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To hear about this Jackson Galaxy, to become a beloved and sought-after “Daddy-cat” was for him the same surprise as for everyone else. “It was 1993,” he says. “My life has been a musician, songwriter, performer and guitarist and I was looking for a job to pay the bills. I saw the opening at the Humane Society [in Boulder, CO]and I took it.
These days (and probably nine lives later) Jackson, best known as the host (and executive producer) of the hit Animal Planet show “My Cat From Hell,” and the New York Times bestselling author, is busier than ever – and incredibly grateful that he there is. We recently met a feline daddy and he shared the curious twists and turns of his career path, the most changing experience he had with feline, and his best advice for cat owners. Meet this coldest, most grateful and wonderful person, the Jackson Galaxy.
AZ-Animals: How did you become a cat daddy?
Jackson’s Galaxy: I took a job at the Humane Society, and indeed, from there it happened pretty quickly. Cats just gravitated towards me, and I felt that I understand what they are, but before that I had not had much experience with cats. It was at a time when we were killing a bunch of cats in a lot of shelters. Our rates of euthanasia have increased by about 10 to 12 million animals per year. So few people in our profession actually spent time with cats – the dogs really needed more attention. I just started to dive and put everything I could into it. My personal approach was to study books and just be with them first hand, and the merging of the two became my niche. Then, after working for about 10 years in the orphanage and having worked there almost all positions, I left myself. I started a company with a friend of mine, a feline veterinarian, who provided mind and body consultations. [on cats]and then when I moved to California I took my practice with me. Within a month, rumors spread that there was a guy there who looked a little crazy and was working with cats. This is what happens in Los Angeles – people talk about TV shows, and that’s how it happened.
NOT: Have you always loved cats?
JG: Not. I grew up with a dog. I moved to Boulder with a cat I found in a barn in Iowa after a blizzard — he was not doing well. He was with me, and literally the day I moved from Iowa [to Boulder]this kitten has just appeared on the doorstep of my house. Nobody claimed it, so it became mine. So, I came to Boulder with two cats, but I never felt this level of connection, this level of empathy, until I was surrounded in a room with 20 of them.
Euthanasia is the mother of invention, and when you stand with your back against the wall and know that this cat you think you can help won’t last through the day, then you quickly get down to business. I just thought I understood them. They came to me for a reason – literally. They gathered around me as if I had catnip in my pocket. It was something that you are not looking for, but the universe is giving you something, so you take it as an opportunity. And with this base, I could educate my colleagues and let them know that this is not the end of the world for this cat. Fear is available even if it is in a cage. It was here that my experience as a writer, performer and theatrical figure manifested itself. This hones your observation tools, but also your empathy tools. You are not just trying to imitate the old man. You are trying to understand how you feel after living your whole life, what your body is like and all that. So it allows me, when I’m with the cat, to learn about their lives, bodies and history, and from there draw conclusions that I can then try to work on.
NOT: What was the turning point for you when you realized that you can make a significant difference in the life of cats?
JG: I became very close friends with the dog trainer at the shelter and she started talking to me about positive reinforcement and conditioning. She was the first to say that it was foolish to think that cats cannot respond to positive reinforcement. We are ALL learning this – we are all. And when it became part of my language and I was able to use the clicker with cats, then everything changed. When I was able to demonstrate that, within a 2 hour span of time, we can take a cat that is buried at the back of the 2 × 2 cage behind their litter box and make her face the audience and take these few steps towards the front of the cage. and therefore they have just become acceptable, which is a game changer. To this day, I have a program called Cat Pawsitive – we ran it in over 100 shelters across the country. We’ve had thousands of hours of training with volunteers and staff and everyone can vouch for it – clicker training saves lives!
NOT: How did you get on Animal Planet with your hit “My Cat From Hell”?
JG: I said I was doing counseling and would be giving lessons. A friend of mine introduced me to someone else who knew someone else, and suddenly you became a pilot. It was only after all these years that I realized how lucky I was – I was not at the pitch show. It was just that this show was exactly my life and this exactly what I am doing, so it was not a big stretch. I was only here [in LA] About 6-7 months before we shot the sizzle reel on it.
NOT: In the 10 seasons your show aired, were there the most memorable cat and owner, or perhaps the most extreme situation you’ll never forget?
JG: Every family and every cat I worked with became very close to me, and after the end of the show we kept in touch. But I would say the most the change The case I worked with was a cat named Lux, and Lux was a real viral sensation. They called him “the 9-1-1 cat.” There was a recording of this man calling and saying, “My cat locked me in the bathroom.” Lux tested me like he never had before. He was very violent and unpredictable. I did my best to get him out of this house because it was not the right place to give him to a foster family who adored him, but he attacked them. They endured it for a while, but then it became inoperable. I took him to neurologists, to every veterinarian I could think of, trying to figure out what the short circuit was in his head. I got to know some great veterinarians who helped me think outside the box, and in the end I adored him, was very attached to him and was very close to taking him into my house because I figured I could do it. cope. I finally put him in a hideout where he can live among people who don’t care if he is different from others and sometimes a little cruel. Again, I was very lucky to have such connections and such friends, but it lasted six months.
This incident came to me after we had just finished shooting the season. I was on the road for six months filming and I burned out. The next day they called me and said, “We want you to go to Portland and help this cat,” and I was back in the saddle. I believe humility is very valuable in everyday life. It’s so important for a man to never feel like he knows everything… Because sooner or later you will be
h
anded lunch, which is what Lux did. I still love him to death, and I am so glad that he is still not only alive, but appreciated and living his best life.
AZA: Are you still doing behavioral work?
DG: Yeah. I am consulting. I also perform live. I’m touring a concert. I work closely with the Jackson Galaxy Project, which is a division of Greater Good Charities. I have a number of different initiatives that keep me going, so I try to keep up with animal shelter and protection systems and try to come up with innovative ways to save cats’ lives.
NOT: What’s the hardest part about the job you do?
JG: People think I have all the answers. And I try to throw away what it is your family member. I know cats and probably know your cat to some extent, but your job is to know them better than me. I’ll give you the tools. I will take you to the water, but you must drink. I will always make sure that the investment in your family member is recognized and taken to a more complete approach, which is difficult. It may seem like I know everything, so getting rid of that perception or changing it to some extent is not an easy task. And then, after 30 years of daily work with cats, being curious and remembering every day that you are a student, and not just this omniscient cat creature, is simply not easy.
NOT: What is the most satisfying part of your job?
DG: Everyone! I am so lucky to have found a way to show my creative mind, my desire to learn, my love for people, my love for animals, my life as an animal protector, my life as an animal welfare worker – all together every day of my life? I’m so lucky. I tried not to lose a sense of gratitude even in really difficult times, because I still do what I love every single day.
NOT: What’s your best advice?
JG: The main thing to remember is that cats are not dogs. They have their own history and their own inner life, which has nothing to do with us. They are barely domesticated. Hardly during their existence did they learn to live in a house. We expect too much compliance. We expect too much of them to go to our side of the fence to have a successful relationship. What’s the secret? You should meet them in the middle. Living successfully with a cat is all about making a compromise, which, when you think about it, is the secret to success in all our relationships.
Our relationship with cats for 10,000 years has been mutually beneficial. We stocked up on food. Rats and mice contaminated this food and made us nauseous. The cats were killing rats and mice and we were fine, it works. And that was until may be the last 150 years? It’s a flash! So accept the fact that you have an animal that is a mix of domestic and wild … embrace it!
Jackson Galaxy will host virtual Cat Camp sessions that will open to the public in the near future. Check CatCamp.com for more information.
And learn more about Jackson’s endeavors, including how to follow him on social media, at jacksongalaxy.com…
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