Cat Daddy

What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean

By: Jackson Galaxy, Joel Derfner

Narrated by: Jackson Galaxy

Cat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet's hit television show My Cat from Hell, Jackson Galaxy, a.k.a. “Cat Daddy,” isn't what you might expect for a cat expert (as the New York Times noted, with his goatee and tattoos he “looks like a Hell's Angel”). Yet Galaxy's ability to connect with even the most troubled felines-not to mention the stressed-out humans living in their wake-is awe-inspiring. In this book, Galaxy tells the poignant story of his 13-year relationship with a petite gray-and-white short-haired cat named Benny, and gives singular advice for living with, caring for, and loving the feline in your home. When Benny arrived in his life, Galaxy was a down-and-out rock musician with not too much more going on than a part-time job at an animal shelter and a drug problem. Benny's previous owner brought the cat to the shelter in a cardboard box to give him up. Benny had seen better days-his pelvis had just been shattered by the wheels of a car-and his owner insisted he'd been “unbondable” from day one. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

An inspiring account of two broken beings who fixed each other, Cat Daddy is laced throughout with Galaxy's amazing “Cat Whisperer” advice for understanding what cats need most from us in order to live happier, healthier lives.

©2012 Jackson Galaxy (P)2012 Tantor

Inspiring and Enjoyable

This was totally inspiring and uplifting in it's straightforward "this is what it is" fashion. Although I originally expected a preachy kitty centric book, this was a good character development book that covered the gamut from psychology to philosophy with a core of love from unexpected sources thrown in. I have had some parallel experiences and recognized both the angst and the courage it takes to push through and go beyond to a place not imaginable before. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will keep it in my library for another read.

Joy Rich, Heartbreaking Life Lessons

Jackson Galaxy takes a chance, the kind of chance usually reserved for the meetings of 12-step programs or therapist's offices, and reveals all the funky, sometimes extra-intellectual lessons he's learned in the process of becoming a successful human being. He reveals a chunk of his life, the turning point of a prospective low-level weirdo. The character exercised to become a person who uses his own weaknesses to become stronger. It's not unlike reading a mythological tale, such as the trials of Heracles.

Jackson, for the level of personal revelation urges me to a sense of familiarity, is the perfect reader for this book. It often feels like I'm sitting with him, next to or across from me, while we converse and this book has simply excerpted his part of the conversation. These stories are powerful personal reflections for him and his voice reflects that accurately. He offers his life's circuitous path as an opportunity for us, his listeners, to learn; here are insights presented in context, encouraging us to engage in some reflection and examination of of our relationships, especially those with our pets. He makes a specific effort to not anthropomorphise but, rather, looks at the behaviour of our pets, cats in particular in this book, hoping to help us to understand their stories and engage in healthy relationships with our pets. Jackson wants us to recognise our pets as sentient, not human, beings and, then, having developed an understanding of them as capable of feeling and thinking individuals, we treat them as partners in a relationship. Relationship, in this context, is an activity; it's something we enter into with respect and an expectation of compromise and change. Since most of us current relate to our pets as interesting possessions, as if we'd post YouTube videos of our hilarious couch, the book challenges us (the purveyors and consumers of untold numbers of pet-centric YouTube videos) to look at our pets' behaviour in a new light.

The book is the perfect length. The story reaches it's denouement at just the right time: there are just enough examples of struggle and surrender, increasing in intensity of significance. The stories are offered up as personal life lessons, the listener can take the stories as entertainment or as opportunities.

If you're a cat-lover, you're probably already aware of Jackson Galaxy and his persona through the pinhole view offered by his show or the YouTube excerpts from his show, you may also be a follower of his video blog in which he explores issues dealing with cat care and cat care politics. You probably feel like you know him. This book lets you get to know him on a whole new, deeper and richer, level.

I heartily recommend this book. Even if you're not an "animal person," this book has great stories and, potentially, lessons for you.

Some Tears, But no Ah-Ha Moments

What did you like best about Cat Daddy? What did you like least?

I’m a cat lady and am familiar with Jackson Galaxy. I’m not convinced he accomplished his intent in showing the redemptive connection between his process of becoming clean and how the cat(s) help bring that about. I believe Mr. Galaxy cares deeply about cats, but the story makes them seem more like props to a life he just kinda fell into rather than a calling.

I’m not opposed to profane language (so-called) but it was gratuitous at best, a performance.
I don’t think anyone could read the book and not be touched by his interaction with animals, especially the euthanizing, but didn’t find his personal story compelling.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Nothing, just didn't find it all that great a read.

What aspect of Jackson Galaxy’s performance would you have changed?

He read his book well.

Could you see Cat Daddy being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No on both counts.

Tired of the use of the F word

Deleted it!!!!!
Why do people have to resort to using offensive language? Perhaps lack of intelligence.

Didn't enjoy as much as I thought I would.

It is an interesting story overall. It just missed the boat for me and I am not really sure why. I felt at many points the author was just trying too hard to connect his relationship with his cat back to life lessons. I just didn't see it and I am a cat person.