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

I think this may be the first review I've written in Amazon, but I wanted to share my feelings about what I thought about this book. As one who loves cats and true Cinderella stories, this book was a wonderful combination of heart, inspiration determination, progression, tenacity, and let's not forget, the love of cats. Jackson truly is an inspiration and his brutal honesty and kind heart shine through in this book. I actually cried right along with Jackson when he lost Benny....not really a spoiler, so sorry if it sounds like it. Because of his brutal and honest thoughts, the language can be profane so I wouldn't recommend children reading this, but I could see it happening if a parent read it and edited it for them. I think it's a good story for youth to see how Jackson worked though his weaknesses and he puts it in a down-to-earth real perspective that doesn't sounds arrogant at all. In fact, I thought it was a very humble story of Jackson's life and how cats and close humans helped him throughout his life. The sign of a great person is humbling oneself enough to identify a problem, accepting help and working through that problem despite how difficult and challenging it can be. Jackson is hard on himself....I'm sure many of us can relate on some level...but he is a great example of working through and conquering and reconquering trials and weaknesses and not quitting. It's more than a memoir. It's more than cat advice, which I absolutely loved and use on my Bengal cat. It's more than a story about the relationship between he and Benny. This is a story about never giving up, never giving into fears and doubts, learning and embracing talents and using those talents for good for human and cat. It's a story of learning to love others, human and cat alike, learning to accept who you are and love yourself no matter what your doubts, fears, and others say about you. It's a book about learning not to accept failure despite what you think your life's patterns are. It's learning to embrace success without fearing it. It's a story of letting hope and love of human and cat alike drive your life instead of negativity from others and negative thinking run your life. I could go on and on with my praises, but it's better just to read the book! I can't do it justice! Perhaps I love this book so much because I have had my own challenges in life that have come close to conquering my spirits to the point of just giving up. Even though they are different challenges than what Jackson had to conquer, they are things I have had to get through and still work through...that's life and it can be ugly and cruel. We all have our own personal trials and challenges that we have to get through and it can be very hard. This book helps me see that, even though it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel at times, through perseverance, hard work, hope, faith, help from close humans and cats alike, etc, there are better things ahead. The great thing is that Jackson wasn't necessarily writing his story as a self-help book, so there isn't that, "to be successful, you must do this," kinda attitude like he's the authority....even he said he has no letters after his name....but it goes from a beautiful story of his and Benny's life to show the reader several real life applications and aspects in his life that can be adapted and applied to anyone's life.

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. This is one of the most unconventional memoirs I've ever read, but then, I didn't expect anything less from Jackson Galaxy. Jackson Galaxy defies convention. Bald, bearded and tattooed, he's anything but what you would imagine a cat behaviorist to look like, let alone one who has an almost uncanny ability to connect with cats in ways that few others can. Rock musician? Maybe. Biker dude? Possibly. But cat guy? No way. Cat Daddy chronicles Jackson's journey from down-and-out drug-addicted musician to cat behaviorist of last resort to countless cats, from his early work with cats at an animal shelter in Boulder to his partnership with Jean Hofve, DVM and their joint ventures, Little Big Cat and Spirit Essences, which Jackson eventually bought from Hofve, to his own successful behavior consulting practice. But the real star of this book is Benny, a small grey and white cat who was brought to the shelter where Jackson had begun to build a reputation as a "cat whisperer." Benny had been hit by a car and had a broken pelvis, his owner couldn't afford the vet bills, and she also "just didn't like him." Benny was only supposed to be a foster cat, but as Jackson watched Benny's remarkable recovery from his physical injuries, something shifted for Jackson. He began to feel a kinship with this broken cat, and realized that "Benny wasn't my foster cat anymore. He was my family." That moment may have saved not only Benny's life, but Jackson's as well. And this was only the first of many lessons Benny would teach Jackson about not being in control of the universe. "The teacher arrived when the student was ready to learn." In addition to his physical injuries, Benny had his share of emotional problems. It soon became obvious that Benny didn't just come into Jackson's life so Jackson could fix him; Jackson needed some serious fixing himself. By the time Benny arrived, Jackson's life was spiraling out of control at an alarming rate. As Jackson began to work with this emotionally damaged cat, Benny did what noone else in Jackson's life had been able to do: he forced Jackson to begin to peel away the layers of denial, and helped him discover his true physical, spiritual and emotional self beneath his multiple addictions. There are many deeply moving moments in this book. For me, one of the most most touching passages was the moment Jackson surrenders control. His "hit the knees" moment was reinforced when he realized that "Benny is not just a cat who I take care of but a confused, frustrated being who is exactly the same as me." At that moment, Jackson not only found the process he's since used and still uses today with every cat he works with, he also learned he could be "present in the moment for an animal who needed me to be present in the moment." Being present and living life one moment at a time is one of the cornerstones of recovery. Benny had shown Jackson the way. The book is interspersed with plenty of Jackson's Cat Mojo 101. He introduces his famous "Cat-I-Love-You" technique (also known as the "slow blink") with the remarkable story of the "forty-five cat kisses"at the Boulder shelter. His "Three-Step Handshake" was born when he first met Benny. In "Don't Be a Litter Box Baby," Jackson provides easy to implement steps to address litter box problems. As with so many of his techniques, Benny proved to be a hard core test case for this one as well. All of Jackson's advice takes the cat's perspective into account, and comes from the premise that once you understand why something makes sense to a cat and respond from that same place, you will see changes in the cat's behavior. Jackson understands that cats are energetically sensitive, and he focuses as much on training the cat as he does on training the cat's human, always stressing the importance of the cat's guardian managing his own energy and emotions when around the cat. Jackson's writing style is emotionally raw, candid, and sometimes shocking in its honesty. The one constant throughout his story, even during his darkest days of battling his own personal demons, is his connection with cats in general, and with Benny in particular. In true cat like fashion, Benny taught Jackson about living in the moment, about surrendering control, and ultimately, about love. The cats of the world, and those of us who love them, owe a debt of gratitude to Benny for saving Jackson's life and for being his teacher - and to Jackson, for the courage to share his story with the world, and for honoring Benny's legacy each and every day through his work.

In his first book, Galaxy tries to tell several somewhat-but-not-entirely related stories all at once. He covers his work with cats at the animal shelter that lead to him becoming a cat behaviorist, the life and death of his cat Benny, and his epic battles with addiction to drugs, alcohol, and food. These stories are interwoven in a way that sometimes works, but sometimes feels like you're switching between completely different books. The book is also sprinkled with a few cat behavior tips -- imagine you're reading about a broken man overdosing on drugs and passing out on his floor, and then you turn the page and see a helpful tip about what to do if your cat won't use the litter box. That's sort of the feel of this book. Galaxy doesn't spend enough time on cat behavior tips for this book to be considered a guide to cat behavior (although if he happens to address your specific problem in one of his stories or tips, the book might be useful) but I enjoyed reading about his time at the shelter, his early consults with cat owners, and his efforts to solve Benny's endless behavior and health issues. To me, this was the most interesting and original part of the book, and I wish the balance had been more in favor of these stories. I feel like I have read countless addiction / recovery narratives, while Galaxy's history and experience with cats is an original and fascinating story. Fans of "My Cat from Hell" who appreciate the unique voice and perspective that Galaxy brings to cat behavior will appreciate this part of the book. The addiction / recovery part of the book might not be what MCFH fans were expecting to read, but I do have to say that it was extremely well-written, well-paced, and never boring. Galaxy is a natural writer who tells stories in blunt, vivid prose, with just the right amount of self-indulgence. His strong point of view -- consistent throughout -- ties together a book that could have been a disjointed mess considering how many different stories he is telling. This book is ultimately the story of Galaxy's adult life, his personal and professional struggles, and when I finished I felt like I had gotten to know and understand him -- and I didn't regret the time I had spent with the book. The final chapter of the book deals with the death of Benny. I was sobbing the whole time. This is the strongest part of the book, and also the hardest to read if you love an animal. Galaxy's feelings for Benny, his obsessive efforts to save him, and his realization that it was time to let Benny go resonated with me more than any other narrative I've read on the subject. I hope I don't have to experience this with my cat for many, many years -- but I imagine that I will come back to this book when that horrible day comes.

I've owned and loved cats for 30 years. I pay attention to what they try to teach me, and I think I have a pretty high level of empathy with animals. But Jackson Galaxy has more. He also has the benefit of experience working in an animal shelter, dealing with frustrated owners and traumatized cats. He's learned hands-on -- from the animals -- how to soothe, and how to teach cats as well as people. He knows what cats' signals mean. As much as I love my cats, I've often failed to understand what they're saying. Jackson's book about living with cats is the first I've read that conveys such profound empathy and understanding. When dealing with behavior problems, Jackson *knows* why methods work, or don't work, and what else to try. And he offers effective methods in a simple, clear, boiled-down fashion that takes the misery out of trying to get a cat to change her behavior. He gives you insight and confidence. He makes unknown territory... known. From his work at the shelter, Jackson knows what it's like to perform euthanasia on animals that had been, or could have been, beloved pets. This book gives you an overview of this miserable process, and it lets you know that almost any animal can be helped and saved. Jackson is a dedicated crusader to make kill shelters obsolete. He explains the necessity of spaying and neutering pets so well that I want to send a copy of this book to every kid who might own a pet some day, as well as every adult who needs a clue. While Jackson was learning about cats, he was also in recovery from multiple addictions, stripping his consciousness down to the nerve to learn what he -- and all living beings -- are really about. He made important discoveries about people and animals, and that's part of this story too. One of the most piercing moments in this book is Jackson's realization that he had made helping cats his higher power. That was his reason for living and for staying sober. You don't have to be in recovery to realize that helping an animal -- even just one -- is one of the most important things you'll ever do. And that seeing that animal living its life well is one of the greatest rewards. The last part of the book focuses on the declining months of his beloved cat and the process of deciding when it was time for euthanasia. He describes his experience in the most raw and honest way imaginable. It was hard to read, but his insight is powerful and the lesson vitally important. Next time I have to decide when to let an ailing cat go, I'll be reading his words again.

Let me just preface this review by saying that I'm a twenty year ferret caretaker. I never had cats until I recently adopted a feral from my yard last August who we had been working with and caring for for six years. He eventually wanted to come in, so we let him. Cat guardianship is all new to me, but animal guardianship, in general, is not. I've been a lifelong animal lover and caretaker, so I devoured this book in a weekend. Galaxy is a kindred spirit, and I could not put this book down from the time it came in the mail until I finished in two days, and while it's not a light read, there is enough self-deprecating humor sprinkled throughout that the reader won't feel bludgeoned by the subject matter, and Galaxy touches on some very dark, disturbing, and controversial subject matter with regards to the animal welfare and shelter system currently operating in the US. Most of the book is the autobiographical account of Galaxy's ascent out of the hell we know of as addiction. Galaxy was addicted to everything pretty much: pills, booze, pot, prescription drugs, and food, which were really only symptoms of a greater addiction: Galaxy's neurotic fear of being a fraud and a failure -- a fear most of us have had at some point in our lives, more so painfully felt if you are a creative type -- but Galaxy was at least self-aware enough to understand that fixating on himself wasn't going to improve his situation. People always like to tell addicts to "get over themselves," and in reality, that is wise advice when put in the proper context. Galaxy did attempt to get over himself, hoping that if he focused his energy on helping shelter animals that somehow he would be able to manage his own demons and get himself some direction in life. He was right, but he didn't go in clean, so the physical and emotional pressures of working in the shelter system simply made things worse. Galaxy did find his calling as a cat behaviorist, but not without tripping, stumbling, and falling on his face along the way. Galaxy's life was a train wreck waiting to happen, and the carnage he left in his wake affected everything and everyone around him, including his cats. You can't have a good relationship with an addict. It's just not possible, and that is the truth of the story. How could Galaxy possibly have a healthy relationship with these troubled animals if he couldn't even have one with himself? Benny the cat's story is also sad but not uncommon. In our throw away society, animals are nothing more than a commodity: something to own like a designer handbag. Most people, including Galaxy at that time, are woefully ill equipped for animal guardianship, and sad to say, most people are way too self-centered to give what takes when it comes to loving and caring for an animal properly. Most people buy and/or adopt an animal because "they the human" need something. They put their human need first. Who the animal is and what the animal needs are often marginalized if not downright ignored. Animal guardianship is a commitment. It's work, and it's for life. Now I don't want to spoil the book, it's such a wonderful and inspiring read. It's about hope, and faith, and the struggle to find it and keep it - with a few helpful cat care tips mixed in a long the way -- so I'll just say: if you've worked in the shelter system, you'll get it. If you've screamed, cried, and felt hopelessly impotent while caring for a disabled and/or sick animal, you'll get it. If you've ever struggled with addiction of any kind, you'll get it. If you understand that "you" directly affect how your animal companion understands and behaves in its/your world, then you'll get it, and, lastly, if you are the sort of person who understands that people don't own animals, that they share their lives with us, and that they are unique sentient beings who deserve our respect and understanding, so much so that you are the sort of person who is willing to spend endless hours educating yourself so that you can provide the most enriching and healthy quality of life possible for your animal companion, then you will totally get it. I could rant here about the pet industry, but I won't. Jackson Galaxy does plenty of ranting in the book. We just need to support the cause. I've gone from ferret person to cat person in a very short span of time. When my last ferret passed away of old age, I could have wallowed in it, but I had a cat to care for. A cat who had had a hard life on the street; a cat who needed reassurance and comfort during the difficult transition it had decided to make. It decided to put its life in my hands the day it walked into the house on its own for the first time, and I could not have succeeded in rehabilitating my Moon kitteh without the helpful advice of people like Jackson Galaxy. If you are looking for a "How-to" manual for cats, this isn't the book. I would think of it as a "How I made myself a better person and a better guardian" sort of book. If that's your cuppa tea, then you'll get it.

So, I ordered this on Friday night, chose two day shipping for 'el free-o since I'm a prime member. BAM shows up without a hitch. The packaging was nice and I did read about the theme of the book. While I haven't read this book just yet, I bought it as a Mother's Day gift (2014) for my mom. We get together once a week and marathon a few episodes of My Cat From Hell, and then catch up on the kitteh's on the web series of My Cat from Hell, How Do You Like Meow. What's amazing is how well that show captures the humanity in a lot of the owners, and in 90% of the episodes you're left teary eyed if not crying at how happy the stories make you. Being a cat owner myself and sharing a similar story to Jackson's I can relate. For me in 2010, I was let go from a job I had worked so hard to obtain. Great pay, good people and in the field I absolutely love. After a fellow employee decided that they just didn't like that my position allowed to dictate rules and changes that they weren't used to they, through a series of unconnected events, were able to get their wish and have me terminated for a grey area in our recently changed handbook a few days earlier. I had just moved into a bigger place and out of my parents at the time, the prior year I had a huge surgery and since a doctor had marked my condition as "pre-existing" insurance didn't cover a dime. After I was terminated I looked up and down for a job in the market I'm in, which lead to a lot of stress. I ended up having hypertension as the hospital called it, which lead to severe panic or anxiety attacks. It got so bad, and lasted so long I lost so many friends and relationships because nobody actually knew what it was like. You often get replies from people like "oh I have a panic attack and I just think it away and im fine" to which I used to reply, that's NOT what I'm experiencing. It's as if you're stuck in some malfunctioning body and your brain is telling you everything is fine, but your body just won't move. I was terminated two days after Christmas, and 3 days after being terminated a cat that I had had since Childhood had passed away. He was 18 and we loved him more than anything. A woman I worked with happened to have an almost identical in looks and personality cat. While my other one was alive we would often send video/pictures of both our cats doing similar things and comparing about how much we loved them. I get a call one day while I'm frantically trying to manage anxiety and filling out tons of resumes online asking if I could take this cat in since it was decided she had way to many cats/animals at their place. I stated that I had absolutely no money to pay a pet deposit at my place and she agreed to cover that and the first few months food bills. It wasn't long after she dropped him off that me and the cat hit it off. He sat on the edge of the bath tub as I sit trying to relax my body in a hot epsomsalt bath, he'd follow me around my place and sit with me wherever I was, always meowing at me to make sure I was okay. He even went out and would bring animals he caught in through the window I would leave open in the bathroom so he could go in and out when I was home. I would go on to have a few interviews and panic attacks in the middle of them, some I had to call on a friend or family member to drive me home, and once I got there he was waiting for me. I'd lay down on the bed or couch and he would just come lay on my chest and purr until I fell asleep or I wasn't feeling so tense. When we were hit by the EF-5 Tornado of 2013 and me and my family stepped outside to see our entire neighborhood destroyed, houses, vehicles and the local elementary school where my niblings went and I eventually drove to to help pull kids from the rubble, I would return to find that he was missing. My heart began pouring out for him, I broke down in the middle of our street with debris all around, sobbing like a young child that had lost his mother. My neighbor and father had believed it was from the trauma of seeing the things with the children and perhaps it was, but in the end it was the thought that I lost my best friend. In almost an instant of clarity, my neighbor said "is that your cat right there?", I looked down the street and saw a white plastic bag flying across the street, I explained "that's not a cat, it's a plastic bag". "not that" he replied, "Right there", I looked down once again and saw my buddy running low to the ground and scared. I yelled for him and he came running to me, I held him, and dried him off, felt him shivering. So glad he survived. 3 years have gone by and my anxiety is pretty much a thing of the past and I'm almost 100% back to the person I was before. I don't know how I could have done it without him and I can't think of any other cat I'd rather have. It's so hard to walk into the pet stores and see cats up for adoption that are 2-8 years old. I almost cry just walking by thinking how somebody took them to the shelter after loving them for years, only to abandon them. I want to love each and every one, although I know I cant. I hope each and every day they get a good home where they too can be loved as much as I love my cat. With Jackson Galaxy's help, I've been able to play with and connect with my cat even more with his advice and techniques. Thank you so much Jackson.

A METAPHOR FOR GALAXY'S LIFE COULD BE A WORM CRAWLING ON THE EDGE OF A RAZOR BLADE (I.E., A LINE FROM THE MOVIE ''APOCALYPSE NOW''). LIKE MANY GIFTED PEOPLE, BECAUSE HE'S SO EXTRAORDINARILY SMART, GALAXY SEES FINE NUANCES IF HIS STRUGGLES AROUND PLEASING HIS FATHER, DISCOVERING AND MASTERING A CAREER, HE ACTUALLY CREATED FROM NOTHING LIKE VAN GOGH DID IN THE ART WORLD. GALAXY HAS MANY OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME. FOR EXAMPLE, HE ISN'T WELL UNDERSTOOD, LIKE MANY OTHER BRILLANT PEOPLE. IN MANY WAYS, HE'S ISOLATED COPING WITH CRONIC ANXIETY, PTSD, AND MULTIPLE ADDICTIONS (E.G. LEGAL PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, AND FOOD). FOR 34 YEARS, I WORKED IN AN AREA OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE, SPECIFICALLY WITH BOTH YOUNG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS. THIS BOOK IS BRUTALLY HONEST, AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. IT'S PRECISE, INSIGHTFUL, FIERCE IN ITS DESCRIPTIONS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF GROWING UP ALONE IN THE WORLD. GALAXY IS A COMPLEX INDIVIDUAL. HE'S A MAN WHO WAS A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN BY NIGHT,NOW A WRITER OF BOTH MUSIC AND BOOKS, WHILE FOR ANOTHER PART OF HIS LIFE, GALAXY ALSO WAS EMPLOYED IN AN ANIMAL SHELTER WITH ALL ITS HORROR STORIES OF LIVING THINGS, WHICH NEVER MADE IT OUT OF THOSE BUILDINGS. GALAXY IS A GENIUS WITH NO FORMAL UNIVERSITY CREDENTIALS BESIDE HIS NAME, HOWEVER, FROM MINUTE OBSERVATIONS ALONE, GALAXY REINVENTS THE ENTIRE WAY CATS ARE UNDERSTOOD IN NORTH AMERICA. OF COURSE, HIS FATHER WASN'T PLEASED WITH HIM. HIS FATHER WANTED GALAXY TO JUST GET A REAL JOB, ANY JOB, THAT PAID WELL, BUT GALAXY IS GIFTED, CREATIVE, AND COMPASSIONATE. HE ABHORS SUFFERING IN THE INNOCENT AND THE HELPLESS. INDIVIDUALLY, GALAXY INVENTED A WHOLE NEW CAREER FIELD AROUND FELINES AND HE HAS BECOME THE TOP CAT BEHAVORIST IN THE UNITED STATES. LIKE STEVE JOBS, GALAXY IS AN INVENTOR. I USED TO WALK TO A PUBLIC LIBRARY WITH MY MOTHER, WHEN I WAS 4 YEARS OLD, 70 YEARS AGO. I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO BOOKS BEING READ TO ME, AND I HAVE BEEN READING BOOKS MYSELF EVER SINCE. THIS BOOK "CAT DADDY" IS IN THE TOP 2 BEST BOOKS, I'VE EVER READ IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. I COULDN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!! GALAXY IS SO VERY, VERY BRAVE, AND SO, SO HONEST. IF MOST PEOPLE WERE EVEN HALF AS AUTHENTIC AS GALAXY IS, THEY WOULD BE HIDING IN THEIR BASEMENT OUT OF EMBARRASSMENT AND NEVER COME OUT. HOW MANY OF US PRESENT A FALSE FRONT TO THE WORLD? HOW MANY OF US ARE AN ACTOR, OR AN ACTRESS ON A STAGE? HOW MANY OF US COMPLAIN ABOUT LIFE, BUT NEVER EVEN ATTEMPT TO FIND SOLUTIONS FOR LIFE'S UGLY PROBLEMS? DID AN ABANDONED, BROKEN CAT FIND GALAXY, OR DID GALAXY FIND HIM? THIS BOOK IS LIKE SCORCHED EARTH, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE FOR ALL TO SEE. THIS MAN AND HIS CAT ARE MIRRORS OF EACH OTHER. BOTH OF THEM WOULD HAVE DIED YOUNG WITHOUT FINDING THEIR TWIN, BUT FATE AND LOVE INTERVENED. THIS BOOK IS AN EXCELLENT GIFT, AND VALENTINE'S DAY IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.

I bought this as someone who likes cats and is interested in the professional sides of cat behavior consulting and animal sheltering/welfare, not because of the author. "Cat Daddy" was recommended to me by a family friend who enjoys Jackson Galaxy's TV show "My Cat From Hell." Personally I've never seen his show. Going into this book, I didn't know anything about Galaxy except that he was/is popular on TV. That said, I found this book only moderately interesting--it focuses much more on Galaxy's personal life than about his professional experience working with cats. Since I'm not a Jackson Galaxy fan and I don't really care about his life story, this book just kind of fell flat for me. I wouldn't say it's necessarily bad... I did at least finish it. I'm glad that the guy seems to have gotten his life on track and all; this book just wasn't what I expected or wanted. I wasn't looking for an autobiography. Fans of Galaxy would likely appreciate "Cat Daddy" more; non-fans aren't likely to find it compelling. If I had checked the reviews first I would probably not have bought this book.

I truly only discovered Jackson Galaxy a few short months ago, skipping channels and coming across this programme I'd never seen before called My Cat From Hell. I took a gander and I was, proverbially, hooked. This guy was good with cats and seemed to have some kind of magic formula along with his 'magic wand' (a cat toy with feathers on the end, I mean) and I thought when I bought this book that it would be all twee and sweet with sugar-coated tails (whoops, that's a Freudian slip if ever I saw one...I meant tales) of Jackson's bouts with challenging cats and it would be a heart-warming insight into his vast abilities with our feline friends. Not a bit of it. This was a story about Jackson Galaxy the down-and-out, hopeless addict, the alcoholic, the stubborn ass who couldn't see the wood for the trees in his own life for the longest time and who was effectively welded on a path of self-destruction. And it was also about Benny; the other 'stubborn ass' in Jackson's life and these two gelled and became dependent on each other for survival. It was a bare-knuckle ride from a reader's point of view and an insightful fraught journey was had by all, including me. I felt I didn't really breathe properly until I'd read the last word of the Afterword at the end of the journey Jackson took me on with his direct truth and raw realisms of his own fractured life experience, so deeply was I moved by the story of Jackson Galaxy's battles with his demons, and that exhale at the end was a sigh of relief because, here's the spoiler - it all comes good in the end. And it's not a spoiler per se because anyone who watches My Cat From Hell knows that Jackson Galaxy is alive and well and hosting a fantastic show about cats, and unless you read his compelling life story you wouldn't know how he came to be where's he's at today. I like that on the front cover of Cat Daddy it states "...includes tips for raising happy, healthy cats" when I in fact thought that was all the book would be about. It was so very much more, and I'm pleased to give it a five-star ratings. It's one of the best non-fiction books I've read in ages. Oh and there are of course many useful tips on being a successful cat guardian woven into the mix.

Really touching and i like the 101 cat notes. Jackson guides us through the path of dicovery and love with one of his best teachers a cat from hell who stole his heart

É uma estória interessante, mas eu esperava mais a respeito dos gatos. O livro é mais sobre o comportamento dele do que o dos gatos.

Ich habe mir dieses Buch ursprünglich gekauft, da ich selbst Verhaltensberaterin für Katzen bin. Von Jackson Galaxy kannte ich vorher nur diverse Artikel aus amerikanischen Katzenzeitschriften. "Cat Daddy" beschreibt eine Reise durch die persönliche Hölle des Autors Jackson, der seine Drogenabhängigkeit, Selbstzweifel und andere menschlichen Schwächen derart schonungslos offen legt, dass ich beim Lesen zeitweise regelrecht Schmerzen verspürte. Darin eingewoben ist die Geschichte des Katers Benny, der immer wieder ein Katalysator für Jacksons Gefühle und Erkenntnisse ist, sowie die der Erfahrungen, die Jackson im amerikanischen Tierheimalltag sammelt. Jackson Galaxy hat keine formale Ausbildung in Tierpsychologie absolviert u. spricht das auch mehrfach in "Cat Daddy" an. Aber seine wichtigsten Einsichten sollten sich alle Katzenliebhaber u. diejenigen, die mit ihnen arbeiten, zu Herzen nehmen: Projiziere nie Deine menschliche Wahrnehmung und Logik auf ein Tier. Begreife, dass wir immer auch Teil des Puzzles sind u. energetisch u. spirituell eng mit unseren Tieren verflochten sind, weshalb wir unsere Verantwortung ihnen gegenüber besonders ernst nehmen sollten. Empfinde Demut gegenüber anderen Lebewesen u. begreife, dass nicht alles in Deiner Macht liegt. (Wobei andere Leser vielleicht andere Botschaften herauslesen oder für sich als wichtiger empfinden.) Wer bereit ist, sich auf die Tour de Force einzulassen, die sich hinter dem harmlosen Titel "Cat Daddy" verbirgt, wird reich belohnt. Dieses Buch habe ich mit Sicherheit nicht das letzte Mal gelesen.

I found this book very interesting, as it explains a lot about cats, and their behavior. But I don't think that you should buy it if you're looking about a book that would enlighten you on cat's behavior. That is not the principal thing in this book. It is more about the journey of Jackson Galaxy and how he became as knowledgeable as he is on cat's behaviour. That sill is a very interesting reading and I'm looking forward more books of him.