Jackson Galaxy: What It Takes to Be a 'Cat Daddy'

Your book is called "Cat Daddy." What does that term mean to you and when did you know that you were a Cat Daddy?

ANSWER:

When I first started working at the shelter,  everyone knew that I was attracting all the cats -- I was kind of like the Cat Pied Piper. They started calling me "Cat Boy." At some point, when I was graduating from the shelter, and I was going out to make my way in the world, I thought the title "cat boy" was wrong. I felt like I needed a Cat Bar Mitzvah. So I became "Cat Daddy."

"Cat Daddy" is about your journey and friendship with your cat, Benny. Can you share one of your most memorable moments with Benny?

ANSWER:

I think meeting him was obviously one of those memorable moments. The universe had lined up just right. I was working in the shelter and this woman dropped Benny off outside the shelter and was running away. I caught her and she said she had adopted him from us, but his pelvis was shattered and she didn’t have the money to take care of him. I took Benny to the clinic from there to get him x-rayed. I opened the box at a stoplight and there he was. And it was like, "uh-oh." I was going to keep this cat. There are a lot of moments I replay from our 14 years of friendship, but it’s always that opening up of the box and seeing him in pain and wanting to help him that sticks out.

Everyone has heard of cat ladies, but what about cat guys? Do you think they are similar and do you feel that people treat you differently once you tell them you have cats?

ANSWER:

I still feel like guys are making excuses for liking cats. It’s sad that we’re in that situation, but at least we’re coming out of the closet. I think guys are breaking out of that place where they think they are what they drive and that their pet has to be compensatory to who they are. We may have to put the word out there that women don’t mind cats. Cause I mean, guys will do things just because women like it. So if that gets a cat in a home, I’m all for it. Whatever gets more cats in more homes.

Obviously you are a big fan of animals. How many pets do you currently have?

ANSWER:

Right now, I have three cats and a dog. And actually there is a fourth; he’s up at the San Francisco SFSPCA. I met him the day I went up there to teach a class a few weeks ago. They had just done a sweep of a feral area and he got trapped, and he’s not feral at all. He is beat up and a little slow on the uptake and everything. I just fell in love with him.

After your years of working with cats and two full seasons of "My Cat From Hell," what would you say are the most common misconceptions about felines and their feelings?

ANSWER:

I think topping the list is that sense of cats being socially aloof and uncaring. Because they’re not like dogs, they don’t cling, and don’t go,  “Oh, I love you,” we go the opposite way and say cats are anti-social. They define their love and attachment in a completely different language. I call it cat mojo. Once you see the world as they do, and once you understand their bodies, everything falls into place. It’s understanding that just because they sit at the foot of the bed doesn’t mean that you have bad breath. That’s the way that cat defines their brand of love."

On the topic of cat mojo, what  physical signs should a person look for to tell if their cat is stressed or uncomfortable?

ANSWER:

There’s a few different things. First, there is the classic veterinary signs, which are not eating, not using the litter box, going outside the litter box, and starting to mark.  Marking is a high-anxiety thing. Based on cat mojo, the most important thing to a cat is ownership of territory. So if your cat thinks, 'My territory is insecure,' then they’re going to start leaving their scent in places. Another classic stress behavior is fur pulling. If there is a lot of stress in the home, you see cats start to internalize that stress. They’ll act out their anxiety with fur pulling, hiding, not grooming, things like that. Now of course we always want to rule out physical problems, but many, many times I’ll see that as a stress response.

On "My Cat From Hell," you’ve met a lot of kitty characters.  Is there a certain cat that really stands out to you from all the others?

ANSWER:

There are two where I feel like I did my job in a really huge way. First, Minibar from the first season, who was fully feral. I had four weeks to show the guardians that this was a workable situation. The network wasn’t sure that they should send me out, because we wanted success. I worked harder than I’ve ever worked with a cat before and it was an incredible payoff.

This last season, we had a cat named Penny Lane.  I would walk in the room and she would literally just go for my face. But if I brought out a toy, suddenly, she was a kitten. Penny had a chemical imbalance that I thought was really important to bring to the forefront.  The poor thing was miserable. To live in that body was probably torturous. After some treatments, I know she’s doing a lot better now, too."

Do you ever find yourself getting comparisons to Cesar Milan the Dog Whisperer, since you both work on animal behavior?

ANSWER:

It happens every day. There is no frame of reference for the cat world, which in turn is humbling and an honor to be that voice, and something I take really seriously. At the same time, we’re different people with different methods. I worry a little bit that people expect me to defend other people’s methods who are dog behaviorists. I don’t even know the guy. I’ve never met him. Regardless of what anybody may or may not think of his methods, I know that he saves lives. I know that we’re all working towards the same goal: less animal deaths on the streets.

Do you feel like you can communicate and have the same kind of connection with other animals as you do with cats?

ANSWER:

In the book I say, "Dogs are easy." No offense. The thing is that dogs did it on purpose. During their evolution with us, they figured they had to throw their messages out to the shallowest end of the psychic pool in order to get their point across. Cats were just along for the ride, so we never had to get through to them until later. This makes it harder to get through to them [now]. I love spending time with all animals. If I have a gift of translation, it is through cats.

As both a cat owner and a man with an interesting name, do you have any tips or tricks for finding the ideal name for a new cat?

ANSWER:

I have a cat name Velouria. Velouria is from the Pixies song, “Velouria.” There’s also Caroline, and Caroline is named after the Beach Boys song, “Caroline, No.” I love naming cats and dogs actual names, but names that, like mine, reflect a little bit of fancy and a little bit of comic-bookery. I even like when people name their cats Robert or Phillip. I think it’s great. I think it’s not about humanizing, it’s about cementing a friendship. Names like Patches, I’m not dissing anyone, just don’t speak to me."

If there’s one thing you could tell someone that’s about to adopt their first cat, what would it be?

ANSWER:

Adopt more. But really, all you have to do if you’re a first timer is get ready to remove expectations. Work really hard on seeing the world the way cats do. When they walk into a room, they’ll let you know what they want. Don’t expect. Don’t get sad if your cat doesn’t instantly crawl up on your chest to go to sleep the way you’ve seen other cats do. Let them express themselves the way they are and play into that. Remember you have a nice long life together to find out everything that you need to find out about them. And then adopt more. You want that chest cat; there’s one out there for you."