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

by Jackson Galaxy

Overview

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 Hells 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 thirteen-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 Mojo" advice for understanding what cats need most from us humans in order to live happier, healthier lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399163807
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/02/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	384,393
Product dimensions:	5.74(w) x 8.04(h) x 0.86(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jackson Galaxy has been called everything from a cat trainer to a cat shrink. Drawing on his years of experience in animal shelters and as a consultant working one-on-one with thousands of cats in their homes, his unique "Cat Mojo" approach offers people a deeper understanding of why their cats act out in the ways they do. Galaxy maintains a private consulting practice in Los Angeles.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Galaxy’s candor earns the reader’s trust…he seamlessly weaves his relationship with Benny into the larger story of his life and recovery, which will appeal to a readership beyond cat lovers.” —Publishers Weekly

“Mr. Galaxy—shaved head, arms full of tattoos—seems physically at odds with his gentle voice and gentle approach to animals.... But though he may be dealing with humans who have been terrorized and even bloodied by their out-of-control pets, he’s a model of consistency. The cats, not the people, are his No. 1 priority.” —The New York Times
 
“Galaxy is not your average animal behaviorist. He speaks Cat. And cats listen. He works miracles in saving death-row cats in shelters by helping them get over their fears and increase their self-esteem, and coaching them to ‘work it’ with potential adopters.” —mousebreath.com

"There’s an undeniable authenticity that comes through in Cat Daddy; its confessional nature and raw, often lyrical, prose are sure to resonate with a broad audience."—Modern Cat
 
“He’s the kind of magic man who can lull a shelter’s roomful of ferocious felines to sleep.” —Yahoo!
 
“Each of us sheds light on our subject from our own particular point of view. Fortunately for us all Jackson Galaxy’s light is very bright. His success at resolving behavioral difficulties in cats stems from his ability to slide his mind into the cat’s point of view and proceed from there. His insights into both human and cat behavior are right on.” —Anitra Frazier, author of The Natural Cat
 
“A joy.... Sometimes the biggest stories are actually the smallest ones—one man, one cat, and a quiet love that was large enough to save them both.” —Gwen Cooper, New York Times bestselling author of Homer's Odyssey and Love Saves the Day
 
“This book is no ordinary cat memoir, nor is it an ordinary cat advice book. It is an inspirational tour de force that offers an intimate glimpse at Jackson, the man, and Jackson, the Cat Daddy.” —Ingrid King, award-winning author of Buckley’s Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher

“The book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions — anger, frustration, sadness, joy — and will teach you a lot about cats along the way…. [Cat Daddy] contains stories of love, healing and the intense joy that comes with finding your higher purpose. It is a must-read for animal lovers, rescue workers, lost souls and anyone who has been touched by a cat in their life.” —CatChannel.com

“With his goatee and tattoos, not to mention his custom-lined guitar-case-turned-pet-supply-kit, Galaxy might not seem like a typical ‘cat person’ — but who better than a New Yorker inked with images of cats and his own set of whiskers to mediate between a fussy feline and its guardian?” —New York Post
 
“At first glance, Jackson Galaxy is the quintessential, bearded, tattooed L.A. hipster musician type with a laid back tone and a mellow voice; but scratch the surface and you’ll find a 45-year-old, Jewish New Yorker who happens to love and understand cats like no other.” —Layla Morgan Wilde, The Boomer Muse blog
 

Editorial Reviews

The famed “Cat Daddy” from Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell, with coauthor Derfner, has written an unconventional memoir documenting his path to sobriety and unexpected career as a cat behaviorist, with instructions and tricks for training and disciplining cats sprinkled throughout. Inspired by his years fostering, training, and eventually adopting an emotionally and physically broken cat named Benny, Galaxy vows to write a book “about how we cohealed, how we refused to let each other live broken ever after.” While Galaxy doesn’t deny his addictions to alcohol, drugs, and food, the gritty struggles of addiction are often glossed over. Instead, Galaxy focuses on the story of his career, which includes developing a consulting business called Little Big Cat, which helps cat owners manage problematic pets instead of dumping them at shelters, and thus reducing the number of cats euthanized because of space. Through his work, he finds his purpose as a “cat whisperer.” Galaxy’s candor earns the reader’s trust, without being hackneyed; he seamlessly weaves his relationship with Benny into the larger story of his life and recovery, which will appeal to a readership beyond cat lovers. Agent: Joy Tutela, David Black Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"This is an inspiring story, filled with all the title claims, useful information for the cat owner, and ardent and passionate pleas for spaying and neutering education and animal adoption. Galaxy gives a high-energy narration that fits the mad-cap world of an addict turned cat whisperer." ---SoundCommentary Starred Review

From the Publisher