game!" To add to the fun, his name is Mr. Fluff. My favorite quote: "so the pressure is really on me AND Mr. Fluff."
BTW, ignore any of the comments on these YouTube videos. Some people really hate cats. I mean, really, really hate cats. They suck.
In general: what is WITH people who say stuff like "we're not going to get engaged/get married/have kids/maybe we will break up because of the cat?" Are they insane? I mean, sure, I wouldn't date a guy who hated cats, but it would never get off of the ground to begin with, and if I had a kid who developed a horrible allergy, I would have to go through the painful process of re-homing mine. But that is a LOT to put on the cats. It looks to me as though most of the problem was with the people and the cats are just an excuse.
So I am looking forward to this week's new episode.
I'm not sure what everyone else is thinking about this show--it is taking off like wildfire, but I know for me it's that there isn't a lot out there specifically about cat behavior, or cat anything. They're more popular than dogs now and a lot of people think that all they have to go is get a cat, a dishpan, a bag of litter, a bag of food, and they are good to go. And then they wonder why the cat is scratching the hell out of everything and "aloof." Or they run around going "here boy! here boy!" and the cat runs away. My advice to anyone who really wants to make friends with a cat is to take a nap. Seriously, ignore the cat and let her check you out.
Still, I have learned a lot from this show and the related website at Jackson Galaxy. I've also learned a lot about cat exercise and nutrition. I'm working on mine with a lot more play time, and I am switching them on to grain-free wet food. It's supposed to be better for cats with my cat's IBD problems.
Some eye-opening stuff on cat food at CatInfo.org, here. It's really interesting if you are interested in cat health. I'm not sure how much I'm buying into it, personally; certainly not to the extent of whipping up my own cat food (I would screw it up, I'm sure) or feeding them raw food (not sure about that one, either.) But if you've ever nursed two cats, painfully, through almost two years of Chronic Renal Failure and had another young girl almost die of Inflammatory Bowel Disorder, the way I have, you're probably going to sit up and pay attention. I did not like finding blood all over the hall when I got home from work and I never want to see it again.
There is a section on how to Transition Your Cat From Dry to Wet Food. Evidently, some cats will not eat wet food and resist it and need to be persuaded to--
My cats: WET FOOD! WET FOOD! WET FOOD!
--because the pet food companies add artificial flavoring in order to--
My cats: WET FOOD!! WET FOOD!!!
--so one has to be very patient, slowing convincing them to--
My cats: GIVE TO US OF THE WONDERFUL FOOD, GIVE US THE EXPENSIVE GOOSHYFOOD (stamping of tiny furry feet).
So that hasn't been much of a problem, so far. I don't even mind cleaning up the bowls, because they eat it all up right away and this stuff does not stink. This stuff is more like pate, and it ought to be for that freaking price. In fact, I'm not sure if that isn't something I've seen at a university cocktail party, only it is probably nicer. To put this in perspective, I have to buy my cat expensive prescription food and even I've had to think it over; but the slightly less than Roll-Royce-y brand is probably fine and it will be about a net wash, plus better for her and I won't have to get it at the vet's.
Marko loved the Wonderful Food so much that he went looking for it on the counter, only it was not there, and he knocked something over, startling Marbles, who was on my lap at the time. I have not had such a bad launch pad injury for a long time. I quit bleeding after a while and we all sat around looking shaken, and then I brushed myself off, still planning to feed my guys duck and venison. (I know! I know! But that's what the emergency vet recommended in the first place!)
And why?
Because I am a bug nuts certifiably Crazy Cat Lady. That's why.
Serious cat teal deer follows.
If you want to see this show for yourself, I just found out that there is going to be a mazumbo 8 hour long My Cat From Hell marathon tomorrow on Animal Planet. I don't plan to be parked out in front of my TV for 8 hours, but I figure that if I have to do laundry and clean the house, I can do laundry and clean the house with the TV on.
For those of you just joining us: there is a show on Animal Planet with a cat behaviorist named Jackson Galaxy, called My Cat From Hell. I posted a bit about it earlier, here.
I got interested in it because when I was home for Christmas, my Dad mentioned that he loved watching *The Dog Whisperer.* That surprised me, because while I like *The Dog Whisperer,* I didn't think it would be his thing. So I wondered if there was a Cat Whisperer, and this is sort of that show.
Here are a few highlights from previous episodes. I have left in plenty of surprises and almost no spoilers.
S1EP1: Young lady with dickish fiance who says he prefers dogs. Cats so freaked out that they are hiding in the cat box. Fiance is converted to being a cat person by the end of the show, something that has the pure satisfaction of reading a slash story in which the guy decides maybe he is gay after all. AWWW. Also, the raw thrill of walking your cat!
S1S2: This is a nice one, with a guy who truly likes animals and has cage after cage of pet scorpions but can't quite deal with this one cat. Also, guy with recently moved-in girlfriend who says "I want her out." Recurring theme: the person who does NOT like cats and who has a bad attitude about it. Galaxy is good at working with these. Audience at home yelling at TV "dump him/her! keep the cat!" but they can be saved! SAVED! Also, the inadvisability of bringing a cat home and saying "honey, guess what?"
S1EP3: Very nice couple trying their utmost with a cat who turns out to be feral and they are trying to cope with her anyway. PROPS TO THEM. That is brutal. Also, why you don't hold cats upside down. Audience at home snickers as cat kicks the shit out of boyfriend's arm, then feels guilty about it.
S2EP1: Why you don't name your cat "Larry" and then forget to spay her, and why that is a stupid way to get a cat from behind your microwave.
Also, why you should buy your cats their own nice furniture. They can use Pilates equipment, too!
S2EP2: Part Bengal cat owned by a very nice lesbian couple goes for throats, no kidding. More cat-walking thrills! Also, why people who think that cats smother babies are too dumb to be having babies.
S2EP3: Girlfriend's cat does not get along with boyfriend or his cats. Featuring cats lined up like, no kidding, machine guns aimed at each other, and a proposal that has to rank up there with the worst ever in a pet-related reality show.
Also, the most AWWW-worthy cat/dog moment. Galaxy and at-home audience choke up, in no way related to shit-kicking cat embedded in closet. (Seriously, the end of this one is adorable.)
S2EP4: My favorite so far: couple with a gorgeous house and a lot of animals who want a baby and who have the dreaded Cat Who Pees Everywhere. While this couple seems a little clueless at times, they do really want the best for their animal, and it is no fun having a Cat Who Pees Everywhere. Take it from one who knows. This, scratching, and aggression are the three things that get most cats turned in to shelters, where 71% of them are euthanized. And Peeing is very hard to stop. Second half: giant Maine Coon who attacks his owners and chases them upstairs, evidently thinking "it's a game! It's a game!" To add to the fun, his name is Mr. Fluff. My favorite quote: "so the pressure is really on me AND Mr. Fluff."
Click to viewBTW, ignore any of the comments on these YouTube videos. Some people really hate cats. I mean, really, really hate cats. They suck.
In general: what is WITH people who say stuff like "we're not going to get engaged/get married/have kids/maybe we will break up because of the cat?" Are they insane? I mean, sure, I wouldn't date a guy who hated cats, but it would never get off of the ground to begin with, and if I had a kid who developed a horrible allergy, I would have to go through the painful process of re-homing mine. But that is a LOT to put on the cats. It looks to me as though most of the problem was with the people and the cats are just an excuse.
So I am looking forward to this week's new episode.
I'm not sure what everyone else is thinking about this show--it is taking off like wildfire, but I know for me it's that there isn't a lot out there specifically about cat behavior, or cat anything. They're more popular than dogs now and a lot of people think that all they have to go is get a cat, a dishpan, a bag of litter, a bag of food, and they are good to go. And then they wonder why the cat is scratching the hell out of everything and "aloof." Or they run around going "here boy! here boy!" and the cat runs away. My advice to anyone who really wants to make friends with a cat is to take a nap. Seriously, ignore the cat and let her check you out.
Still, I have learned a lot from this show and the related website at Jackson Galaxy. I've also learned a lot about cat exercise and nutrition. I'm working on mine with a lot more play time, and I am switching them on to grain-free wet food. It's supposed to be better for cats with my cat's IBD problems.
Some eye-opening stuff on cat food at CatInfo.org, here. It's really interesting if you are interested in cat health. I'm not sure how much I'm buying into it, personally; certainly not to the extent of whipping up my own cat food (I would screw it up, I'm sure) or feeding them raw food (not sure about that one, either.) But if you've ever nursed two cats, painfully, through almost two years of Chronic Renal Failure and had another young girl almost die of Inflammatory Bowel Disorder, the way I have, you're probably going to sit up and pay attention. I did not like finding blood all over the hall when I got home from work and I never want to see it again.
There is a section on how to Transition Your Cat From Dry to Wet Food. Evidently, some cats will not eat wet food and resist it and need to be persuaded to--
My cats: WET FOOD! WET FOOD! WET FOOD!
--because the pet food companies add artificial flavoring in order to--
My cats: WET FOOD!! WET FOOD!!!
--so one has to be very patient, slowing convincing them to--
My cats: GIVE TO US OF THE WONDERFUL FOOD, GIVE US THE EXPENSIVE GOOSHYFOOD (stamping of tiny furry feet).
So that hasn't been much of a problem, so far. I don't even mind cleaning up the bowls, because they eat it all up right away and this stuff does not stink. This stuff is more like pate, and it ought to be for that freaking price. In fact, I'm not sure if that isn't something I've seen at a university cocktail party, only it is probably nicer. To put this in perspective, I have to buy my cat expensive prescription food and even I've had to think it over; but the slightly less than Roll-Royce-y brand is probably fine and it will be about a net wash, plus better for her and I won't have to get it at the vet's.
Marko loved the Wonderful Food so much that he went looking for it on the counter, only it was not there, and he knocked something over, startling Marbles, who was on my lap at the time. I have not had such a bad launch pad injury for a long time. I quit bleeding after a while and we all sat around looking shaken, and then I brushed myself off, still planning to feed my guys duck and venison. (I know! I know! But that's what the emergency vet recommended in the first place!)
And why?
Because I am a bug nuts certifiably Crazy Cat Lady. That's why.