My Cat From Hell - General Discussion

[LizDC]

Tonight's episode...

Season 7, Episode 8

Loves Bites!

First Aired: May 30, 2015

A woman lives in fear of the cat she's had for 13 years because it's constantly biting her; a man's cat relentlessly attacks his girlfriend after she moves in with him.

[sofaslug]

I thought Sydney's boyfriend was a bit of a douche nozzle. Even when he was being encouraging (I guess) it didn't sound sincere.

[Ketzel]

They were an odd couple, for sure. I was left wondering if he had been reluctant to share his space with his girlfriend in the first place, and she overrode him.His passive-aggressive reaction to her problems with his cat reflected that to me. And why would anyone want to live with someone who was perfectly clear that her safety and happiness was not his first priority? Her facial expressions every time he said that if he had to chose between them, he'd choose the cat, were an odd mixture of humiliation and resistance. 

 

As a viewer, this episode was strange, because there was obviously no threat to the cat's living situation requiring that his behavior change. The cat wasn't going anywhere. The only thing that hinged on Jackson's intervention was whether the girlfriend was going to stay, and since the boyfriend didn't seem to care much, I sure didn't. She didn't seem like someone who would ever be a cat person (believing the cat saw her as the "other woman" in his life? Seriously?) and I don't think that relationship is going to last very long regardless of how well she learned to feed the cat.

[izabella]

I was with Jackson when he gave her some side-eye for ascribing human emotions like jealousy to the cat.  The cat is not jealous. The cat is disturbed by the change in routine, and the addition of another person into her territory.  What I don't understand is why the cat wouldn't have become used to Sydney's presence in the house if they had been dating for 2 years. 

 

I think some people just don't understand or don't care to develop a relationship with a cat.  All the little things like playing with them, petting, brushing, feeding, treats, leaving them alone while giving them a place in the room with you...that's how you develop a relationship with a cat because they aren't that complicated!  But some people don't take the time and just ignore the cat and then suddenly move in and the cat's routine is disturbed and it feels threatened by the change.

 

And some of the problem is with people's reactions to a cat being a normal cat, which can escalate an issue.  When I first started seeing my SO, my cat would take treats from his hand but would then walk away with a hiss if he tried to pet her right after.  He didn't freak out about it and get tense when she was around or live in fear she would attack him.  He just laughed about her "drive by hissing" and would try again next time.  He had to learn how to play with her because he's always been a dog person and didn't understand the hunting/playing instinct.  We discovered she liked sitting on his jeans if they were on the floor, so he'd leave them out for her, lol.  With a little time and effort, she stopped hissing and being nervous, and is very comfortable with him around just as she is when he isn't around. 

Edited May 31, 2015 by izabella

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I don't think that relationship is going to last very long regardless of how well she learned to feed the cat.

I got that feeling too.  We've seen this dynamic on the show before, where the cat is very much the cat of one partner who doesn't acknowledge the problems the other partner is having.    In this case though the guy expressed everything with this weird lack of affect, like he was zoning out in a fugue state.  Creepy.  I think the woman was not so far off in perceiving the cat as "the other woman" since I was kind of getting exactly that vibe - but not from the cat, from the guy.

 

Edited because spelling AND syntax.  Whoops.

Edited May 31, 2015 by ratgirlagogo

[Bastet]

What I don't understand is why the cat wouldn't have become used to Sydney's presence in the house if they had been dating for 2 years.

 

I don't know, a close friend of mine and her partner dated for five years before moving in together, and during that time she spent most Saturday nights at his place since she had a roommate.  And she has a cat of her own (to whom she is a very good cat mommy) and grew up with cats, so it's not like she's clueless as to cat behavior.  But it took over a year of them living together for his cat to come around on her, and they still have a somewhat guarded relationship several years later.  (He has always loved his "Auntie Bastet," however.)

 

(I didn't see the episode, so I can't speak to the particular dynamic on display.)

[LittleIggy]

Calvin was gorgeous with his different colored eyes, but I couldn't believe his person had done nothing in 12 years to deal with him biting her.

[jahhluv]

This chick shouldn't have even waited around past the first segment. She should have got up , packed her stuff, and left. This cat was very much the "other woman". That's how Nico's owner treated that cat. The man said that if it had to be her or Nico he was choosing Nico. THAT right there is disturbing to me. I could understand if she was being abusive to the cat in some way but she wasnt. And then he said that he didnt like her using profanity when the cat attacks her? Seriously? That lady needs to get away from that crazy wackadoddle as fast as she can. That man cares more about that cat than his significant other. Thats not right or healthy. RUN!!!!!!!!

[Stardancer Supreme]

I thought Sydney's boyfriend was a bit of a douche nozzle. Even when he was being encouraging (I guess) it didn't sound sincere.

 

A bit? If I was told that my boyfriend would pick his cat over me to my face, I would have left right then. He seemed to like the fact that his cat was at odds with his girlfriend!

[possibilities]

I thought it was amazing that when Jackson asked if the BF had made suggestions for better ways to interact with the cat, he said: Not really. As though he hadn't even thought of helping! It did seem like the woman had no idea how to relate to a cat at all, and was just generally totally freaked out by the cat in general. I felt bad for the cat, because I didn't see aggression so much as confusion in its demeanor. I thought it was adorable how trainable Nico was, and sad that neither person in the situation seemed to be at all empathetic or in general much of a prize.

 

I also thought it was interesting that the biting cat was fine with the petsitter. I would have been nervous that he would attack her, too, but they didn't say anything about that happening with other people; it was only with his main person. That should have been a big clue to everyone that it was not the cat but the relationship that had problems.

 

I actually did know a cat who would attack viciously without any obvious provocation. I was asked to feed her while her person was away, and she would fly at me from across the room and I have never been afraid of a cat before or since, but this one was scary to me. Her person was completely ignorant of how to treat a cat, and would roughly handle her in the name of affection (serious roughhousing) and the cat was just totally traumatized and terrified by humans. However, she loved MY cat, and the two of them would sneak out to visit each other and be found lying cuddled together behind someone's couch or wherever they thought no humans would see them. Another case of a cat who is not inherently dysfunctional, but is living in a human-created terrible situation that causes her to be past coping. When do we get a show called: "My Human From Hell"? Maybe I'll write one, where cats write about their insane people and a behaviorist comes in and decides whether the people need meds, or just re-education or an environmental change.

Edited June 1, 2015 by possibilities

[possibilities]

Pootie and Francesco was a feel good happy ending, but I felt really sad for Woody and his family. I do think that stress can cause bladder problems for cats, I've seen it again and again. So maybe Velvet had a bladder obstruction and they didn't notice til it was too late and it ruptured, which is how Velvet died. They didn't really elaborate on the details other than "she didn't go to the bathroom for two days" but it seems plausible. The thing is, even if it was a stress-induced illness, it's not Woody's fault. The people didn't know how to help the cats get along, and they didn't realize Velvet was in trouble soon enough to get her medical care. I'm not saying they should hate themselves over it either, but I thought they were projecting a lot of stuff on Woody that kind of skirted the issues. He seemed so terrified in their presence, cowering more than being aggressive, but they didn't see that at all. Anyway, they seemed to be decent people who really do care about animals and just got into a situation they couldn't handle, and I hope that Jackson really was able to help them all. I noticed the end of the show was suggesting going to the web to see Pootie's follow up, but not Woody's.

[Black Knight]

Another case of a cat who is not inherently dysfunctional, but is living in a human-created terrible situation that causes her to be past coping. When do we get a show called: "My Human From Hell"? Maybe I'll write one, where cats write about their insane people and a behaviorist comes in and decides whether the people need meds, or just re-education or an environmental change.

That's why it really amused me when, on Jackson's first follow-up visit to Nico, when he sat down and went into his usual "What's going on?" bit, Nico meowed at him and appeared to want to give her input!

[Lone Wolf]

Just watched the one with Lola, who supposedly hasn't seen her grand kids in six months because of her demon cat and put up a You Tube about her cat attacking her; just wanted to mention that whatever views she got were no doubt due to her having her boobs out on the video (cleavage much?).  Also, I don't understand why she seemed to speak pretty clean English but her daughter sounded ELS.  And why would she fly from Wisconsin to LA instead of Jackson going to her? The poor kitty was no doubt traumatized - they aren't good travelers under the best of circumstances - so I don't know how Jackson would have gotten a good read on him.  

 

Ah, who am I kidding - the other segment was about a ghost hunter and her cats, and they did a paranormal investigation to make sure there weren't any ghost cats making trouble.  This show has obviously jumped the litter box, er, shark...

Edited June 14, 2015 by Lone Wolf

[sofaslug]

I couldn't understand why Lola's daughter wouldn't allow Lola to visit the boys at their home. I'm pretty sure Jimmy wouldn't have been brought along. I also didn't get Lola flying to LA rather than having Jackson meet Jimmy on his home turf.

I couldn't watch the ghost hunter segment.

[possibilities]

I think the daughter was angry that her mother "chose the cat over her grandchildren" and that was why they hadn't seen her. I think it was smart of the show to take the case, if the You Tube of the aggression had that many followers. It's like free publicity for the show-- now all her YouTube followers will see how Jackson works.

 

RE the three cats in the household with the ghosthunters: I'm not into ghosthunting, but I thought it was clever how they used the third cat as an ambassador. I haven't seen that before on the show and I always like when they do something different. Also, it kind of showed that the ghost theory wasn't the problem. One thing I like about Jackson is that he is respectful of whatever the people are into, and just focuses on solving the cat-related problems. I mean, there are a lot of people who believe in ghosts. Now they also believe in cat behaviorism. It's a win, really.

[bmasters9]

 I also didn't get Lola flying to LA rather than having Jackson meet Jimmy on his home turf.

I didn't get that either: Jackson's been a good many other places than L.A. (San Diego, Austin, NYC, San Francisco), so why not Wisconsin where Lola was?

[Bastet]

Ah, who am I kidding - the other segment was about a ghost hunter and her cats, and they did a paranormal investigation to make sure there weren't any ghost cats making trouble.  This show has obviously jumped the litter box, er, shark...

 

I grew tired of this show last season, and haven't watched this season.  Last night I was going around the dial while waiting for a friend to arrive and happened upon the new episode just as they were going into the commercial break between the two segments.  I saw the tease of a ghost-hunting segment and decided this was definitely not going to be the night I returned to viewing.  That's even more stupid than Jackson going through the simulated fire.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I saw the tease of a ghost-hunting segment and decided this was definitely not going to be the night I returned to viewing.  That's even more stupid than Jackson going through the simulated fire.

This was my reaction too, although I did end up watching the episode.  It just re-ignited the rage I feel every time I see an ad for Finding Bigfoot - why the FUCK is something like that on Animal Planet??? (don't get me started on the guys who build pools and treehouses......).  But actually that segment was the better segment.  As possibilities said, they didn't dwell that long on the stupid ghosthunting bullshit.  I also liked that while Jackson was respectful of the clients' beliefs, he couldn't stop himself from initally snickering when she said she was a ghosthunter.  (I do believe in ghosts, BTW, but I don't believe at all in ghosthunters.)  I also liked the repositioning of Tim as a means of defusing the conflict between Harold and Ninja.  

 

Now the first half seemed a lot more contrived and disappointing.   Like the posters above I can't understand why Jackson couldn't fly to Milwaukee.  I get that it's kind of a publicity stunt episode, much like the 911 call episode - but it would have made more sense for him to visit Jimmy in his own home rather than in a hotel.  Also I think Jackson could have acknowledged that very young children may have trouble playing gently with a cat and maybe they shouldn't be expected to.  This is what big calm dogs are for.

Edited June 14, 2015 by ratgirlagogo

[izabella]

I thought the ghosthunting half with Harold, Tim and Ninja was the better segment, one of the better ones we've seen.  The cat momma was highly articulate and gave a lot of information about the homework they had been doing with the cats.  I scoff at ghosts and ghost hunting, so I thought I would hate this segment and the people, but I ended up liking them a lot.

Edited June 14, 2015 by izabella

[Mindymoo]

The ghost-hunting didn't bother me. I'm an atheist and a total skeptic, and I think that Jackson takes these people on and respectfully humors them. "Yep, you're a ghost hunter. Let's ghost hunt for three minutes and I'll play along. No ghosts? Imagine that! Now let's get to the real problem." It's the same thing with the woman who claimed she was a pet psychic. He was there to fix the cat problem, not to debate the legitimacy of pet psychics. And lo and behold, he was helping the issue with the ghost-free house.

[lightbeam]

Did the season end? It hasn't been on.

[Bella]

This show vanishes rather abruptly.

 

TheTVDB.com, which is PTV's preferred source of episode info, shows that there were 10 episodes in Season 7, with the last one on June 13. So it looks like it's over for a while.

 

We don't have a forum for it because no one has requested one, but I've been watching and enjoying Treetop Cat Rescue. It's the same damned thing in every episode: a cat gets stuck in a tree, the owner calls the arborists who star in the show, one or both of the arborists show up, one climbs the tree, the cat presents some kind of problem, the arborist grabs the cat, the arborist sticks the cat in a special bag, the arborist and cat descend safely, the owner is immensely grateful. This happens 2-3 (maybe 4) times in each 30-minute episode. And I love it. No fake drama, no long pauses, none of that. Just go up the tree, get the cat, and come down. It's my favorite thing on TV right now.

 

Here's a funny review from the NY Times. Animal Planet indicates that Treetop is on hiatus until mid-July, but I'm sure there are about half a bazillion repeats. And there's online stuff from Animal Planet.

[izabella]

I like Treetop Cat Rescue, too!  Those guys clearly love cats, and I really like that they do the rescues for free (unless people want to donate something). 

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I really like that they do the rescues for free

I liked it much more once they established that.  It's become my new favorite show partially because it irritates the shit out of Mr Rat that I record it.  This from the man who's addicted to What Would You Do? and The Following.  Sheesh.

[lightbeam]

I love treetop cat rescue haha. I'm such a dork, but it's such a sweet and simple show. I love the cartoon display of how they're going to rescue the cat (and the little kitty gets a heart bubble when they reach it). Too cute!

[bmasters9]

I liked it much more once they established that.  It's become my new favorite show partially because it irritates the shit out of Mr Rat that I record it.  This from the man who's addicted to What Would You Do? and The Following.  Sheesh.

Personally, that Treetop Cat Rescue show is a better one by far than those others.

[meep.meep]

I haven't watched it, but the premise always reminds me of the movie Pleasantville where the only thing the fire department ever did was rescue cats from trees.

[Janet Snakehole]

So, in watching this, I was wondering if anyone had any favorite cat guardians? I know there are not many, but a few stand out for me.

I really liked Ryann, the owner of Lita who broke up with the douche who liked when his cat bullied hers. I liked that she loved her cat and wanted Jackson to help her adjust and be a little less frightened, and she worked with him even after the bully cat was not around. I thought it was sweet at the end when she and Jackson got tattoos, and she got a super cute one of her cat.

I also really liked the one little boy who helped Jackson investing what happened with the cat. If I recall correctly, it ended up that the cat heard a loud noise outside and got spooked. I just really liked that kid, he seemed really gentle and cared a lot about the kitty.

Edited July 8, 2015 by Janet Snakehole

[Guest]

I used to love this show and I got a lot of insight about my cats watching the first 2-3 seasons. I haven't watched almost any of the last couple seasons though. Like most reality tv, they wanted to keep pushing the envelope to make it more dramatic. So now instead of meeting the cats where they are at, Jackson has to "push their comfort zone" at the first meeting til they inevitably scratch him. Then they dramatize the blood from the scratch.  The Jackson of the first few seasons never did that!

[b2H]

I can't seem to figure out how to post a photo of Maxie, but she's a lot of fun!

 

She is a rescue from the Humane Society - a domestic short hair white with patches of gray tabby stripes that are almost silver in color.  Very pretty girl, maybe a year old, tops..  She adopted us right from her cage at the shelter and wouldn't be dissuaded from coming home with us.  They put her in the traditional cardboard carrier to ride in the car, but she wouldn't have it.  This rather willful kitty completely destroyed the box and then sat calmly on the seat of the car for the rest of the trip home.

 

We went ahead with segregating her from my hubby's Labrador, who was more than used to cats.  Maxie looked at the dog through the baby gate and hissed at her.  The dog understood her place in the pecking order from that day forward and Maxie was integrated to the rest of the house an hour later.  She wasn't having the segregation and was already figuring out ways around the gate.

 

I became Momma.  She sleeps with me whenever she can (I travel a lot for my work, so sometimes it's only on weekends).  

 

Maxie continues to harass the dog.  She learned very quickly that hissing and batting at the dog were not a good idea - she would be yelled at and even tapped lightly on the nose when she was caught doing it.  So she figured out a different way to control the dog:  when Maxie wants to sleep where the dog is, she begins washing the dog, licking the dog's head, or back, or leg.  The dog quickly becomes annoyed with this activity and gets down to get away from Maxie.  Maxie is very proud of herself for figuring out an easy way to control the dog.

 

Maxie likes to be a 'mad kitty', running through the house, attacking imaginary intruders on the floor.  She runs like crazy, her tail all puffed out.  That'll last about 10 minutes, before she becomes exhausted.  She loves to watch the leaves and other debris blowing across the sidewalk or deck, depending on whether she's looking out the front or the backdoor.

[CoderLady]

Yeah, I'm sad about the direction the show has taken. I don't want to watch Jackson demonstrate again and again how much pain he can take. I don't want to be manipulated into feeling superior watching another set of clueless, silly people get schooled in the same old Cat Care 101 lessons. I don't want to see reality stars or other camera-ready performers borderline abusing their cats, and I never, ever want to see that little ...pause... in the questioning ever again.

 

So I guess I'm saying I'm out unless there's a miraculous revamping of the show, but since I'm paying less attention to it I probably wouldn't hear about it even if it happens. 

[Bastet]

That is so adorable.  The "What, I was just bathing her?" trick is one my late kitty Baxter adopted early on to pester Maddie (in the avatar) without getting in trouble.

 

Since I am among cat lovers here, I'm going to share my relief ...

 

Maddie is at least 16 years old (she was an adult when I adopted her from the shelter 15 years ago) and is estimated to be around 18.  She's had chronic kidney disease for six years, which I've managed via a high protein/low phosphorus diet.  At her senior check-up a couple of months ago, the kidney values had risen for the first time in those six years, but were still stage two and she acted fine (and tested fine otherwise). 

 

A couple of weeks ago, her appetite was a bit diminished, but she was otherwise acting completely normal. Then for two days she ate great (for her; she's never been a big eater). By the weekend, though, terrible -- she wouldn't even eat tuna or baby food, despite a dose of appetite stimulant, and she clearly wasn't feeling normal overall (not terrible, and maybe even okay, but not normal).

 

On Sunday the 28th, we went to emergency, and her kidney values were worse than they were two months ago but not high enough to explain her not feeling well; it seemed to the vets like a secondary effect of something else. They gave her fluids, and I brought her home overnight, scheduling her for a Monday morning ultrasound.

 

I was terrified they would find cancer or something further wrong with the kidneys, but the only thing they found was evidence of pancreatitis -- mild hyperechoic mesentery surrounding the pancreas.  I did subQ fluids, anti-nausea, and Pepcid AC and feeding her whatever she'd eat while waiting for the specFPL test results, which we finally got a week ago -- normal level of that pancreatic enzyme is up to 3.5 and hers was ten times that at 38.5.

 

So, yay for pancreatitis seeming to be the only thing wrong with her.  She turned a corner Friday and really started feeling better, so she takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

 

I've been feeding her anything she'll eat, never mind something nutritious, let alone low in phosphorus, so we're now engaged in a battle of wills as we transition back to what she should be eating (but at least we've moved on to Wellness and Merrick's formulas from Fancy Feast!).  But she's got a good 90% of her pep back, sleeps well again, and is getting enough calories.  We're well on the way to being back where she started:  an old lady with failing kidneys that don't bother her a bit.

[riley702]

Whew! Love it that she's a Timex. :)

[Bella]

I record it, then read here to see if there's anything worth watching. I'm much more into Tree Top Cat Rescue (or whatever it's called). It's quite repetitive, but there's very little fake about it aside from some phone call re-creations.

[Bella]

Bastet, I'm glad Maddie pulled through. My Priss lived to be almost 20 and had kidney disease for about 7 years. Low phosphorus/high protein is definitely the way to go.

[bmasters9]

So, in watching this, I was wondering if anyone had any favorite cat guardians? I know there are not many, but a few stand out for me.

I liked that woman who had Storm, and I felt for her when she revealed that the animal shelter told her that Storm had to be declawed before that woman could adopt her. 

[ratgirlagogo]

New season begins April 2nd.

 

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/my-cat-from-hell/

[possibilities]

Zeus the savannah cat was adorable. It was nice to see a case that didn't involve violence and fear. I was curious about the other cat in the family-- she didn't have problems as far as we were told, but I still wanted to at least meet her.

 

Sebastian's story was sad, because I still got the feeling the people didn't really get it, or care enough to do the "catification" or other homework. Their baby was super-adorable, though. I just didn't trust that the situation was really resolved, though you could see he was definitely less freaked out than at first. They never even said why they didn't make the shelves for him to have an off-the-floor runway, and if your vet is too afraid to examine your cat, you need to find another vet, not just give up. What if the guy needs medical care of some other kind in future? Do they just say "the vet was too scared to do the exam" and shrug that off, too? The editing was strange on that whole story. What did Jackson do to get them to a better vet? I would have liked to see the way a competent vet handled an aggressive cat-- and I just hope it wasn't horrible. Too many unanswered questions.

 

I like the idea of showing some happy stories, but the fire was a terrifying example. Why was the cat in a sling? Was he injured so badly that he can't walk anymore? Again, unanswered questions....

[SRTouch]

Sebastian's story was sad, because I still got the feeling the people didn't really get it, or care enough to do the "catification" or other homework. Their baby was super-adorable, though. I just didn't trust that the situation was really resolved, though you could see he was definitely less freaked out than at first. They never even said why they didn't make the shelves for him to have an off-the-floor runway, and if your vet is too afraid to examine your cat, you need to find another vet, not just give up. What if the guy needs medical care of some other kind in future? Do they just say "the vet was too scared to do the exam" and shrug that off, too? The editing was strange on that whole story. What did Jackson do to get them to a better vet? I would have liked to see the way a competent vet handled an aggressive cat-- and I just hope it wasn't horrible. Too many unanswered questions.

Sebastian had been acting out for a long time and these people have been in denial all along. It seems obvious to me that if your pet is acting crazy the first thing to do is check to see if there is something physically wrong. When Sebastian bit the neighbor and sent her to the hospital, you would think it should have been a wake up call. And why would you wait till your baby is starting to crawl before you get off your a$$ and call for help? I mean, why didn't they start trying to find an answer to the problem as soon as they learned the woman was pregnant? When they finally admitted they had a problem and brought in Jackson, they ignored his advise. It appeared that once they followed the advice, the vet was able to help. I'm afraid that Sebastian's problems will need to be monitored, and these fools have proven far to expert at hiding their heads in the sand. I think it entirely too likely that they will blissfully ignore future problems if and when the medication needs to be adjusted. Hell, I'm not sure they can be trusted to refill the prescription and give Sebastian the meds.

[OtterMommy]

First of all, I like the new format where they do both stories together instead of a first half and a second half story.  It kind of give the sense that the process takes time.  When it we had the initial meeting and then the 2 visits back to back, it seemed like the whole thing was pretty fast and quick.  But, I can tell right now, that I'm probably going to cry my eyes out over every "My Cat from Heaven" segment!

 

Zeus was such a great cat and his human was wonderful--I'd say about 75% of the time, the people on this show are idiots, but this guy's problems were really not of his own making and he really did do everything Jackson asked.  As a side note, there is a family in our neighborhood that has a pet Serval--not a Savannah, a Serval.  After seeing what a handful Zeus was, I have no idea how they are handling their cat.

 

Sebastian just broke my heart, mostly because he reminded me so much of my own cat.  We adopted Alice when she was 9 months old (August 2014) and things have not been easy.  A lot of the behavior Sebastian exhibited was like an amped up version of what she does and the vet and I have spoken about mood stabilizers for her (we're in a wait and see place right now--unlike Sebastian, she doesn't attack..but she does do a lot of hissing and guarding of her territory.  And, to trim her nails, I have to take her into the vet and they have to put her under full sedation--so, you know, an extra $100 a pop!).  I have been trying to convince my husband to do some more catifying, but he's resistant.  She has, however, found some safe spaces in our house (usually in the corners or tops of closets).  I was pretty flabbergasted that Sebastian's humans waited until their baby was almost walking to try to fix this instead of when they were pregnant.  Again, dumb humans....

[possibilities]

I like the new format of showing both stories the whole hour, too. I had wondered if the show had been canceled, but I'm glad that istead they were using the hiatus to retool it a bit.

 

We don't know how long it took for Sebastian's family to get help after asking for it. But once they got the help, not doing the things advised is what really bothered me.

[OtterMommy]

We don't know how long it took for Sebastian's family to get help after asking for it. But once they got the help, not doing the things advised is what really bothered me.

 

True...beyond a vet, I don't know how many cat behaviorists there are out there.  However, I am completely shocked that the vet wouldn't prescribe mood stabilizers with s/he was too scared of Sebastian to get him out of his carrier.  I'm pretty sure that alone would get the pills!  I can't remember--did the family take Sebastian back to the same vet or did they (hopefully) go to a new one?

[bmasters9]

First of all, I like the new format where they do both stories together instead of a first half and a second half story.  It kind of give the sense that the process takes time.  When it we had the initial meeting and then the 2 visits back to back, it seemed like the whole thing was pretty fast and quick.  

I also like the headers at the bottom left that label what Jackson is talking about on each case, like for example in big letters, "CATIFICATION," and in smaller letters, "EXERCISE." Did you notice that?

[OtterMommy]

I also like the headers at the bottom left that label what Jackson is talking about on each case, like for example in big letters, "CATIFICATION," and in smaller letters, "EXERCISE." Did you notice that?

 

I did...great if you have to take notes!  

 

I do think they may be trying to codify his system to make it more marketable outside of the show--which is totally fine, of course.  It's just a little odd that it took them until season 8 to do it

[bmasters9]

I did...great if you have to take notes!  

 

I do think they may be trying to codify his system to make it more marketable outside of the show--which is totally fine, of course.  It's just a little odd that it took them until season 8 to do it

Come to think of it, I reviewed last night's premiere, and the header actually said, "CATIFICATION," and then, "HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT." Just the same, I'm glad you noticed it as I did, and I agree with your assessment of the possible marketing outside of the show. 

[possibilities]

I think it would be GREAT if Jackson published a book that actually gave practical advice and taught people how to assess their situation and what tools to use to fix things. If you watch the show, you pick up a lot of this. But when someone gets a cat and has a problem, telling them to "watch a few seasons of this tv show and you may see the answer" is not really helpful.

 

I have read a lot of books about cats and most of them are also not very helpful. There are some great books about dogs (and also some terrible ones), but not many good ones about cats. I honestly think that not many people understand cats, even those who love them. Many of us can bond and appreciate and love them, but when it comes to understanding them, I think that is much less developed, generally speaking.

 

Another book of anecdotes would be OK, but I would really like to see a more organized system of understanding, analyzing, and helping people solve problems.

[OtterMommy]

I think it would be GREAT if Jackson published a book that actually gave practical advice and taught people how to assess their situation and what tools to use to fix things. If you watch the show, you pick up a lot of this. But when someone gets a cat and has a problem, telling them to "watch a few seasons of this tv show and you may see the answer" is not really helpful.

 

I have read a lot of books about cats and most of them are also not very helpful. There are some great books about dogs (and also some terrible ones), but not many good ones about cats. I honestly think that not many people understand cats, even those who love them. Many of us can bond and appreciate and love them, but when it comes to understanding them, I think that is much less developed, generally speaking.

 

Another book of anecdotes would be OK, but I would really like to see a more organized system of understanding, analyzing, and helping people solve problems.

 

I'm going to make some unfair comparisons here, so forgive me.

 

I think that the "pet industry" (publishers, stores such as Petco and PetSmart, producers of things like food, toys, etc), sees cats and dogs as essentially the same thing.  Which, obviously, they aren't.  But, when I've picked up a cat book (which I've had to do a lot since adopting Alice), they read like dog books--which doesn't work when you have, in fact, a cat.  Honestly, Jackson Galaxy is the only resource I've found that has provided any actionable advice for any of the issues we've been dealing with, which is why I'm surprised that Animal Planet hasn't jumped on this.

 

Yes, Jackson Galaxy has his books and his products, but it all seems like it is Jackson Galaxy doing the promoting and its all very small scale.  Compare that to Caesar Milan, who has books, DVDs, goes on tour, etc.  I don't pay that much attention to him as I don't currently have a dog, but his whole operation seems to be far more organized and better-backed. But, from what I've seen, his advice is all very similar.  You can go ahead and chalk it up to dogs being dogs, if you want.  Sure, he gets the problem case now and then when he has to do something creative, but that's the exception.

 

Now, Jackson Galaxy definitely has his stock advice that he gives frequently.  But he also deals with strange cases--like Zeus!  And there are times when the stock advice just doesn't work or when one specific thing, which may be rare or moderately common, calls for something else completely.  I would think that Animal Plane (or its parent company) would look at this and realize that they have a potential goldmine.  We're not talking about Jackson Galaxy writing a book--we're talking about Jackson Galaxy writing a series of books.  And, really, JG doesn't even have to actually write them (if that is a problem)--have him work with someone else and slap his name on it.  I mean, I doubt Caesar Milan actually writes his own books.

 

The market is there...there are more pet cats than dogs in the US (although more households own dogs than cats--it is just that cat owners are more likely to own more than one cat than dog owners are to own more than one dog. Source)  So it is strange that, when Caesar Milan is having such success with his work with dogs, Jackson Galaxy seems to be ignored.  In my experience, I have never needed advice with a dog--I have frequently needed it with a cat.

 

So, I do hope that someone is figuring out that more can be done with this show--it is about time!

[bmasters9]

I think that another reason why I like the new "back-and-forth" format of the show as it premiered last Saturday is because of that one episode under the old "one cat, then another" format that concerned Lux in Portland, OR. Granted, Lux was bigtime headlines in that Pacific Northwest city, but the episode about him was so boring that I fast-forwarded through most of it (not to leave out that it broke format by taking up the whole show, something that I did not expect). 

Edited April 4, 2016 by bmasters9

[LittleIggy]

I can't believe a vet would be too scared to get a cat out of a carrier. Every vet I have been to has vet techs to help handle the animals. Don't they learn how to deal with unruly cats in vet school? Anyway, I kept thanking heaven for my sweet kitties, Neela and Baelish, during the Sebastian segments. Even when I have to put Baelish kicking and meowing into his carrier, he has never tried to scratch or bite me.

Zeus should be in cat food or pet store ads. He is gorgeous!

[Astra]

Regarding scared vets, my mom had a cat that was declawed yet fooled the vet into thinking he was going to strike. She was the one to remove him from the carrier before any exam could be done. It seems to happen frequently when you have aggressively scared kitties.