My Cat From Hell - General Discussion

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I liked that Jackson spent time showing the owners how to do injections at home. So many people don't know how and are intimidated, even after the vet shows them how to do it.

Yes, and giving the oral medication too.  I always like when the show does this kind of thing.

[Dagny]

Jackson can show the cat is aggressive without getting within scratch range. I don't understand the need to draw blood every time. In fact, I'd be more impressed if he DIDN'T draw blood with a cat we already know is aggressive.

 

That cat sooo hated being approached I was almost dying laughing. He pretty much walked into the room and the cat was on level 10.

 

Did you notice that he already had cat scratches on his hand before he approached the cat devil cat?  I really think the producers goaded the lady into wearing the full motorcycle getup.  In the video, she just had the pants and boots.  Production monkeys need to tone it down some.

 

There are a lot of bad vets out there. You won't know if the vet is bad until you have a challenging kitty. Shots are the most that people see their vet for. I had a vet tell me that my cat still had time left and not to put it down. The next day she died. I never went back to him.

[Bastet]

I liked that Jackson spent time showing the owners how to do injections at home. So many people don't know how and are intimidated, even after the vet shows them how to do it.

 

I've dealt with insulin-dependent diabetic kitties, and currently give Maddie Adequan injections for her bum knee, and think nothing of it.  But so many people are intimidated by it, which can lead to not treating something that could easily be managed.  So I agree it's a great thing to include on the show.

[CoderLady]

I agree, too. This is the kind of thing I've really wanted on the show, not more human relationship drama.

 

I had to hydrate my cat friend Awful (RIP) several times a week during her last few weeks on Earth. The vets explained and showed how to do it very clearly, which made that one aspect of what was inevitably happening a bit easier to take.

 

Also appreciated was the demo on giving oral medication, though I need to see that again a few times. I have a big jerk cat who is utterly adorable to me but occasionally likes to smack little old lady cats around, so he's on Prozac. Problem is, he turns into a big sniveling, crying and extremely squirmy bundle of fur and muscle at medication time. He's not violent except accidentally but it seems to take at least two people to handle him. If I could just scruff him as easily as they did Whisky, I'd be one happy cat momma.

[Bella]

@CoderLady - do you need medicating advice or is your big cat just very difficult compared to most? Here's my go-to video on it:

 

I don't use "a wee bit of water" but I do give treats right afterwards so that the cat has a positive association with pilling.

 

Also, let me know if you get "pinged" up top - there's a new feature that I think finally rolled out to the whole site. (You put @ before a poster's name and they're supposed to be notified that you named them.)

[Bastet]

I had to hydrate my cat friend Awful (RIP) several times a week during her last few weeks on Earth. The vets explained and showed how to do it very clearly, which made that one aspect of what was inevitably happening a bit easier to take.

 

RIP, Awful.  I've done subQ fluids, too, and that really intimidates a lot of people (especially once they get a look at the needle).  Maybe that will make an appearance on a future episode; given the number of cats suffering from kidney disease, he's bound to run into one, and subQ fluid therapy can provide immense help in the later stages of that disease.

 

I didn't see the oral meds segment; did he caution against tilting the cat's head up when giving the meds, rather than holding it level?  Because that's a common mistake that makes it harder for the cat to swallow.  Also, if liquid meds were discussed, did he talk about how to reduce the risk of causing the cat to aspirate it into their lungs (which can result in pneumonia)?  I cringe when I see people squirt a large dose of liquid right into the back of the throat, so that would have been a good tip to include.  Did he touch on the dangers of dry pilling?  There's really a lot involved in medicating a cat that you don't think about once you have it down to a science.

[CoderLady]

@Bella, thanks. That looks easy enough. I'll try it tomorrow morning. Cross yer fingers!

 

@Bastet - it was a blink-and-you-miss-it thing at the end of the medication scene while they had Whisky on the table. All I have to do is get 0.25 ml of tuna-flavored liquid into the little monster, but I want to make sure it goes down the right path. I shudder to think of how much worse he'd be to handle if it goes the wrong way even once.

 

ETA: Oh yeah, I did get pinged. Cool!

Edited May 13, 2014 by CoderLady

[Bella]

I've had three vets at two different clinics tell me that it's very hard, almost impossible, to send medication down "the wrong pipe" on a cat because their epiglottisses are quite different from ours and work much faster and more efficiently.

 

I just poked around online and found nothing I could share here, though. It's something I've always worried about with liquid medication, though not so much with pills. If someone does have a link on this, it might be helpful.

 

I always use treats as part of the medication process. The cats I've had have always made the association and valued getting the treat more than they dreaded the pills. My current two are young, however, and haven't been tested on that yet.

[CoderLady]

That's good to know about the low chances of messing up . I chickened out this morning and instead of trying to fight with 16 pounds of "NOOOOOOOO!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!" I put it in his food as usual.

 

I should try the direct method though, since he doesn't eat it all at once. He also may not be getting all the medication since it's a tiny amount in a 3 oz. portion of food. Thanks for the information.

Edited May 13, 2014 by CoderLady

[Captanne]

To the topic of the episode -- I'm afraid I'm going to have to follow Jackson Galaxy on his twitter and see his videos but his show has jumped the shark for me.

 

It's too formulaic, predictable and melodramatic for me.  If I were a first-time viewer, that would be different.  But, after the second season of "dumb owners, repetitive solutions, the inevitable positive homework dun-dun-dun bit, the "hand in the cat's face gets scratched" bit" -- I'm over the show.

 

I'm even a bit sick of the "evil wife, laid back husband" stereotype.

[Bastet]

CoderLady, if your cat is getting the full dose via his food (try putting the medicine into a smaller portion to ensure he eats it all, then give him the rest of his food sans medicine) that is the best way to give it as it is less stressful - for both cat and owner - and you don't have to worry at all about aspiration (while aspirate pneumonia is rare, those unlucky enough to be on the wrong side of the statistics don't have an easy time of it, so it's a good thing to avoid).

 

But, after the second season of "dumb owners, repetitive solutions, the inevitable positive homework dun-dun-dun bit, the "hand in the cat's face gets scratched" bit" -- I'm over the show.

 

The repetition is getting quite hard for me to take, too, which is a shame because at the same time they have introduced a couple new topics with these last few episodes.  But when the tips on medicating a reluctant cat are buried amidst the usual faux drama and repetitive dynamics, it's hard to hang in for them.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Bastet

[Dagny]

It's interesting that the past two episodes, they've had cats with real medical issues that were causing problems for their owners.

 

With the black devil cat, I thought for sure they would have to medicate it.  I was surprised that they put lots of cat shelves up, but didn't buy into defending the backyard.  In the past, its been no work or minimal stuff on the inside and nothing on the backyard. When we got the sneak peak at the shelves, I had high hopes for the backyard, but nope.  I wondered why they didn't try to scare of the neighbor cats.  Whenever I see any cat in the backyard (my cats are always indoor), I chase them off with as much noise as possible.

It's interesting that the past two episodes, they've had cats with real medical issues that were causing problems for their owners.

 

With the black devil cat, I thought for sure they would have to medicate it.  I was surprised that they put lots of cat shelves up, but didn't buy into defending the backyard.  In the past, its been no work or minimal stuff on the inside and nothing on the backyard. When we got the sneak peak at the shelves, I had high hopes for the backyard, but nope.  I wondered why they didn't try to scare of the neighbor cats.  Whenever I see any cat in the backyard (my cats are always indoor), I chase them off with as much noise as possible.

[riley702]

Saw this today and had to share. This cat is the antithesis of a cat from hell. A little boy in Bakersfield was attacked by a dog and his cat saved him, driving the dog off. The video DOES include pictures of the boy's wounds before and after stitching. It's scary how this dog attacked the kid with ZERO provocation. I don't think the kid even saw it before it was dragging him off his bike.

 

http://www.theindychannel.com/tablet-showcase/amazing-video-cat-saves-boy-from-dog-attack-in-southwest-bakersfield-051414

Edited May 14, 2014 by riley702

[walnutqueen]

That cat reminds me of the first time I laid eyes on my dearly departed little soulmate at my neighbour's place.  A pitbull was lunging down the hallway shrieking and terrified as a teensy little kitten clung to his neck ferociously scratching and biting the dog's nose.  Little fucker would not be dislodged, even as the poor dog tried smashing his head into the wall. It was love at first sight for me, and luckily the kitten felt the same way.  He ran across the street to my house whenever anyone opened a door (airhead owner had NO clue how to look after a cat) and played with me and my cats and I dutifully returned him each evening until the neighbor finally told me to just keep him.

[kechara]

Think Like a Cat - by Pam Bennet Johnson is like a bible for cat owners.  Cat vs Cat has a lot of info on introducing a new cat and fixing things when they go wrong in a multiple cat household.  I have 7 cats and there are a few minor conflicts from time to time  but the books have really helped.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

A little boy in Bakersfield was attacked by a dog and his cat saved him, driving the dog off.

This was all over the national news last night. I'm not calling it fake, but it's  strange that this video was shot by at least three, maybe four different cameras.  Is this house just in an area of Bakersfield with saturation camera surveillance? Why so many camera angles?

Edited May 16, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[possibilities]

Every cat I've known has been greatly amused by a cardboard box, a paper bag, a roll of toilet paper, a wad of crumpled paper, a ball the size of a ping pong ball, a feather, and a simple "fishing pole" type dangly toy. I have tried to offer them fancy toys purchased ina fit of consumer affection, but none of these have ever been as popular as the basics. A laser pointer and a little catnip take the whole thing over the top. A JG line of toys might surprise me (I did like the activity rug), but I am not sure how needed it really is.

[riley702]

This was all over the national news last night. I'm not calling it fake, but it's strange that this video was shot by at least three, maybe four different cameras.  Is this house just in an area of Bakersfield with saturation camera surveillance? Why so many camera angles?

Not sure what the crime rate is in Bakersfield, but wondered if they'd had problems and put up surveillance cameras. I'm not sure how one would stage a dog attack, or get the cat to come charging in like that, not to mention those were some ugly wounds. I can't believe they'd set up their own kid to be mauled so they could tape it. 

Edited May 16, 2014 by riley702

[ratgirlagogo]

Like I said, I don't think it's fake either.  I'm just surprised by the multi-camera coverage.

[Dagny]

http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/amazing-video-cat-saves-boy-from-dog-attack-in-southwest-bakersfield-051414

 

RE: Bakersfield cat - The house has a number of surveillance cameras and the father works with cutting video. You could see the dog staking the kid. Apparently the dog got out when the neighbor was pulling out of the enclosed driveway.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

RE: Bakersfield cat - The house has a number of surveillance cameras and the father works with cutting video.

Huh.  Well, there's the answer then.

[Guest]

Dexter is out to kill Daisy; Sarah's birthday gift, Giver, is not a great gift.

 

[dmmetler]

Who the heck gave that guy an f2 Savannah? I know in Bengals an f4 is considered the minimum for a domestic/pet placement-everything earlier is recommended only for people who have extensive experience, because they're just too wild, and Savannah's are bigger than Bengals, with the earlier crosses tending to be quite large. Not to mention that the F2 was female, and early crosses of Savannahs often have trouble in delivery-I really, really hope she was spayed, but most people who spend that much on a pair of exotic cats aren't going to neuter their pets.

My 9 yr old loves learning about animal behavior, and enjoys the show, and even she was yelling at the TV.

[Bastet]

Good; maybe this episode will make some people realize giving a pet as a gift is a bad idea nine times out of ten.

[cosmic1]

I am sure that others have brought this up, but I just have to say that I am really sick of Jackson pushing the cats to scratch and bite him and then being all melodramatic about how horrible it was.  LOL.  It's like he can't even be bothered to act convincing about it anymore.

 

Also, Dexter, if you want to fix the problem, you have to do the homework as instructed.  I am amazed at how many people cannot tell what play aggression is with cats and that it is a sign they need to be played with or engaged in someway to drain the energy.  The other day, my cat pounced on my head when I was in bed waking up and I knew she wanted me to get up so she could go outside.  LOL. 

 

I agree with Bastet regarding giving pets as gifts.  If someone really wants a pet for their birthday, then they should go along and be the one to pick it out. 

[Bastet]

I just have to say that I am really sick of Jackson pushing the cats to scratch and bite him and then being all melodramatic about how horrible it was.  LOL.  It's like he can't even be bothered to act convincing about it anymore.

 

That is really bothering me this season.  He knows better; we've seen him introduce himself properly in the past.  He's just delaying the cat's progress by coming in as this scary new person amongst a crew of scary new people - with cameras, boom mics, lighting, etc. - and pushing past the cat's boundaries in order to make "good television" by getting beaten up. 

[Dagny]

The other day, my cat pounced on my head when I was in bed waking up and I knew she wanted me to get up so she could go outside.  LOL.

 

My cat walks up to me while I watch TV, sits & whines until I roll off and play with her.  I guess I get off easy.

 

I agree about the cat boundary. The past ones were pretty outrageous.  The cat is hissing at you. It will get you. Just cut to the chase and feed it.  

[dmmetler]

The cat is peeing blood and peeing outside the litter box, on cloth items. That's not behavioral, and that's not stress-that's an animal who is sick and in pain. She's not doing it to spite you.

 

And for heaven's sake, don't give an animal as a gift, especially not when it's pretty obvious that you were the one who wanted the cat in the first place!

[ratgirlagogo]

 

The cat is peeing blood

Jesus Christ on a cracker.  What kind of vet thinks that PEEING BLOOD is "stress induced?"

[Captanne]

My problem with this show is encapsulated by this episode and the last.  It has such great potential and is, admittedly, enjoyable and even a learning experience for the new viewer.

 

So, it's not the absurdity of the owners (because they experience real problems), it's not that they lie to the viewer and to the host ("I took my cat to the vet" or "I did my homework!"), it's not that they are cold-hearted and selfish (even though some are), it's not that I suspect some of the people care a lot more about their 15 minutes of dubious fame more than they care for their pet, it's not that they are doing this as people who are responsible for the life of another creature who is utterly dependent on them, and it's not that the staging is immature (with the dun, dun, dun moments and the "hand challenges".)  All of these things are true but are not what is compelling me to take the show off the DVR schedule (read:  To Stop Watching.)

 

It's the formula.  

 

See this once, twice, three times and my patience runs out.  (So does my available free time.)

 

ETA:  Fortunately, I can get my Jackson Galaxy fix elsewhere.  Problem is whether I can be bothered to try.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Captanne

[Bella]

I got into this same debate on Facebook before someone explained about surveillance cameras. 

 

After I left home, my parents got a cat who would chase dogs out of the yard and down the block. I saw her do that a few times and it was hilarious. It also reinforced that cats are willing to fight for their "colony" and territory.

[riley702]

When I was little, we lived out in the country with dogs and cats running wild. I remember a dog come nosing around when our cat had a new litter. I heard a yelp and turned to see Midnight jump up on the dog, scratching him. She "rode" that dog for a few yards until it was obvious he was leaving the yard. She then hopped down and sauntered back to her kittens.

[Lisin]

Alex fears that when she leaves for college, her mother will get rid of her cat, Meeko, who pees all over the house and attacks people; clients will not come to Kelly's home because her cat, Symone, will attack anyone who laughs or cries.

[possibilities]

This description intrigues me (a cat who attacks anyone who laughs or cries??), but I can't for the life of me find it on the schedule. My listings have no My Cat From Hell at all this week, and next week a different episode entirely. Confusing....

[Bella]

Same here, but when I watched the previous episode, it said the show would be back in 2 weeks. I take that to mean that this episode will be shown later or not at all.

 

I briefly wondered if the show had been pulled.

 

If no one has any other explanation, I'll delete this thread later today or tomorrow (after I get my own cable issues resolved, grrrr (or should I say "hisssss"?)) and put up the one for next week.

[Bella]

KittenCam, for those of us who need even more distractions:

http://new.livestream.com/FosterKittenCam/TheHitchhikerFosters

[riley702]

And there's always the Animal Planet Kitten Cam: 

 

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/too-cute/games-more/kitten-cam.htm

[Bella]

Thanks, riley702.

 

I especially love watching the babies because they're so cute, but I won't have them in my house. After one round of kittens, I decided to adopt adult cats from that point on. Since then, the adoption ages have been 5.5 years, 14 months, and two at 12.5 months. No curtain climbers!

[ratgirlagogo]

I don't see it on my schedule either.  I don't really understand why Animal Planet feels like a River Monsters marathon is better for Memorial Day weekend than My Cat from Hell.

[smittykins]

Every cat I've known has been greatly amused by a cardboard box, a paper bag, a roll of toilet paper, a wad of crumpled paper, a ball the size of a ping pong ball, a feather, and a simple "fishing pole" type dangly toy. I have tried to offer them fancy toys purchased ina fit of consumer affection, but none of these have ever been as popular as the basics. A laser pointer and a little catnip take the whole thing over the top. A JG line of toys might surprise me (I did like the activity rug), but I am not sure how needed it really is.

Give my China a couple of soda-bottle caps or twist ties and she's good to go.

[walnutqueen]

Give my China a couple of soda-bottle caps or twist ties and she's good to go.

 

 

smittykins, my Beanster was the King of the Sobe caps.  I regularly snaked about 20 of them from under the entertainment center with a broomstick, back in the day.  He had the sweetest little face, but was fond of carrying those Sobe caps in his mouth in such a fashion that I called him Hannibal Lecter kitty.  (the mask, folks - you really had to see it to recognize the resemblance).  ;-)

[riley702]

Milk jug rings never get old. If you've got a decent uncarpeted area (say, a hallway), little balls of aluminum foil make great hockey pucks.

[possibilities]

The episode that did air was pretty interesting, though. (Einstein wants to kill Izzy, and Ben is toxoplasmosis carrier). I like that they're finding new situations.

 

I wish Jackson would go more in depth. For instance, he should have talked about how since Einstein was there first, he probably felt like Izzy was a threat. Lots of people need to know how to introduce a second cat into the home, so it doesn't get so bad and need an intervention from Animal Planet. I mean, Jackson is not going to be able to visit everyone. So he should be using the show to teach people prevention. Also, why did they assume they'd re-home Einstein, instead of Izzy? Einstein was there first. They also never showed Jackson spending any time with Izzy, to see what she was like.

 

Maybe I'm too fussy. I just always feel like they leave so much out, and I would rather see more detail than have so many things glossed over.

Edited June 1, 2014 by possibilities

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Maybe I'm too fussy. I just always feel like they leave so much out, and I would rather see more detail than have so many things glossed over.

That's my problem with it too.  I like this show but the presentation seems if anything to have gotten even hokier and more filler-heavy as it has continued.  They seem to waste so much time on the bullshit when the topic itself is inherently so fascinating.  All the hyperdramatic pauses and repetition.    Also I found it annoying that there was this pretense that Jackson had to go to the vet in order for HIM to be educated about toxoplasmosis, rather than just having the vet give us in the television audience the facts, because he's a vet and Jackson isn't. 

 

I agree with you about Einstein and Izzy.  I never even was clear about the age difference between the two cats - was Izzy a kitten when they got her or a full-grown cat?  Because I've always found that made a big difference - it's always easier if the new cat is younger and smaller. 

[Mindymoo]

My Floyd is the king of the hair ties. He will hunt them from night until dawn, and it doesn't matter where we hide them, he will find them. I swear, when the little one meets his maker, if we do a necropsy, he will have a belly full of hair ties the way a sperm whale has a belly full of undigested giant squid beaks. Figaro couldn't be less interested in them, but Floyd just LOVES them.

 

I also had no problem whatsoever introducing the two of them. I read up on Jackson Galaxy's tips for introducing kitties, and kept Floyd in my room for about a week and introduced them via smells. I would feed them at the same time through the door, with Floyd's cat box in my room. Even after he was dewormed and had his shots, we would only give them short spurts of play time together, and after about a week, they were dying to be together. I put soft claws on him so he couldn't do too much damage to Figaro with his kitten claws, and they became inseparable from the get. I've known people who just throw their two or three new cats together and let them fight it out, but I wanted my boys to have a good relationship, so I went with Jackson's advice and dare I say it, it worked!

[Bella]

We moved the bedroom furniture this weekend, and the cats are in crisis. One of the reasons we did this was to get their favorite cat tree away from the cold air blasts that happen when the air-conditioning kicks on, but they don't understand that. They just know that furniture moved, and that is bad.

 

The horror, the horror!

[CoderLady]

Has a situation on MCFH ever been solved by a rehoming or is that just an empty threat that often gets tossed in for drama? That cat deserves better. It would be no problem since once the story went world-wide there was no shortage of people volunteering to take him.

 

The only possible problem would be that now that the family has unexpectedly found a chance to be famewhores they might try to hold on to it - and the cat - as long as they can.

[Bastet]

Speaking of air conditioning blasts ... I don't have air conditioning in my house, but I have one of those Mitsubishi Electric ductless AC units (which I can't recommend highly enough, btw) in my bonus room, which is connected to the garage and makes up the outer boundary of my backyard. I call it the cantina (it has a bar, pool table, fireplace, etc.).  On the few days of the year it's just too hot in the house during the day, I put Maddie in the cantina, and used to do the same with both of them when Baxter was alive.  Well, Bax had a comfortable temperature range of about 15 degrees; anything above or below that and he either huddled up or sought cool places.  So he was always very excited for cantina time.  So much so that he knew the exact spot on the floor the air would hit, and would thus run through the yard into the cantina, plop down on that spot and wait for me to turn on the air. 

[Bastet]

Pump's owners sent him to live with relatives, but I'm not sure if they admitted that on the show or just had to cop to it later after being chewed out from one end of the internet to the other.

[CoderLady]

Oh yeah, Derek the Douche with his macho house-shredding cat and Ryann with the really pretty tortie. Ryann was the one who needed rehoming if you ask me. Other than that, I can't think of any time a cat's been rehomed. (ETA: how could I forget Pump!)

 

Apparently if two warring cats manage to eat just once in each other's presence, or a litter box adverse cat poops just once in the litter, they get to stay. In real life that's not the end of the story. What happens if the cats never consistently behave themselves? That  must happen. Or what if two cats just can't get along? That also must happen. It would be useful to know when to give up and stop torturing everybody - a little practical knowledge when feel-good just doesn't work.

Edited June 1, 2014 by CoderLady