Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean Author: Visit Amazon's Jackson Galaxy Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0399163808 | Format: EPUB
Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean Description
Review
“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
About the Author
Jackson Galaxyhas 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.
- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Jeremy P. Tarcher; Reprint edition (May 2, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0399163808
- ISBN-13: 978-0399163807
- Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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.
Not everybody is fortunate enough to experience the extraordinary, life-changing bond that can develop between two different species, but those of us who are know what a miraculous thing it is. To see it in our own lives is a gift. To become intimately acquainted with somebody else's experience, however, is a rare privilege indeed.
This is one of many things that make reading "Cat Daddy" such a joy. By the time you finish this remarkable book, you'll have lived somebody else's love of a cat in ways that make you love and appreciate your own just a bit more. And, because this is Jackson Galaxy, you'll understand the felines in your life a bit more, too. Watching Galaxy on his show "My Cat From Hell" can feel a bit like watching a magician--how does he do it? How does he consistently reach even the most troubled feline souls with so much compassion and to such amazing effect? Galaxy, among other things in this book, takes us inside that process in a way that on the one hand makes it seem completely common-sense, yet on the other hand makes you realize what a unique gift he has.
But this book is so much more than that. I hesitate to call it an amazing "animal story" because it's just an amazing story, period. It must have been painful at times for Galaxy to reveal so much of what was "broken" in his own life when he and Benny first began to form the bond that would redeem them. He does what the best writers do: He bleeds on these pages, but this is blood straight from his heart. In the end, this is one of the most uplifting tales I've ever encountered, and the "Cat Mojo" tips sprinkled throughout--which are admittedly what I expected to enjoy the most--become the cherry on the sundae rather than the sundae itself.
If you love cats, you will love this book.
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