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

Jackson Galaxy , Joel Derfner
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (193 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 10, 2012
“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
 
“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
 
 
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. 

Frequently Bought Together

Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean + Cat Vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat + The Cat Whisperer: Why Cats Do What They Do--and How to Get Them to Do What You Want
Price for all three: $46.22

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"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
--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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. Visit the author’s website at: Jacksongalaxy.com


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Tarcher; 1st Printing edition (May 10, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1585429376
  • ISBN-13: 978-1585429370
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (193 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

I would highly recommend this book for every cat lover. Motor City's Finest  |  22 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
225 of 230 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary and inspirational memoir May 10, 2012
Format:Hardcover
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.
... Read more ›
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111 of 115 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I'd Give it 10 Stars if I Could... May 11, 2012
Format:Hardcover
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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81 of 90 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars more than a memoir May 10, 2012
Format:Hardcover
I tore through most of the book in one sitting last night. I stopped at the beginning of Benny's death because I want to give it its own time and space, but this is one fun book! Jackson is a real character, and I found myself looking at my cat through different eyes last night (I tried the "I" 'Love" "You" blink, but he just said, "I know that," so I'll have to try it on someone else's cat) and also feeling very lucky that my cats have all been so easy and tractable. If the next one isn't, at least now I will know what to do.

I think cat people will go wild for this. Actually, I think anyone with a heart will go wild for this.
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Addicted to Jackson Galaxy May 14, 2012
Format:Hardcover
If fans of Jackson Galaxy, the punk-abilly "Cat Daddy," who stars in Animal Planet's "My Cat From Hell," weren't already swooning over his "catuitive" techniques; Galaxy's first book, Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean would push them into catastic bliss.

His story, which runs a breezy-to-read 300 or so pages, is not your typical tale of how a cat changed a human's life. It's a tag team relationship that spans thirteen years--many of which, for Jackson, are overshadowed by his intake of a dizzying array and quantity of illegal drugs, alcohol and prescription medications which, at times, instead of numbing his pain, take him to the brink of overdosing.

The cure for what ails Galaxy walks on four, albeit one gimpy, legs. An owner-surrendered white and gray shorthaired cat named Benny who is physically and emotionally broken. Benny gets under Jackson's skin and metaphorically (and literally) rips him to shreds until he learns how to feel again. Galaxy finds in Benny the key to unlocking both their inner demons though the transformation doesn't happen overnight. His endless dedication to solving the mystery that is Benny, supercedes any need for a drink, a smoke, a snort.

Through Galaxy's brilliant observations, now all cats have a chance at being understood, for maybe the first time in their lives. This is a story I wanted to read, then read again.

Galaxy's words are unvarnished, sharp-witted and equally sharp-tongued-- especially when he talks about being chided for euthanizing animals.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reading Cat Daddy, i was filled wi9th emotion. i was frustrated, angry and empathetic. Jackson's journey to hell and back was inspiring and all the while dealing with that poor... Read more
Published 5 hours ago by Sherry F Feldman
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read!!!
Never have I read a book so amazingly touching and inspiring. This is a story that needs to be shared with our youth and further generations to come. Read more
Published 11 hours ago by Jessie McDaniel
5.0 out of 5 stars Cats
I have been watching Cat Daddy's shows and have learned a lot of information about cats,
of which helps me understand what my cats are trying to tell me on a daily basis.
Published 1 day ago by Janice E Marcoux
5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this for cat owners
Jackson Galaxy knows cats. This book is his personal journey to get where he is today. Like talking to a friend about their life. Read more
Published 2 days ago by books and cats
5.0 out of 5 stars Jackson Galaxy gives some real life lessons
As a cat lover, and fan of "My Cat From Hell", I learned a few things about caring for felines. But more importantly, I learned more about dealing with life in general. Read more
Published 3 days ago by A Real Purrson
5.0 out of 5 stars Cat Daddy is AWESOME!
Didn't have any expectations when I ordered this book - just wanted to know more about Jackson Galaxy and his ideas regarding cats. Read more
Published 3 days ago by KT
5.0 out of 5 stars The Man Behind the Cat
I had the privilege of listening to the audio version of this book, narrated by Jackson Galaxy himself. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Talvi
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
Great book, great guy! Cats are so hard to understand sometimes, and Jackson helps make it easier to figure out what is going on with them. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Crystal Ellett
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth hanging in there
Although I almost gave up on this book in the first few chapters I was glad I stuck through it. I'm not sure why it was so difficult, I think because the experience was so... Read more
Published 5 days ago by me1teacher
5.0 out of 5 stars OMG - Perfect! Not egocentic but wise and learning. . .
WOW - Tons of cat pointers inserted in dark shaded boxes throughout the book. I skipped them all because I was engrossed in the story. Read more
Published 7 days ago by E. sanders
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