Jackson Galaxy is a long-time cat behaviorist with a big heart and a personality to match. It only takes a few minutes of watching him interact with “problem cats” to know he really, really likes cats.

He knows cat kisses and the non-grabby hand and extends his glasses to a cat to sniff as an introduction. This is wonderful modeling of the proper way to meet a cat.

Each hour-long show features two different couples, each with a problem cat. Often, they have other, non-problem cats, who must be what I call “easy cats.” They didn’t need any expertise to have a good relationship going with these cats.

Then there’s the “Cat From Hell.” I’m sure the title came directly from Marketing, and not Mr. Galaxy. Because he works with the people to fix their cat problem. As he demonstrates, it’s not the fault of the cat. How can it be otherwise? Yes, these folks were doin’ it rong, but they didn’t know any better.

No matter how bad things look at the beginning, I’m impressed with the way these folks, reluctant to give up their cat despite the problems, will change their behaviors… and then change the way their cat behaves.

Why am I so thrilled? I’m very pleased with the caliber of advice Mr. Galaxy offers; it’s informed by true cat understanding. If there’s any “reality TV tricks” going on they do not detract from the lessons on offer.

The other reason? Well, it sure can’t hurt to have people on television who are unashamedly fond of their cats. Just look at this review, in a major media outlet, of My Cat From Hell:

And You Used to Think Hairballs Were Bad

Scientists now agree that the shortest measurable amount of time is the micro-instant between when a person first acquires a cat and when that person feels the need to use the phrase “bad kitty.”

Anyone not in the cat-owning club is likely to look at these situations and think: “What is wrong with you people? You’re being held hostage by a danged cat. Get rid of it.” But Mr. Galaxy’s philosophy seems to be that there is no cat-human relationship so messed up that it’s not worth trying to fix.

One young man starts out adamantly proclaiming that he is not a cat person but ends up taking his fiancée’s cat for walks with a leash. Advocates of the macho brand of maleness will be hooting at this fellow’s emasculation. The cat, though, seems pretty pleased with itself: another human properly trained.

This kind of half-this/half-that is the usual kind of praise cats get. It’s undoubtedly part of the reason we Cat Appreciators had to wait so long to get what dog people take for granted. This excellent show is a step forward.

It’s currently scheduled for 8 PM EST on Saturdays. The previous show airs an hour earlier if we need to catch up. And I live-twitter it @WayofCats. (Not on Twitter? I post my tweets on the sidebar at right.)

Find out more about the show at the Animal Planet website, My Cat From Hell. Spread the good word!

How did these cats get so messed up? Find out my take in What causes the cats in My Cat From Hell?

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The two little sweeties, seen at left, are being adopted this week to a lovely couple! I spoke to the lady on the phone, and we will be using your donations, as seen at right, to give them their first shots and deworming.

Then a good friend will road trip with me to deliver them to their new home; since their new Pet Parents are both retired on disability. Which means these kittens will be getting a lot of attention and love.

The lady I spoke to on the phone is a serious cat fan; she once raised a cat from 3 days to 19.5 years. Currently they have one six-year-old, quite shy, cat.

We agreed getting two kittens means they play with each other, and are far less likely to harass the older cat. She hopes the two little ones will perk up her shy cat by modeling happy, friendly, behavior. I agreed it’s been known to happen; or if not, the two kittens get even more play and fussing.

What a great place for the Tristan semi-siblings to wind up in!

This leaves Tristan’s Mum.

There’s so much resemblance to the famous Tristan, except Mum is a Torbie. That is, a tortoiseshell with tabby striping. She also has the scarab on her head that we so much love to kiss on Tristan.

Torbie/tortoiseshell cats are believed to bring good luck.

We have enough donations to get her spayed and her shots. The vet thinks she’s only two years old. Probably abandoned at a young age; never spayed; simply dumped when she was no longer cute, or ditched after a move when it was too much trouble to take her with them; there’s so many reasons, none of them good.

She has shrugged off this adversity and will be a delightful choice for a home that can’t handle the mayhem of a kitten, but wants a long and happy relationship.

Need to know more about what Mum is like? Who would know better than the lady who has been feeding her:

These four cats were living in my backyard. Up until a few months ago, we had only seen the mama cat on occassion. Then one day she started sitting by our back door and meowing. My husband and I knew that something was wrong with her, as she had never approached our house before. We went outside to look around and discovered that she has a litter of kittens in our shed. Mama cat was searching for food to help her take care of her babies. We began feeding her and the kittens two to three times daily. Mama cat would always come out to us first and then meow loudly, signaling her babies to come out and eat. On the occassions that the kittens were too scared to come out, Mama cat would actually fill her mouth with food and bring it over to the babies, dropping in front of them to make sure they ate. I was amazed that someone would have ever left such a smart and sweet cat behind. We are already a two cat home, however if we didn’t have our two, I would have kept Mama in a minute. She is a lovely cat. I hope she and her babies find permanent homes with people who love them.

Thank you for being so kind, and we are all doing our best to make that wish come true.

Big thanks to everyone who donated: ya’ll are made of awesome! Your gifts are starting this little family into their new life, and helping a devoted vet who got flooded out.

There were those who helped with Social Media to spread the word (it’s easy with the toolbar, below.) The two kittens got a home because a Way of Cats fan put a mention of the cause on the LOLCats site, which made it into the Cheez Town Cryer.

So that’s two adoptions, three cats, and one more placement to go. Somewhere out there is someone who wants to love this incredible cat.

Let’s get them together.

About a month ago the same friend who rescued Tristan and his sister let me know a cat who looked a lot like Tristan had been spotted; with kittens.

She turned out to be sweet and affectionate, and they started feeding her to help the kittens.

Rumor has it some people moved away and left her; unspayed, never taught to hunt, abandoned. This is how cats go “feral.”

This is how we rescued the two kittens she had to abandon last year, probably because she could barely keep herself fed.

Seems she’s learned a lot. The vet reports that the four kittens are well-cared for and show no signs of illness.

We don’t yet know the sexes; there are three grays and a butter yellow (who has been spoken for pending developments) and they are about 6-8 weeks.

The vet who is helping us got serious flood damage from Hurricane Irene, who hit this area very hard.

We would not have imposed on her… except the shelters are overflowing and could not help us.

So, my friend rounded up a couple of traps, caught mother easily (seen at left, looking a lot like Tristan) and then got the elusive kittens.

They were skittish in the wild, but they are warming up wonderfully. The most elusive, the one I’m calling Butter Boy, was also the most frightened, but he is now accepting petting.

The mother cat is very sweet with people, which is a great help. I’m sure she passed on the tolerance we have already seen with her two other kittens.

Tristan and Zora are known for their cuddlesome nature; so we aren’t worried about that!

If you ever said to yourself; Gee, I’d love to have a cat like Tristan… you have your chance. Actually, you have four chances, because all four need a good home.

We want to help out the vet who is helping us, so I’ve started a fund (at right, top of the sidebar) to get Tristan’s mum spayed to help her find a home, to cover the babies being boarded; whatever might come up.

I’m also willing to get these cats where they need to go; NY Metro area, New England; I can meet you halfway.

If you feel a connection, please help.

A few dollars, letting people know some great cats are up for grabs, spreading the word on Facebook, thinking good thoughts.

All is appreciated.

Moments ago I got an email telling me I’m a member of this class action suit:

A $2,150,000 settlement has been reached with Natura Pet Products, Inc., Natura Pet Food, Inc., Natura Manufacturing and Peter Atkins (“Defendants” or “Natura”) in a class action lawsuit about the advertising of Natura brand dog and cat food. Natura denies all of the claims in the lawsuit, but has agreed to the settlement to avoid the cost and burden of a trial.

I also found this news announcement from two days ago:

The lawsuit, filed in March 2009, alleges Natura’s website and labeling contain “a large number of misleading and false statements relating primarily to assertions concerning the human-grade quality of its food.” The plaintiff alleged that these statements included such claims as “We only use ingredients you’d eat yourself,” “All of our human grade dog and cat foods are carefully cooked and tested…” and “Natura’s products use only human grade ingredients.” -whole article

If any of us purchased Innova, EVO, California Natural, HealthWise, Mother Nature, or Karma cat food wecould get a payment from this class action settlement.

Sign up at this website.

I did so; they did not ask for anything sensitive and it seems to be a legitimate outlet for settling these claims.

Even if you can’t adopt a shelter cat right now, there are many ways to help shelter cats, anyway, as seen in this article, Top Ten Ways to Help Homeless Cats from the ASPCA.

Read all my posts on Choosing Cats in Shelters to help ourselves or a friend who are on a quest this month.

Utilize the handy widgets I place on my sidebar to explore the many faces begging for attention.

Don’t forget that you can Sponsor a Shelter Cat without bringing them home.

I love the North Shore Animal League, for instance, and have seen up close how dedicated they are. They have a wonderful sponsorship program for cats.

Adopt, volunteer, donate. There’s always a way to help for anyone who feels moved to contribute.

We are launching another new product!

This one is called Littermint.

Our Litter Robot saves us money on litter, but that can also mean our clean litter doesn't smell clean.

Any of us can have this problem. And now we offer a solution!

Cover odor in the litter box in a way that smells good to humans, and also smells clean to our cat.

Then they get the signal:
Litterbox is clean, fresh and ready.

New video!

I made a Way of Cats Litter Basics video, which gives my three steps to litter box success, and explains why Littermint is so attractive to our cat.

Watch it, subscribe to my channel, and enjoy! There will be more.

I’m not Purina Cat Chow First Cat Correspondent Material.

I’m okay with that. I’m grateful to everyone who was rooting for me.

In fact, the funny side of this is that Mr WayofCats read it over and said, “Well, they said nice things about you. At least you were a Runner Up!”

He’s so cute. I had to tell him they sent this to everyone.

Click on the picture to see it in closeup… and see if you agree.

Where do I stand on this situation? Well, I’ll tell you.

I have written a book on fixing cat problems.

I made a video describing some major points of my cat raising philosophy.

I have written this blog for three and a half years.

When the Purina Cat Chow Correspondent is announced, I wish them the best.

We’ll then know more about who does embody Purina’s ideals.

Since I know it’s not me

They are lying.

I don’t think there’s any clearer indicator of that than a recent bi-partisan effort to protect the animals:

Two members of Congress, Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), are asking their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to co-sign a letter of support to protect the ongoing funding of important humane laws like the Animal Welfare Act. The letter will soon be submitted to the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. It’s an uphill struggle, particularly this year with so much budget tension.

This quote is from an email I received as an Action Member of the ASPCA. Here’s what we can do:

We don’t have much time: Legislators must sign the Smith-Blumenauer letter by Wednesday, April 13.

Visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center right now to email your representative in the U.S. House and request that he or she sign the Smith-Blumenauer letter.

The Animal Welfare Act, the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Horse Protection Act are among the most important pillars of animal protection that our nation has, and we must make sure their enforcement is properly funded.

If we click on the link, we will see something that is a sad commentary on present day politics:

We need more members of Congress to sign the Smith-Blumenauer letter by April 13. We’re particularly in need of more Republican signatories. Please let your U.S. representative know that this is important to you by sending the email below today!

Why on earth should humane treatment of animals be some kind of issue? Is kindness now a political football, to be tossed around in the prevailing breezes?

Are certain people going to be loud and proud of their sociopathic tendencies? Gosh, I remember when that was considered a bad thing.

Please, spread the word and try to get some signatures built up on this request from the American people. That would be you, and me, and our friends and relatives, too.

Don’t let cruelty win.

Raise your voice to preserve the progress made towards humanitarian treatment of the animals in our care.

Because they all are.

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25 Tips and Tricks to Help Your Pets Slim down makes a real effort to include cats at various points; we Cat Appreciators, appreciate it!

I’m at #10.

I believe it.

The genesis of this blog was in a cat book I wrote, years ago. While there is delightful work out there, especially by the woman I consider my Cat Mentor, Carole Wilbourn, the bulk of cat books will repeat the same/old cat advice; much of which is wrong.

Since these were the books most likely to be consulted by cat newbies, I was distressed over the advice they contained. There was a notable lack of practicality, depth, or explanations. I was also astonished at how these supposed cat experts could write a whole book about cats while showing only tepid enthusiasm about them. They would talk about solving problems without a hint about why anyone would want to.

My ranting on the subject to fellow Cat Appreciators would always get back the “You should write a book!” message that, after a while, became a Clearly Good Idea.

So I did.

It was a wonderful experience to pour out my decades of knowledge and insight; it refined my processes in ways even I had not been aware of. At the same time, I was teaching Mr. WayofCats my methods, molding him into a Cat Appreciator, too. While always a cat enjoyer, his initial skepticism about the depth of the cat/human possibilities shifted considerably over time. As we met, moved in together, and married, his goodnatured teasing about my philosophies turned into full-blown commitment to preaching The Way.

So when the book was done, I was full of confidence. I started sending it around. Finally, a whole new way of looking at Cat Care, Cat Training, Cat Affection!

As it turned out; there’s your problem.

The publishers didn’t want a Whole New Way. They already had a bunch of people, some of them with letters after their name, who reliably produced the Same/Old, and that was fine with them.

Who was I, with my crazy talk and radical approach? What kind of authority did I have? Then came doubt. These publishers seemed to think no one would like my cat advice. Were they right?

As I outlined a prospective media approach for one publisher, it came to me. Why am I doing all of their work for them? I could put it on the Internet and see for myself.

So I did.

This led to my first eBook, Cat 911, because at that time eBooks were supposed to be short, pithy, instruction manuals, sold as PDFs. And I am proud of this work; it’s a great Cat Care/Fix Problems manual.

But Kindle, and then Nook, changed all that. Now real books can become eBooks. So I came to realize that I could now put out that first book, my first cat work, myself. I kept trying to find the time.

Then the Time found me.

What I won was a basic conversion package, professionally done, that will let me release The Way of Cats to Kindle & Nook; any book reader, in fact. All from the nice folks at Publish Green.

So, I will.

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