My Cat From Hell - General Discussion

[possibilities]

Why did Lux suddenly develop this problem after the baby was born? Hadn't he been with them for any years without incident?

[Frost]

 

Plus, I find kicking a cat to be a pretty disproportionate response to a scratch, so I'm not particularly moved by this "he was defending his child" stuff;

I'm a huge animal lover and have much loved rescue dogs and cats right now but I admit, if I saw my cat with his claws digging into a baby's forehead I'm not sure what I would do.  No,violence isn't the answer but with the adrenaline running through that father's body at seeing his baby attacked I'm not going to cast the first stone.  I admit, I thought that Teresa's ongoing fear and stress was going to be the ultimate cause for Lux's behavior.  I was surprised he attacked the kindly and calm foster mother.  I hope the medication and calm environment help Lux.  He is a beautiful cat.

[Ketzel]

I couldn't tell if it was the editing, or for real, but the woman had a very odd affect when it came to the cat. Lux was her baby, her darling, but she was terrified of Lux and didn't trust him? She was very afraid Lux would attack her actual baby, but she didn't prevent the baby from yanking the cat's tail, and was unwilling to let Lux go to another home, even after she was told there was no guarantee Lux would not have another FHS-triggered incident that might put the baby at risk?

 

I may have misunderstood, but I thought the father was saying that he kicked out at Lux as a punishment, not in order to get Lux away from the baby, and then Lux turned on him.

 

And I have to say I cannot imagine a situation in which I would lock myself in a bedroom and call 911 to deal with a housecat. I mean, I am not exactly Andre the Giant, but I do outweigh my own cat by more than a hundred pounds, and I own a broom. Herding a group of cats may be difficult, but I think I could herd a single one into the bathroom, no matter how dementedly he was acting, and then call my vet, not law enforcement.

[Fauxliage]

Why did Lux suddenly develop this problem after the baby was born? Hadn't he been with them for any years without incident?

 

Yeah I was kinda wondering about that myself... I mean ultimately the outcome was definitely the best for Lux, but using an exclusion diagnosis because he had one behavioral problem in one week of being with foster parents seems iffy. The environment he had been in was obviously very stressful - they seemed to be freaking out even when Lux just meowed, who knows how much he'd been poked and prodded by baby, probably was anxious about being locked in one room and having to go back to that. Even just Teresa's level of anxiety and fear rising could be upsetting if they used to have such a close bond.

 

Can a cat just instantly get over all the anxiety just by getting transplanted? I would think it would take some time, and maybe some unknown triggers raise his stress levels in the meantime. Though the antidepressants might help keep it from getting too overwhelming. 

Edited June 15, 2014 by Fauxliage

[Bastet]

I mean ultimately the outcome was definitely the best for Lux, but using an exclusion diagnosis because he had one behavioral problem in one week of being with foster parents seems iffy. The environment he had been in was obviously very stressful - they seemed to be freaking out even when Lux just meowed, who knows how much he'd been poked and prodded by baby, probably was anxious about being locked in one room and having to go back to that. Even just Teresa's level of anxiety and fear rising could be upsetting if they used to have such a close beond.

 

Exactly.  In a short span of time, the cat was kicked and stalked by the husband, dragged off the top of the refrigerator by cops with a noose, picked up by Animal Control, put in a shelter for however many days, taken back home and locked in a cluttered room with a litter box that clearly did not get scooped regularly, lived daily with someone who freaked out at every move he made and told him to get away when he tried to rub her foot, had a production crew and all their equipment come into the house twice, had cameras on him even once the crew was gone, went for a vet visit, was only home a few days before being put in the carrier again and taken to the Humane Society, taken to a new home by strangers, taken to the vet again ... is the fact he hasn't had another episode since starting the meds just because of those meds?  I think starting to feel secure with people who aren't putting such strong negative energy into the air has to be playing quite a role.

 

The new owners have essentially agreed to give up fostering by taking him in, since it wouldn't be fair to introduce a new cat into Lux's environment.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Bastet

[CPP83]

I think that couple was so full of shit it was coming out of their ears. "I barely touched his butt", as if, I didn't buy the father's claim at all, not in the slightest. Anything could have caused Lux's outburst at the foster home, but the way he behaved with that couple, to me, showed that they had mistreated him.

 

I do think that he needed to be rehomed without question so I was happy about that outcome, hopefully he's found a safe place to be loved now.

 

ETA:

 

I forgot how the father tried to paint himself as some sort of victim, "I'm being made out to be a bad guy", well that because you were. You left your seven month old unsupervised around a cat, that was all on you, the child never should have had a chance to yank on Lux's tail in the first place.

 

A cat is going to lash out when its' been assaulted more times than not, it is going to protect itself, it's your job as not just the baby's parent but the cat's as well to keep them both safe whether together or apart, obviously he just wasn't up for the job of being a responsible enough guardian for either child or cat.

Edited June 15, 2014 by CPP83

[Captanne]

This show simply isn't equipped (talent-wise?  Not Jackson -- I mean behind the camera) to handle "long drawn out trauma dramas".  They don't tell stories well.  

 

To venture into this clearly complicated story and even to devote an hour to it -- wasn't enough.  There is much more behind this than just glomming onto a splashy headline about a "bad cat".

 

Lux needed a new home.   Plain and simple.  No matter how you gloss it -- you've got a cat in a home with a 7 month old who has been injured by the cat; you've got one parent willing to kick the cat; you've got another with some sort of mental issues about the cat.

 

Get the cat a new home asap.

 

Done deal.  Move on.

[kechara]

Can't see it in Canada it seems.   My first cat was a wild thing when we got him. he had been in a family with 2 little boys who swung him by his trail.  With time, he became a very lovely mellow cat, but he was quite scratchy/bitey at first. I was 4 at the time and I understood about how to treat him. I did dress him up in doll clothes after a few years and he was great with that...

 

I would never let a baby be unsupervised with any pet. Things happen. You need to protect your pet and small kids too

[Bella]

I haven't watched the episode yet, but it appears that Lux is in a new home, which is a relief.

 

My best friend and her husband had 7 cats when their first child was born, and since then they've had between 5 and 8 cats at any given time. When Kid1 was learning to talk, he'd point at one specific cat and say "DAYN-ger-ous!!!" And we'd all laugh, because we knew he'd learned through experience not to harass the cats, especially that one. Not everyone is as wise as my friends when it comes to mixing pets and children.

 

I probably can't watch this episode until tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to it.

[CoderLady]

This show simply isn't equipped (talent-wise?  Not Jackson -- I mean behind the camera) to handle "long drawn out trauma dramas".  They don't tell stories well.  

 

To venture into this clearly complicated story and even to devote an hour to it -- wasn't enough.  There is much more behind this than just glomming onto a splashy headline about a "bad cat".

 

Lux needed a new home.   Plain and simple.  No matter how you gloss it -- you've got a cat in a home with a 7 month old who has been injured by the cat; you've got one parent willing to kick the cat; you've got another with some sort of mental issues about the cat.

 

Get the cat a new home asap.

 

Done deal.  Move on.

 

How many times did they repeat the 911 call, the split-screen talking heads and the shakycam of the family running into the bedroom? You're right about the lack of storytelling skills. This would have been a half hour segment if they'd done those just once.

 

Jackson kept repeating that he thought things were not adding up. True, but I thought that would include him calling those two crap cat owners out on their lies and manufactured drama. As Bastet noted above, Lux had been subjected to a lot of unnecessarily traumatizing treatment as a result of the incident. Being manhandled away from his crap family by people expecting nothing but trouble and given an indeterminate sentence in animal jail most certainly factored into Lux's behavior afterwards but none of that was mentioned. Could be part of the deal made with the owners to take Lux back for the show was to gloss over what jerks they'd proven they were.

 

The owners lost all credibility with me when Lux gave that sad little "Mew?" at Teresa and she went into her "OMG he's looking at me. Help!" histrionics. To me, he was clearly trying to communicate with the person who'd been his mother since he was a baby, but she wasn't having any of that. I speak a little Cat and what he said after that while she was shrieking her fool head off was "Mom? What's wrong? Mom?" not "I'm going to eat your face off, bitch!"

 

In the end, the vet actually just guessed at the diagnosis. She said if he responded to antidepressants and pain meds then that would prove there had been a problem but any number of things would respond to that kind of treatment. It would certainly include having been kicked by your parent, thrown into jail, rejected and screamed at by your family after you miraculously got back home, and finally placed in a new strange home away from everyone you'd known your entire life. Eh - whatever. It got him into a good place and maybe the side effects are minimal.

 

On the whole I'm disappointed. Of course, once Jackson's name was mentioned during the media shitstorm Animal Planet was not going to pass up an opportunity to mine some ratings gold, but they passed up an opportunity to show what happens when people mistreat an animal and then overreact. By exposing all the stupid, unnecessary things the owners did between the 911 call and their 1 hour of My Cat From Hell fame, they might have been able to make other pet owners stop and think before doing the same.

 

ETA: Possibly the longest post I've ever written on any site. Sorry for the rant.

Edited June 15, 2014 by CoderLady

[Captanne]

ITA about the individual comments you make, Coderlady.  While I'm sure the vet is the Second Coming of All Vets, I call bullshit on her desperation attempt at diagnosis and "cure".  She may be right but I doubt it.  I think it's much more simple and obvious than some obscure reach of a disease.

 

Coderlady, I also specifically agree with your breakdown of the family issues.  I just glossed over them because:  Just saying "Cat needs a new home" was shorter.  LOL

[walnutqueen]

I feel sorry for the baby that has to grow up in that apparently dysfunctional household.

[Neurochick]

Here's how I saw the episode.  

 

Teresa got Lux when she was younger and single.  She mentioned that Lux was rejected by his own mother.  Did the mother sense a problem with Lux?  Is it true that in nature a mother will reject her young if the baby is ill?  

 

Anyway, Teresa then meets someone and then has a baby.  Those events were life changing for Lux.  Just like people, some cats are more sensitive than others.  Maybe Lux is the type of cat that needs to be in a home with just one or two people and no children.  

 

I do have sympathy for the people; sure humans have all the power where the cats don't, but some humans are CooCoo Bananas when it comes to animals; they'll get upset when an animal is harmed but won't do shit if a child is harmed.  I've met plenty of people like that.

 

As far as Lux being kicked.  I don't know what I'd do if I saw a cat scratch my child; I wouldn't be calm I'll tell you that and many parent wouldn't be.  I don't think violence is the answer, but sometimes people don't do the right thing in the heat of the moment.  And as far as leaving a child unsupervised with a pet, true, that is not the smart thing to do, but many times things happen in the blink of an eye.  You can turn your head for a second and in that second, all hell could break loose.  

[ratgirlagogo]

 

And I have to say I cannot imagine a situation in which I would lock myself in a bedroom and call 911 to deal with a housecat. I mean, I am not exactly Andre the Giant, but I do outweigh my own cat by more than a hundred pounds, and I own a broom. Herding a group of cats may be difficult, but I think I could herd a single one into the bathroom, no matter how dementedly he was acting, and then call my vet, not law enforcement.

That's the one really crazy part of this story.  Well of course that's why it made the national news.  None of the rest of it seems that extreme to me up to that point.  Cats and little babies are not always a good mix and agree with Neurochick that Lux was used to being the center of attention before Theresa got married and had a child.  Even the dad kicking at the cat seems understandable in the heat of the moment.  But calling 911 about this just makes them seem too nervous to raise a kid, frankly.  It was so sad when the two adults were just freaking out over Lux's sad little meows.  

This was the best ending for all of them, I think.  Lux needed a calmer home and the two parents shouldn't have pets at all for now, at least.

Edited June 15, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[CoderLady]

Coderlady, I also specifically agree with your breakdown of the family issues.  I just glossed over them because:  Just saying "Cat needs a new home" was shorter.  LOL

 

Once I was on the soapbox I just kept going but as Shakespeare said, "Brevity is the soul of wit." Cat needs a new home, indeed.

[RedheadZombie]

This episode made me angry. Those people were so full of shit. First of all, he didn't kick the cat to get him off the baby. He kicked it out of anger. And I seriously doubt it was the first time. Just to remind everyone, they had no problem allowing the camera crew to stage a scene in which the baby crawled to the cat. That should never happen if they feared for his safety.

Now I admit when cats growl, it gives me chills. It is truly creepy. The only time my cats have ever made that noise is when my dog has been harassing them. Now when the wife was filming Lux staring at her and meowing, I recognized that cry. My current cat was raised with two other cats who have since died. He also hangs around upstairs a lot to avoid my dog. When he gets lonely for attention, he makes that same heartbreaking crying that Luxe did and it broke my heart.

The only way calling 911 to control a domesticated cat is justified is if you fear the cat is rabid. They should have been treated the same way as every person who wastes 911 time. It's fools like this that cause women to be raped and murdered because when they call they are put on hold. They deserved to be a laughing stock.

We have no way of knowing if the dog contributed to the problem. He looked like a sweet little angel, but he looks like he had recent surgery that could have temporarily subdued him.

I agree that Lux attacking his foster mom could have been provoked by all the stress he experienced. Even going to a calm home is stressful at first because it's another change.

I think Jackson came as close as he could to calling that family lying neglectful owners. He was very cold to them and called them out on being a bad home for Luxe. When the wife was resisting, he was angry. I actually thought to myself that he should threaten to call child servises if they refused to consider their baby's safety.

I think the husband has probably always disliked Lux, and I think the wife has a generalized anxiety or panic disorder. Her reactions were bizarre.

Edited June 16, 2014 by RedheadZombie

[Bastet]

The only way calling 911 to control a domesticated cat is justified is if you fear the cat is rabid. They should have been treated the same way as every person who wastes 911 time.

 

I agree.  If I'd been taking that call, once I had ascertained that by "cat" they did not mean a tiger they had smuggled out of a circus or something, I'd have told them to hang up the phone and hope they didn't receive a citation and fine for wasting emergency resources. 

 

I may have misunderstood, but I thought the father was saying that he kicked out at Lux as a punishment, not in order to get Lux away from the baby, and then Lux turned on him.

 

I missed the first 15 minutes of the episode, so I didn't hear his retelling, but that sounds familiar to me from initial reports.  Even if he did kick Lux to get him away from the baby, that is a hideous over-reaction in my opinion (big difference between pushing away and kicking, especially we're talking about a scratching cat), but I seem to recall that Lux had already finished teaching the kid not to pull his tail when the kicking occured.  And the kid was certainly out of danger when the idiot followed Lux and cornered him in the kitchen.

 

How many times did they repeat the 911 call, the split-screen talking heads and the shakycam of the family running into the bedroom?

 

That was bad, but the worst for me was imposing red "devil eyes" on Lux.

 

The owners lost all credibility with me when Lux gave that sad little "Mew?" at Teresa and she went into her "OMG he's looking at me. Help!" histrionics.

 

Same here.  It was at that point I decided she was batshit crazy, and probably the largest part of Lux's problem.  Taking the time to bottle feed a kitten is no small matter, so I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but she did nothing to redeem herself to me.

 

Just to remind everyone, they had no problem allowing the camera crew to stage a scene in which the baby crawled to the cat. That should never happen if they feared for his safety.

 

Yeah, I subscribe to the " these people are full of shit" theory, too.

 

The show did fill in some blanks - but glossed over plenty, too - but I have the same bottom-line opinion now as when I heard it was going to air: Fuck those people; Lux deserves better.  I'm glad he got it.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Bastet

[possibilities]

One thing I wish someone had mentioned (Jackson or the vet) is that the scratch Lux gave the kid was not that bad. The kid pulled his tail, he swatted back-- that's normal. An actual attack by Lux would have been much more damaging. I thought Lux was showing restraint and treating the kid like his brother, not his prey.

[Dagny]

scratch Lux gave the kid was not that bad.

 

 

I agree it wasn't bad, but removing a stuck claw is nerve wracking.

[Captanne]

Lux needed a new home.   Plain and simple.  No matter how you gloss it -- you've got a cat in a home with a 7 month old who has been injured by the cat; you've got one parent willing to kick the cat; you've got another with some sort of mental issues about the cat.

Get the cat a new home asap.

Done deal.  Move on.

 

I'm quoting myself but I still hold to my opinion.  

 

Btw, I'm being nice -- actually, I happen to agree with the more extreme, "Husband is an abusive asshole, wife is neurotic and weird."  The bottom line, though, is that the child was harmed (no matter whose fault it was) and that the home is absolutely bad for Lux.  

 

Get that cat out of there.  Asap.

 

Those people have no business with a pet.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Captanne

[riley702]

Maybe initial reports were wrong, but the story I first heard was that the brat had actually broken Luxe's tail by yanking on it. In which case, Luxe had reacted very appropriately by giving the kid a swat. I still believe the husband was completely abusive and the cat just snapped - "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more!" I'm very glad the cat is away from those psychos now. 

[Neurochick]

I don't see the husband as being abusive.  He felt he was protecting his child.

 

I don't see the child as a brat, he was being a kid.

 

To me, the problem was Teresa.  She had a cat when she was single and thought even though her life had changed it would be all right.  Sometimes it is and sometimes it's not.  Some cats and people are more sensitive than others.  When Teresa got into a relationship and had a child, Lux was no longer the center of her life.

 

I think it's great that Lux got out of that house.  He needed to be with people that will make him important in their lives.  An older couple with no children was the perfect fit IMO.

[Captanne]

I think maybe it's in the definition of abusive.  I totally understand the (literal) kneejerk reaction of lashing out at anything that hurts my child.  I get that.  I just think it's abusive.  I do.  I might feel the desire to lash out at an 8 pound house pet but I have never actually done so.  If I did, I would consider my own behaviour abusive.

 

And I would seriously reconsider having pets in my house as long as the trigger (in this case, a child in the area) was also present.

 

That's just me.  I know mileage varies. 

 

Another thing about the episode was the constant repeating of Jackson's viewpoint (which, mirrored my own):  "I know what they are telling me but I'm just not seeing it in action."  The show was leading us to believe the family was either lying or delusional.

 

Then they threw in that momentary spin on the attack on the foster family.  That was weird.  Anyone catch that?

[Bella]

 

Then they threw in that momentary spin on the attack on the foster family.  That was weird.  Anyone catch that?

 

Still haven't found time to watch the episode, unfortunately. But I spent many year working with a feline rescue group, and cats don't go into a foster home all sweetness and light, full of gratitude for being given a loving place to live. They're stressed, and fosterers know that.

 

I once had to move an 8-pound cat who didn't want to be moved. I was wearing long sleeves and jeans, but the leather gloves provided were extra large and pointless. I ended up at the doctor's office with 41 bite and puncture wounds, most of which were on the palm of my right hand. 

 

So I get that a "small cat" can do serious damage even if I outweigh her by a factor of 17 or 18. I get being afraid of a cat and fearing having a cat around a small child. It still sounds like there was a lack of common sense in this situation.

[CoderLady]

I was surprised at the quick mention of Lux's attack on the foster family, but -- just my opinion -- they threw that in to help justify the vet's diagnosis. Details weren't provided but I think you're right, Bella. There had to still be residual stress going on but now that he's safe and all drugged up I think there won't be any more incidents.

[Dagny]

The evil red eyes and the 911 phone call should have been a drinking game. I was FF through those tiny bits.

[Soobs]

So excited to see this episode and I agree with everyone who said that Lux needed to be removed from the home. The quiet, older people seened perfect. In all my years caring for cats I have had only one that would attack when stressed. She could do real damage and I did have to go get x-rays once for bites as they were worried she had chipped the bones in my hand! I could see that if you had no experience dealing with stressed cats how it would make a person freak out. Add to that the woman seemed to suffer from panic or anxiety ( I say this as someone who has had it too) and an insensitive/ clueless husband and 911 might seem like an obvious solution. I do give them a little break on that. However, I think the husband did more than a light kick too so maybe it was good he called professionals so that Lux wasn't injured. I hate to think how the husband will deal with the child when he gets old enough to piss him off.

 

This story reminded me of a group of male friends of mine who were roommates and one day a raccoon got into their apartment. They all locked themselves in separate rooms and called 911 because they were super high and couldn't deal. The 911 operator laughed and laughed. Thankfully, for them this was before the internet.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

called 911 because they were super high and couldn't deal.

Honestly this idea had also crossed my mind with regard to the initial 911 call.  Paranoid pot users, etc.

 

It still sounds like there was a lack of common sense in this situation.

Plus a thousand, or something.

[Anoia]

Another thing about the episode was the constant repeating of Jackson's viewpoint (which, mirrored my own):  "I know what they are telling me but I'm just not seeing it in action."  The show was leading us to believe the family was either lying or delusional.

 

Then they threw in that momentary spin on the attack on the foster family.  That was weird.  Anyone catch that?

 

Yup. I think they invented that so they could get that diagnosis and the cat away from those idiots.

 

 

This episode was full of BS. The husband claiming he only attempted to kick the cat and the cat now having the claws sunk into the forehad of the baby so bad it left a bump. (I think we all saw the pics of the scratches in the news.) The owners acting terrified of the cats meowing.( FFS!) The husband claiming he was a fan of the show. (Yeah, right, so why were there no higher places for the cat to go? The show always emphazises how important that is.) Jackson claiming the the behavioural issues should go away when the cat is moved to a stressfree environment. LOLWUT?*

 

What happened was a typical case of selfabsorbed owners. She gets herself a cat and "loves" it until new boyfriend shows up. (They said he didn't get along with Lux from the beginning.) BF treats cat shitty, she starts to emulate him, then comes baby. To that add a dog. So terrorized cat acts like a terrorized cat would. And then they act surprised.

 

*I have a cat with psychological issues. She was abused in her former home to the point where she licked her fur away (I also assume she was physically abused). She is now 14, I have had her for 9 1/2 years and she STILL has issues. Just as you wouldn't expect an abused child not to act out as soon as s/he is removed from the abusers, you shouldn't from a cat. Being abused leaves scars.

Btw, cat was sitting on my lap purring while I was watching this, getting some extra cuddles.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Anoia

[LizDC]

Jackson has a update on Lux:

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2014/06/18/jackson-on-lux/

[CoderLady]

Ooh. I did not expect that but I should have. I know how hard it is to medicate a large cat and if the antidepressants are necessary but he wasn't getting them, he'd continue to act up. Poor Lux.

Edited June 18, 2014 by CoderLady

[riley702]

Ooh. I did not expect that but I should have. I know how hard it is to medicate a large cat and if the antidepressants are necessary but he wasn't getting them, he'd continue to act up. Poor Lux.

 

Aw, damn. Poor cat.

Yup. I think they invented that so they could get that diagnosis and the cat away from those idiots.

 

I was actually hoping this. And that there was no actual medication needed.

 

 

What happened was a typical case of selfabsorbed owners. She gets herself a cat and "loves" it until new boyfriend shows up. (They said he didn't get along with Lux from the beginning.) BF treats cat shitty, she starts to emulate him, then comes baby. To that add a dog. So terrorized cat acts like a terrorized cat would. And then they act surprised.

 

*I have a cat with psychological issues. She was abused in her former home to the point where she licked her fur away (I also assume she was physically abused). She is now 14, I have had her for 9 1/2 years and she STILL has issues. Just as you wouldn't expect an abused child not to act out as soon as s/he is removed from the abusers, you shouldn't from a cat. Being abused leaves scars.

Btw, cat was sitting on my lap purring while I was watching this, getting some extra cuddles.

Exactly. Maybe it's not fair, but I developed a hate-on for shithead boyfriend/husband/whatever. If Luxe has issues, a lot of them may be due to, or exacerbated by said shithead. Eh, that's not fair either, as I've had a bipolar cat that loved me until he hated me and shredded me. I don't think it was FHS, though. I gave him away to some college kids who never saw ANY aggressiveness out of him.

 

And I had a cat that I had picked from the litter because she seemed so quiet and laid-back. Turns out, she was afraid of EVERYTHING, and would lick the fur off her flanks and pull the fur off her stomach. The vet and I tried steroids and kitty antidepressants, but she was that way her entire life, and she was never abused - quite the opposite.

I just feel so bad for Luxe, I want someone to blame.

[Bastet]

Only time will show how much of Lux's behavior is a result of FHS and how much is the lingering effects of all the trauma he has endured.  I'm glad he's getting his meds regularly now, but it's too bad he has to be in yet another new environment to do so.  I can't imagine how long it's going to take for this poor cat to feel like he has a secure home.

[CPP83]

I just feel so bad for Luxe, I want someone to blame.

 

 

I am still laying plenty of blame at the feet of the couple where a woman shrieked at a nuzzling cat and a man claimed to merely, barely, hardly have touched the cat's butt with the tip of his shoe.

 

While Lux may have his medical issues, I think that couple only made things worse for him. I don't believe they provided him with the stable, loving environment when he needed it most, and now his relationship with humans, his trust in them, has been placed on shaky ground. He keeps being moved, uprooted from one place to the other, it reminds me of a kid stuck in the foster care system; they've no control over who gets them or how they're treated, and they often carry with them whatever past traumas they may have endured.

 

I know Jackson already has cats, and with the show and all not even he can take on Lux full time, but I really think he's one of the few people who probably has the experience, compassion, and love necessary to give Lux a forever home, whatever his problems. I'm hoping Jackson can find another like minded person to take in Lux.

[Bella]

 

Greg and Dina have three adorable children and one vicious, hostile cat named Mia; Tenille's cat, Precious is not her namesake.

 

 

[RedheadZombie]

I have nothing to back this up but opinion, but I believe that cats are much more sensitive to a stressful environment and change than dogs.  Dogs have been domesticated twenty thousand or so years longer than cats, and long ago learned to use humans for mutual benefit.  I think the very fact that cats don't live to please like dogs do compounds this.  I have heard stories from a friend of a friend who is a veterinarian that back up my opinion. She said that in the research labs while she was training, no matter what horrible things they did to dogs, the dogs would be excited to see them and wag their tails.  Cats, on the other hand, seem to give up their will to live and become withdrawn.

 

If any of this is true, Lux would not be able to shake off the trauma of his original home that quickly.  He could possibly be acting out from that abusive (in my opinion) home, as well as the stress of adjusting to a new one.  I don't see how living in an animal hospital is therapeutic.  My pets have always been especially stressed in that environment, considering there are sick and in pain animals.  I hope Lux isn't the poor blood donor cat.

 

I volunteer in a wonderful shelter which exclusively gets dogs from county shelter death rows.  Our atmosphere is ten times less stressful than county shelters, yet still very stressful.  The other day, a sweet min-pin collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.  He was diagnosed with a heart problem, and is now being fostered for the summer to temporarily reduce his stress.  The cats I usually see with free rein at vets are very confident and socialized blood donors.  I just can't see Lux living happily there.

[Bella]

I agree that cats take longer to get past certain changes. I adopted a cat in the mid-90s who had lived with her family for 5.5 years. They were then posted overseas in a country where they determined the cat would be unhappy. So I brought her into my loving home, and she spent 4 months under the bed, only coming out to eat, poop, and bite me. And by bite, I mean sink her little needle-like fangs into the back of my hand, hitting a nerve in the process and making me howl in pain.

 

One day, she got over it, almost like flipping a switch. "Mommy, mommy, mommy, I love you so much, you're my furever hoomin, mommy, mommy, mommy, can I please sit on your lap, you are a goddess" etc., etc., etc.

 

Poor Lux is moving too fast through all these changes.

[riley702]

Yeah, cats don't deal well with stress and changes. They freak if you rearrange the furniture, so I can only imagine what Luxe is going through.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

She said that in the research labs while she was training, no matter what horrible things they did to dogs, the dogs would be excited to see them and wag their tails.  Cats, on the other hand, seem to give up their will to live and become withdrawn.

I also worked for about a year in a research lab that did animal experimentation, many moons ago. ( I worked with the human subjects myself.)  They had stopped using dogs early on because the dogs' friendliness was upsetting the experimenters.  The cats  and rats were just as friendly, but the experimenters were not upset by hurting and frightening and ultimately "sacrificing" (killing) the cats and rats.

We all know that way too many people think of cats as more disposable than dogs. 

Edited June 20, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[Bastet]

This is just free therapy, but since I lost my Baxter six months ago this morning, I'm taking up some space to remember him among other cat people.

 

Adopted from the shelter Dec. 10, 2000, at six months of age (alongside approximately 3-year-old Maddie), the grey goober with white paws who was given the name Baxter Adam was very much a kitten. He’d wake up in the morning ready to play, but unwilling to let me out of his sight. So he’d race downstairs, select a toy, and carry it back up onto the bed with him to play there while Maddie and I dozed. He carried a lot of things around in his mouth as a youngster, most notably a box of Brita filters and a foam wedge larger than his body.

Although he slowed down as he aged - and devoted himself fully to getting at least the requisite 16 hours of sleep per day - Baxter took his ornery streak to the grave with him. He never gave up chasing his tail, but decided it could only be done in select locations: on the bed, in front of the kitchen sink or, most fun, in the bathtub. Nor did he give up chasing Maddie, or delighting in her chasing him back.

Even more prominent than the orneriness was the sweetness. Bax was a sensitive soul who loved to cuddle and showed great empathy when Maddie or I were unwell. A total "Mama’s Boy," he was the most child-like cat I’ve ever had. If he stepped on something, got something in his fur, became upset that Maddie had stolen his food, etc., instead of handling it himself he’d come running up to me, crying for help like a toddler.

Baxter earned a reputation for experiencing every illness and injury common to veterinary science – and more than a few that weren’t. Time and again, a specialist would marvel, “This is most unusual.” Our regular vet would say, “How very Baxter.” I'd just scratch his ears and pay another bill.

In the end, all those maladies took a toll. He must have had some underlying heart condition (knowing him, probably a congenital defect normally found only in the wallaby), and the cumulative stress was too much. On Dec. 17th, he went into cardiac arrest out of the blue.  It's a long, traumatizing story of medical miracles and cautious optimism, but that isn't the story of his life (and, quite frankly, it's still hard to talk about that surreal experience).  Suffice to say, I got him to the hospital quickly, and 19 minutes of CPR brought him back and for three days in ICU it looked as if Baxter would defy the odds once again, but then came a second arrest and after several minutes of unsuccessful CPR I had them stop compressions.  What kind of life would I be bringing him back to even if it worked, since it had already happened again and a battery of tests couldn't identify the underlying cause?

Life has gone on, as it does when these things happen, and Maddie and I are settled into a new routine. But the spaces of my heart taken up by The Bax will never fully heal, and that's okay -- better to suffer that void than to have never had my heart filled by loving him in the first place.

Edited June 21, 2014 by Bastet

[cosmic1]

This episode about put me over the edge too. When Lux was meowing at his "mom" and she was freaking, I was yelling at her that he wanted something, maybe petted, not that he was going to attack her. Sheesh.

Cats get attached to their location, too, so any moving is going to be stressful and take some time. He needs to be allowed to settle in somewhere and recenter himself. He probably does need medication, but I think the stress rely contributed to the situation.

I am glad he is out of the bad home and I hope he recovers soon.

[callie lee 29]

I missed the first half with Mia, but was able to catch the part with Precious, the peeing cat. I have a cat that likes to pee on everything of mine (her most recent acquisition was my cell phone!) and sorry, maybe I'm just a bitch but 1.) Tenille must be the stupidist person alive if she couldn't figure out that the cat was TERRIFIED and completely insecure about her place in the family. She brings a new guy (more on him) and two dogs into the house around the same time (appx. 1 year) and the two dogs favorite activity is to bark, chase and try to attack poor Precious. Dumbass. 2.) Chris. I was done with him when he called Precious "it". Just an ass.

[cosmic1]

I missed the first half with Mia, but was able to catch the part with Precious, the peeing cat. I have a cat that likes to pee on everything of mine (her most recent acquisition was my cell phone!) and sorry, maybe I'm just a bitch but 1.) Tenille must be the stupidist person alive if she couldn't figure out that the cat was TERRIFIED and completely insecure about her place in the family. She brings a new guy (more on him) and two dogs into the house around the same time (appx. 1 year) and the two dogs favorite activity is to bark, chase and try to attack poor Precious. Dumbass. 2.) Chris. I was done with him when he called Precious "it". Just an ass.

Word. Why on earth wouldn't she figure that out? Idiots, the both of them.

Same thing with the first family. The poor cat was traumatized by the fire and the father wants to just send her to the pound. I am no cat behaviorist, but I can recognize abject terror when I see it. I just have no words.

[zxy556575]

All right, that's it for me. When Jackson tells the family that Mia is "suffering from house fire flashbacks" and that he's now in her headspace because he went through that fire training ... just no. The show has veered into self parody.

[Galloway Cave]

 

the two dogs favorite activity is to bark, chase and try to attack poor Precious. Dumbass.

Then she sat there and actually complained that Jackson was blaming the dogs! What an idiot. I was about to pee myself when those dogs started barking and chasing that poor 12 year old cat. Chris was a dick, period. So it takes a few extra minutes to wipe the counters before you cook. So what.

 

The first family was no better. They didn't understand that a cat that had lived through a house fire, was still traumatized from that and now had NOTHING to call it's own was still terrified? I just don't understand how people can be so stupid when it comes to pet ownership.

[Bella]

 

Chris. I was done with him when he called Precious "it". Just an ass.

 

Pre-DH, any guy I dated who called one of my cats an "it" never got another date. Cats are great for screening out d-bags. I hated that couple.

 

There are too many such people on this show, to the point where I'm not enjoying it any longer. I wonder how the ratings have held up across the seasons.

[Captanne]

I mentally checked out weeks ago.  I watched last night's to see if they were getting any better since trying a "new" format last week.

 

Uh, no.  I ff'd through the entire episode.  All the formulaic ticky boxes got checked and none of them good.

 

I adore Jackson.  Loathe the show.  

Edited June 22, 2014 by Captanne

[Bella]

 

I adore Jackson.  Loathe the show.

 

This is the problem. 

[ratgirlagogo]

When Jackson went through the firefighting training, I couldn't understand why he didn't just go for broke and stick his hand directly into the fire.  You know, just so he could understand that fire is hot.  So stupid.

[Galloway Cave]

It's no longer a show called "My Cat From Hell." It should be called "My Owners From Hell." Cats submit videos of owners who just don't understand what it means to own a pet, who refuse to set up a proper pet environment and who torment them with other out-of-control pets. After the owners sit there rambling on about what a bad kitty BooBoo is, the first thing out of Jackson's mouth should be "OK, let's see what YOU are doing to make this situation so bad." 

 

I adopted a three year old male feral cat. He was 13 pounds yet skinny and malnourished when I adopted him. He was king of the mean streets of Phoenix (torn up ears, scars, busted teeth). He had been dodging coyotes for a long time. This cat should have been completely messed up. I provided only gentle touches, many cat condos, toys, kittyTV outside his window perch (bird feeders), organic food and too many beds. He has turned into the most amazing indoor pet cat ever (and 17 pounds). My sister, who was involved in the Feral Cat Initiative in NYC and has handled thousands of feral cats, is in awe of this cat. It can be done. This is why I have no patience for some of these idiots on this show.