My Cat From Hell - General Discussion

[possibilities]

They definitely announced the season was going to have 16 episodes. Whether they changed their minds, I don't know. But for sure there were originally supposed to be several more than we've so far seen.

[CattyTiger]

Thanks, riley702, when I first thought about doing it, I wondered why it took me so long to think of it - lol.

[Bella]

So I still don't know what's going on with this show, given that they didn't air all 16 of the Season 5 episodes that we expected. However, now they're casting for Season 6.

 

Maybe there were only 10 episodes to Season 5 after all, or maybe they're going to air the remainder this fall or winter.

[CoderLady]

Animal Planet is advertising that the new season starts next Saturday at 8.

Scenes in the promo don't look very promising. It looks like the same old couples conflict stuff with the emphasis on the people and not the cats. I don't have a lot of hope that they've realized the Kitchen Nightmares style drama is offputting but I could be wrong. I hope.

[Bella]

Based on the rapid decline of volume in posts last season, I think it makes sense to have a season thread instead of individual episode threads.

 

If anyone has a compelling reason to do otherwise, please let me know!

 

 

[Bella]

New episodes start Oct. 11!

 

Here's the description* of the first episode:

 

Jay has one lady in his life and that’s his ferocious attack cat, Marley. Marley will tear apart anyone who crosses her path, including Jay. Not only does Marley have a thirst for blood; but she has a hunger for junk food too.

 

*PTV's official source for episode titles and descriptions does not have anything listed, so I pulled this from the Animal Planet website.

[fliptopbox]

Marathon on today. Holy shit some people are morons, and should never own cats. One episode that especially bugged was the owner of Precious, the cat who lived on top of the fridge....because the owner had 2 yappy ass chihuahuas that would terrorize her. Of course she hid someplace elevated. And then the owner was all shocked and angry that Jackson dared call her out for her dogs' bad behavior. But of course with some training and behavior modifcations (and the ever necessary cat shelves!) everything was ok in the end. As always.

 

Does Jackson ever fail? Has anyones' cats ever gotten put down or rehomed (besides the 911 caller episode)?

[Betweenyouandme]

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.

Hi, not trying to argue that this is what was wrong, but I do want to share about my cat. Later in life, he started licking and biting out his hair on his legs and belly. Three vets recommended steroids, which kind of worked for a short while. But, through my own investigation, I found he had developed an allergy to his food. I switched him to Ultramix brand. He's completely back to his furry self now!

[fliptopbox]

My cat went through a phase where she licked parts of herself bald. I think it was due to the stress from being moved around a couple times in a short period (a few years, but to a cat I am sure that is too much). Now that we've been in one place for a significant amount of time she has calmed down and stopped. And she's never been abused, I have had her since she was a kitten. The worst thing that has happened to her was that my mother insisted she get declawed. I didn't agree, but it was either do it or give her up.

 

Anyway as far as the episode things just didn't totally make sense. I still don't see how an angry cat warrants a 911 call. MAYBE call animal control, if you suspect it has rabies or something, but not 911. Like whoever else said, I am bigger than my cat and I have a broom and oven mitts. Shit would get done. I am glad Lux ended up with the older couple, but sad to hear he;s currently living at a vet facility. I wonder if there has been any news since that post in June. That was months ago, so I would hope Lux either made progress or it was deemed a lost cause. I mean he was a gorgeous cat and seemed friendly most of the time, but then there;s those crazy times.....which are not so nice. I usually don't suggest an animal be put down if it isn't suffering, but in this case I think Lux might be, just in a less obvious way. And since he cannot speak it isn't exactly easy to know what needs to be done. But I am hoping for the best for the little guy.

[Bella]

Jay has me completely weirded out. It's as if this show should be renamed "I'm a Cat with the Owner from Hell."

[CoderLady]

How on earth could that guy not realize he was causing the problem? And how could he continue to voluntarily and deliberately keep getting his hands shredded like that? Once again, someone fails to understand that not every easily obtainable pet the approximate size of a puppy actually is a puppy. Yeah, cat owner from Hell.

 

His attitude and accent were pretty different from the usual though, and I found that entertaining at least.

[ohcheap1]

Even though this guy could NOT of been under a thicker blindfold, Jacksons OVER emphasysing crap like "ripped us to pieces" etc. is getting on my nerves so bad I dont want to watch the show anymore. COME ON buddy. This is what your show is about. Stop being such a pussy.  Make me wonder if youre playing sensitive folk music in your band. Theres no room for personality clashes here. I do love what you teach these folks.

[LittleIggy]

Marley's owner was a goof. Play rough with a cat and he/she will play rough with you. Duh!

[Stardancer Supreme]

We should be able to make episode threads even if there is no description. 

 

Yes, Jay was quite the nutter.  When he demonstrated to Jackson how he "played" with Marley, I shrank back in horror!  Dude, why are you replicating that cat's greatest trauma?  Yes, this was a grand example of "you should have gotten a dog".   I have to explain to my brother daily that you can't play with cats the same way you play with dogs.  He is used to dogs, I own cats! 

 

Alison and Dylan's warring cats sure made their first year of marriage difficult.  I would have loved to know who were the other 2 cat behaviorists were...  Good thing Jackson was able to fix things since they wanted to get rid of the other's cat! 

[Hecate7]

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.  

Lux needed to be protected from the baby! God only knows what he's had to endure.

 

Yes, parents are protective of their children, as they should be, and they don't want their kids getting scratched, but you know what? The cat's LIFE is at stake, and they won't protect him! Babies don't care if what they are doing hurts, or even kills the kitty. To them, everything is a play toy. They don't have empathy or a conscience until at least age 3. They care about consequences to themselves, period.

 

Reasons some people have more concern for cats than for babies:

 

1. Nobody's gonna have the baby killed, but very often they will have the cat killed if he's inconvenient.

2. The baby can accidentally kill the cat, and many have done so. Sitting on them, riding them, squeezing them too hard so they suffocate or their necks break, this is all....well, child's play, for a child. And because babies have no conscience and no empathy, but just want what they want when they want it, they will scream as if hurt, when all the kitty did was move out of reach.

3. Most cats are very tolerant of youngsters.

 

This man thinks it's logical to punish the cat for defending itself. And these two idiots think it's a good idea to leave a baby unattended with a cat. Cats DO need protection from human children. Kids need to be taught to handle animals gently. And Lux probably has needed protection from that horrible man, as well, for a VERY long time. It looks to me as if the man has probably been secretly abusing Lux behind his wife's back, fostering anxiety and aggression in Lux. The stupid woman knows damn well EXACTLY why the cat's behavior changed. She is pretending to be scared of the cat, because she is terrified of her husband, and also terrified of losing her husband, so she's gonna let him do anything he wants. 

 

With Lux gone, the man will have to take out his aggressions on the wife. She'll probably be calling 911 a lot more now that Lux isn't there to be kicked around anymore. I just hope they haven't traumatized him so horribly that he can't deal with humans anymore.

[riley702]

I just can't with this show any more. It's basically a bunch of idiots whose cats should be rescued and placed elsewhere. I LIKE cats, so can't stand seeing them abused by a bunch of yahoos. And Jackson's just going thru the motions, IMO. Same situations, same "let's torment the cat so it'll claw me so everyone will understand this a SERIOUS problem", same homework, same miraculous reveal that everything is wonderful after the obligatory (non)dramatic pause.

[Stardancer Supreme]

 

A college-bound woman is afraid that her mother will get rid of her cat because it pees everywhere and attacks visitors; A woman who has had her cat for 15 years worries about its increasingly aggressive behavior, especially when she laughs or cries.

 

[bmasters9]

How on earth could that guy not realize he was causing the problem? And how could he continue to voluntarily and deliberately keep getting his hands shredded like that? Once again, someone fails to understand that not every easily obtainable pet the approximate size of a puppy actually is a puppy. Yeah, cat owner from Hell.

 

His attitude and accent were pretty different from the usual though, and I found that entertaining at least.

The first time I heard it, I thought that Jay was a transplanted Southerner now living in San Diego; at least that's how it came across to me. 

[izabella]

Simone is such a pretty cat!  I was cracking up when she attacked her owner for crying or laughing.  I know it's not really funny...except that it was! 

 

And, aw, so sad for Jackson losing his 13 year old dog.  Rest in peace, Rudy.

[Betelnut]

It is possible that Jackson does not believe in trap, neuter, release.  Not all animal advocates think it is a good idea.

[LittleIggy]

If Symone was 15 yo, I wonder when she started that behavior. Surely they haven't dealt with it for 15 years.

[LittleIggy]

A practical variety of ways to give a cat medication, since no one way works with all cats or all medications.

Amen! Giving my cats pills practically requires calling in a team of Navy SEALS! Dogs are so easy -- just put peanut butter on the pill!

[possibilities]

I liked the couple with Symone. They weren't blaming anyone, and they didn't seem like idiots who had been tormenting their cat or failing to try obvious solutions.

With Miko, I thought maybe the mom was afraid to open her heart to him because she was still hurting over the loss of her dog and didn't want to love another animal that way. I also wondered if maybe the dog had died in some tragic way, not a natural death from old age or something more understandable. So maybe that's why both Miko and the mom were so traumatized about it for so long. I did have a cat whose personality changed after another cat left the household. She was just never the same after that. And I had another cat who changed after a human moved out-- it was like she never got over it, much like some kids change when parents get divorced. So it seemed plausible. I hope they are okay and the mom and Miko really bond after the daughter goes to school. It would be sad if the cat got even more traumatized by the loss of yet another companion.

Both these cases seemed like not the usual. The people weren't doing everything wrong and the cats weren't doing the usual kinds of typical cat stress responses.

[possibilities]

This week and last week, I thought we were seeing some more interesting cases, not just the same old stuff and not all of it was making me hate the people, though I did have some problems with the roommate who didn't care that his cat was terrorizing the other cat; he seemed like a total dick of a person. But generally, I thought they were showing more complicated situations and not just the same stuff we'd seen before.

 

The deaf cat with the cat who had nerve damage was really interesting to me-- normally I don't like bells on the collar because I read they can damage the hearing of the cat. But since that cat was already deaf, I thought it was a smart solution. I was surprised Jackson didn't suggest they take the cat to the vet to give the woman a lesson on how to express the bladder more effectively when she was having trouble doing it. But I guess she figured it out on her own. You can't accuse that couple of not trying, either. Though why you'd name a cat =Godzilla and then be surprised she was a little bit of a monster, I don't know.

[zxy556575]

I got nothing about the animals themselves, but the couple who had been together 20-some years and were headed for divorce before Jackson "fixed" their pets? How does an entire adult relationship devolve into, "I'm leaving because you don't like my cat?" Oy. That's probably rhetorical and I get that the cat may be the last straw, or symptomatic of far deeper problems, but still. Priorities, folks!

 

MCFH was featured on The People's Couch this week, with most of the viewers expressing astonishment at the lengths owners go to in the name of their pets, particularly with regard to cat-ifying their homes. They also took issue with Jackson's choices in facial hair design. Heh.

[Ketzel]

The Sweetpea episode has me shaking my head so hard my eyes are rattling. For NINE YEARS your cat is peeing outside the litter box and your home is so soaked in cat urine that even Jackson staggers back when he comes in the front door, and you make no serious attempt to address the problem? (Let's put some aluminum foil on the floor - that'll do it! Wait, no?) And it doesn't even occur to you to mention to Jackson when you ask for help that, oh, I have a roommate and oh, he also has a cat and oh, and the peeing outside the box all started when that cat stalked and attacked Sweetpea as she was using the litter box?  Two complete maroons (the humans, not the cats.)

[cpcathy]

Yeah, either the total cluelessness was a total setup or these two didn't have a brain between them. And then we find out that the two litterboxes are in a closet of some sort and are are right next to each other. Jackson is always saying you need more than one litterbox each, and it's always been my belief that they need to be in separate parts of your home.

[CoderLady]

I've never been able to get my head around the idea that someone can petition hard to get on a fixit show like this without even watching the show enough to try any of the fixes on their own. Sure, some of it is hard to do if you're impatient (some problems can take up to a year to fix) or haven't managed to grasp that cat != dog, but how do you get enough info on My Cat From Hell to apply to be on it if you know nothing about the show?

[RedheadZombie]

I'm ashamed to say it, but I got a good laugh out of "Reese the Ripper".  Jackson corners the cat, holds out a can of tuna, and baby talks "what is that".  Soon followed by Reese hissing and smacking the tuna out of his hand, like "that's a slap down, bitch!"

[Stardancer Supreme]

 

Opera music soothes a cat that otherwise is so violent its owners have to keep it in the garage; a couple's cat destroys furniture, tears clothes and pees all over the house.

 

[Mindymoo]

He pulled out the Spirit Essences this episode! I actually use the same stuff he used on Barnabus- the Stress Stopper- on my kitty Floyd, and it does work wonders. There was a whole bundle of neuroses going on with that wife though. She seemed a little slow, too. I'm glad that they were able to fix that kitty, he was a handsome boy.

[possibilities]

how do you get enough info on My Cat From Hell to apply to be on it if you know nothing about the show?

I am wondering if the show is deliberately recruiting people who have no experience with the show. Maybe they choose a city, show up at a Petsmart or somewhere like that, and send a casting team to solicit candidates and take stories on the fly. Then they go to their houses to tape the "intro" segments-- all very quickly, before applicants can do research on the show's history. I don't know if this is how they do it, but it seems like a plausible way they'd get people who really have no idea what the show is like and have not already tried the things Jackson routinely recommends.

 

In either case, I am enjoying this season more than the previous, because most of the stories have at least one interesting tidbit. It's not really all that varied, but it feels like it is. Not all the cases are totally obvious to me, like I think he does a service by featuring things like deaf cats in conflict with cats with paralyzed tail, or showing that one family helps their cat to pee, instead of just assuming a cat like that would be put down and couldn't have a quality of life. And the personalities seem varied even if the fundamental problems of peeing-aggression-destruction-socialization are similar. It's notable for me that all the guys seem to want the cats to be more snuggly. As soon as they get the cat to sit in their lap and be lovey, the guys are all "this cat is A-OK!" 

 

This week, I enjoyed seeing a cat who loved opera, because I had a cat who LOVED opera, too. And I liked that the one family knew that they shouldn't yell at the cat, even when they were super-frustrated.

[LittleIggy]

Barnabas chilling to opera was awesome! He is a handsome fellow.

[Bastet]

This week, I enjoyed seeing a cat who loved opera, because I had a cat who LOVED opera, too.

 

The cat my mom had when my parents got married hated the music of Jimmie Rodgers.  She was fine with anything else, but when my dad would put one of those records on, she'd go ask to be let in to the next-door neighbor's house, and curl up on their sofa to listen to opera instead. 

[dmmetler]

And an awareness that a lot of behavior has medical causes. It's been mentioned in passing, but, for example, my scared of everyone except me cat became a lot more relaxed and cuddily once she was diagnosed hyperthyrold and we started treating it. Now she's only jumpy twice a day, when I have to catch her to put the transdermal stuff in her ear ;).

[possibilities]

Pica is really scary. I was surprised it was as easy a fix as it turned out to be, with just providing some acceptable things to chew on. I guess they also gave the cat some kind of meds, but still-- I really wondered about that case.

 

I was also surprised that the other family of cats made peace so quickly, with just the provision of some shelves. It just seemed too easy!!

 

I wonder why sometimes Jackson sends someone to "catify" the space and other times he tells the family to do it themselves.

[Ketzel]

The episode with Michael, Leilani and their four cats made me squirmy with disgust. Was that woman actually running a cupcake bakery business out of her home kitchen? With four cats climbing on the counters and peeing everywhere?  Probably illegal, certainly unhygienic! And then, once again, the blatant stupidity of adopting two F2 Savanna cats into a small house when you already have two very domesticated and gentle Balinese? I'm not surprised poor Thumbelina turned on her unfortunate Balinese buddy - she was probably totally stressed, and scared to take on Sahara or Tigger.  TWO litter boxes for the four cats? Because she didn't want to have so many litter boxes around? Ugh.

Edited November 23, 2014 by Ketzel

[LittleIggy]

Finn the Bengal was in no way, shape, or form a "cat from hell!" He had no litter box issues or aggression. He loved his human baby brother. Finn was just being a normal cat! That woman was nuts, making up problems where none existed. I have had a Bengal for 11 years. Sashi is loving and intelligent, like Finn.

[CoderLady]

I thought I was just being uncharitable towards her, but you're right. The wife really, really wanted to get rid of the cat now that she had the baby to shower her attentions on.

 

Finn hadn't done a damn thing wrong, but she kept saying he might. Every time she was pressed for examples of things he'd done or could do wrong, she had nothing to say but stubbornly insisted that he might someday. I think she just went along with all the more than reasonable things Jackson came up with because of the cameras, but is still plotting to ditch Finn at the first opportunity. She'll probably use her new Big Mommy status to get her wimpy husband (more uncharitable thoughts, I know) to go along with it once no one else is looking. I hope the show makes it clear that they plan to do a follow-up on this story. That will hopefully keep her in line a bit longer.

 

Personally, I'd kill for that backyard cat playground with the heated igloo! I have a high energy cat who could benefit from his own outdoor domain and two little old lady indoor cats who could benefit from him having one.

[LittleIggy]

Yeah, that outdoor cat playground was awesome!

BTW, that idiot wife needs to STFU. Someday Finn might chase off a vicious dog attacking her kid like the cat in the now famous video!

[izabella]

Finn the Bengal was in no way, shape, or form a "cat from hell!" He had no litter box issues or aggression. He loved his human baby brother. Finn was just being a normal cat! That woman was nuts, making up problems where none existed. I have had a Bengal for 11 years. Sashi is loving and intelligent, like Finn.

 

Finn did not even react when Yanni pulled on his tail! 

 

Was that woman so wary just because Finn jumped into the crib and on the changing table?  

[possibilities]

Did they air a new episode? I can't find it.

[LittleIggy]

Finn did not even react when Yanni pulled on his tail! 

 

Was that woman so wary just because Finn jumped into the crib and on the changing table?

Don't you know that cats suck the breath out of babies!! ;-)

[leilanik]

 

The episode with Michael, Leilani and their four cats made me squirmy with disgust. Was that woman actually running a cupcake bakery business out of her home kitchen? With four cats climbing on the counters and peeing everywhere?  Probably illegal, certainly unhygienic! And then, once again, the blatant stupidity of adopting two F2 Savanna cats into a small house when you already have two very domesticated and gentle Balinese? I'm not surprised poor Thumbelina turned on her unfortunate Balinese buddy - she was probably totally stressed, and scared to take on Sahara or Tigger.  TWO litter boxes for the four cats? Because she didn't want to have so many litter boxes around? Ugh.

My 4 cats aren't climbing all over the counters and peeing every  they were marking and peeing in corners of our house not in the kitchen and not on the counters. For the tv show they wanted me to film our cat Thumbelina on the counter for the show to give it more drama for the episode my cats are nowhere near the kitchen when I bake. I have a health permit and licensed along with all the other bakers that own pets that are in CA that legally can sell baked goods for a home kitchen. My business is very successful. Also I wanted to clear up that I didn't just get two Savannah cats and throw them together with my other two. I researched and visited breeders for 6 months before I got Tigger. All the breeders had domestic cats playing with their Savannahs so I thought I wouldn't have a problem. Thumbelina became a hell cat because she wasn't the  top cat anymore and she couldn't control the others in the house.Also it's Thumbelina and Tinkerbell that attack our Savannah cats they don't fight they run away when there is a fight.

Edited January 15, 2015 by Bella
Remove charged statement and cleared formatting

[Bella]

Thanks for clearing that up, Leilani. Unfortunately, we can only react to what we are shown on TV, and that is fair game here. But it's good to get the back-story and the comparison between what the show presented and what your situation really is.

 

I hope both your business and your feline family do well.

[leilanik]

Thanks we are doing well and what you all saw on tv was 20 mins of a edited 40 hrs of filming over a 6 week period I would like to add some updated pics but it won't let me

[LizDC]

New season starts April 4, 2015.

Tonight's episode:

Season 7, Episode 1 - My Boyfriend vs. My Cat

First Aired: April 4, 2015

Model Adrianne Curry appears in the Season 7 premiere when she and her boyfriend struggle to coexist with her Siamese cat, Billy Shears. Meanwhile, a college student feels like she's being held prisoner by her bloodthirsty cat, Storm.

Edited April 4, 2015 by LizDC

[izabella]

Adrianne and Todd had no clue how to play with a cat.  I never understand why people get cats and then do nothing to learn about them so insist on treating them like dogs or stuffed animals that happen to be alive. 

[Dagny]

You'd look at people's apartments and say to yourself "Where are the cat toys and trees?" Do they not notice that some cats like to play?

[izabella]

And, do they also not notice that cats don't like to play the way you are playing?  I just did not get the boyfriend picking up the Siamese and bouncing her around.  You don't play with dogs that way, either.  Maybe small children?

 

Oh, your cat is scratching up the house?  Have you considered a scratching post?