Turning Incorrigible Cats Around with the ‘Cat Mojo’ Approach
Jackson Galaxy, author and host of Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell show, joined Tim in this episode to talk about his recently released book, Cat Daddy: What the World’s Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love and Coming Clean. Tim asked Jackson what inspired him to write the book, how he began working with cats and when he realized he had a knack for turning ‘out of control’ cats around. Tim also asked him how his television show came about and what he hopes readers will take away from reading Cat Daddy. If you enjoy watching Jackson’s My Cat from Hell”show and are amazed at how he is able to help the many cats that he works with, you’ll definitely want to listen to this episode to find out more!
BIO:
With a shaved head, large frame, and tattoo-filled arms, Jackson Galaxy looks more like a biker than a cuddly cat authority. And in his other life as a hard-rocking musician and brilliant songwriter, Jackson’s style is anything but soft. But put him in a room filled with furry friends and he transforms. An innate understanding - coupled with more than a decade’s experience working with thousands of cats - has made him both empathetic and sympathetic, and the cats respond.
In 1993, Jackson’s performer’s fascination with observing the everyday, and the constant accessing of deep emotionality helped him immensely as he moved into the next phase of his life - working in an animal shelter. He had always considered himself an animal activist, speaking for those who had no voice, but in turning to the world of animal welfare, it became less about speaking and more about empathy and a deeper level of understanding.
From day one, this sense of empathy was somewhat divided, as it is in much of the animal welfare world. One deals with so much loss, absorbing frustration as folks treat animals as "throwaways", but also witnessing the joys of families adding new members. At the same time, there was the heartbreak of animals trying to cope with confinement, cages, strange smells, and constant noise. As he worked in positions from front desk supervisor to manager of community outreach, the cats had him at their mercy all the while.
Jackson Galaxy was fortunate to work at Humane Society of Boulder Valley in Boulder, Colorado, for eight years, which observed 100% adoption of adoptable animals. However, some cats that lived in that environment for up to eight months became unadoptable for any number of reasons, and inevitably had to be euthanized.
He was absolutely fascinated by cats' every movement and vocalization. Jackson was already a "cat person", living in a home with nine wonderful felines. But the shelter is a hard place for cats, as they struggle for an essential sense of territorial identity where there is none to be found.
Through the years, his fascination and empathy grew. He read any material on cats he could find, and immediately applied what he learned to adoption, counseling and ongoing socialization of the resident cats.
One night the shelter cats gave Jackson the gift that made him the cat whisperer he is today. While working late at the shelter, he was accosted by what sounded like all the cats in the stray cat impound screaming their heads off. Usually, shelter noises just blended into his head, but this time, he wanted to experiment. He was reading Anitra Frazier's wonderful book, The New Natural Cat. He was reading the part where she describes "Cat I love you", which, as you might have already discovered, is the slow blink exchanged by cat and human that is obviously a sign of affection. Anitra wrote that when she discovered how well this worked, she would walk around New York City, blinking at the windows where stranger cats sat, until they returned her salutation.
He went to the impound area to do just that, and if nothing else, maybe quiet down or reassure just a few of these guys so he could finish his project. Forty-five minutes later, the room was filled with sleeping cats, and Jackson sat in the dark corner, knowing that his life had just taken a radical turn. He was so happy knowing that he, or anyone else, could "talk" to a petrified, angry or displaced cat. He was also reassured that his life would belong with cats in the years to come.
Jackson Galaxy adds, “nothing could be truer as I sit here today. I am truly content when I can walk into someone's home, or talk to them on the phone and use every bit of vocabulary I've learned, to help turn problems into workable programs. It's my mission to keep cats out of shelters and off the streets for reasons that are entirely preventable.”
Even if you take away the muscle car, the earrings, and the shades, Jackson doesn’t act like your typical animal authority. Dipping his hands deep into a litter box, crouching down on the ground to roll around with a cat client, using a black light to discover and map out pee zones, and consulting with cranial sacral therapists and homeopaths, Jackson does whatever it takes to fix his client cats…and often their guardians. His techniques combine scientific behavioral practices, holistic alternative treatments such as acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments, play therapy, flower essence therapies (which he creates, see www.spiritessences.com), a little cat whispering, and a dose of good old common sense.
Jackson deals daily with cat guardians who need his help. People such as: the single girl who loves her cat a little too much; the 30-year-old guy who was on the verge of kicking his cat out of the house because, as he assured Jackson, she was acting spitefully towards him; the woman who has lost 4 boyfriends in quick succession because her cat is territorial - especially of the bed and especially during sex, and many others.
Jackson Galaxy does in-home and telephone consultations on prevention and resolution of issues such as litterbox problems (not using), aggression, shyness, and other unwanted behaviors. In many of his consultations, there isn't really a behavior problem at all - people just want to learn more about their cats in order to strengthen the relationship and deepen the bond between them.
He also deals with extreme circumstances such as working with animal control to help with seizure of 100+ cats from a hoarder or designing a system for an elderly cat to traverse the spiral stairs of her home (a houseboat), because she’s too arthritic to get up and down. He has assisted shelters in designing their cat areas as they underwent multi-million dollar renovations. He has taught kitten kindergarten classes, and taught countless classes to shelter staffs, volunteers, rescue organizations and veterinary students.
In 2002 Jackson Galaxy co-founded Little Big Cat, Inc. with Dr. Jean Hofve, a respected holistic veterinarian. Together they sought to offer mind-body consultations to cat guardians, focusing on the connection between vital physical and behavioral health. Today, their newsletter has thousands of subscribers worldwide.
In 1995, Dr. Hofve founded Spirit Essences (www.spiritessences.com) to help animals with various behavioral issues. Jackson joined her when they began Little Big Cat, and today he is the owner and president of Spirit Essences. The company offers the first and only line of flower essence remedies formulated by a veterinarian and an animal behaviorist. Spirit Essences use only pure Eldorado Natural Spring Water from a cold-water artesian spring in Eldorado Canyon near Boulder, Colorado. This water is then enhanced with Full Color Spectrum Light, and Michael's Energy Water Elixirs, unique homeopathic preparations of minerals. Spirit Essences use up to 20 essences in each formula. Remedies are continuously reviewed and updated as well as adding new essences to the line of over 300 essences. The formulas are constantly fine-tuned based on feedback from clients as well as clinical and personal experience. Spirit Essences is a pioneer in the vibrational essence field. For example, Ultimate Peacemaker was the world's first multi-formula set for animal use; it has been extremely successful, even in very difficult situations. Jackson has been using Spirit Essences for many years in his practice and has come to appreciate their power as well as their gentle, safe method of creating change.
With nearly 100 million cat owners in the U.S. (35 million households with an average of 2.6 family members), nearly a third of whom have pets who exhibit behavioral problems, there’s clearly a need for Jackson’s products and services. Jackson Galaxy currently lives in Redondo Beach, California with his girlfriend, five rescued cats and a completely outnumbered dog.