Customer Reviews

National Geographic's The Secret Life of Cats [VHS]

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

I personally love Natioanl Geographic and its documentaries and I love animals. Otherwise, a very well done film, very well researched, but this one... is not quite just about the secret life of cats and their joyous way of being. It discusses the consequences of pets and their hunting on other species; it discusses pet owner responsibility and its impact on the environment.

My main concern and complaint is that there should have been some labeling to warn the viewer about some less than kind/ rather cruel acts against cats. Not everyone, especially cat lovers, would want to see aborigens hunting cats!

I caught this 'on demand' tonight and was impressed. This was an interesting look at cats and their impact other species, including man. I half expected something on the dull side, but this show featured some amazing characters: a group of women who care for a growing stray cat population, a conservationist who damns the cats for wiping out native species, a creative ornithologist/cat owner and many others. Some of the content may not be suitable for children or the faint of heart.

I bought this hoping that it would be much like the "caressing the tiger" doc they did earlier. WRONG!!! Come on; a dude with that wears dead cats on his hat!!!!! If that was a spotted owl, these schmucks would be out protesting, tying themselves to trees, and throwing blood on him. Typical hypocrisy on the part of "naturalists." If you have kids, DON'T GET THIS!!!! Get Cats: Caressing the Tiger. If you are a wacko that feels I have to keep my cat inside 24/7 so he don't kill mice and other wonderful household pests, then by all means, knock yourself out, pal!

This documentary sells itself as a sneak-peak into the activities of our furry friends when we are not present to observe them. Namely, their secret activity is hunting. First of all, I somewhat doubt that the producers really believed that people do not know that cats hunt if given the opportunity. See nearly every fable, story, film, or document about cats.
Instead of being more directive about neutering cats and keeping them indoors, which would have been perfectly appropriate, they prance around their objective with cute vignettes about cats run amok, only to hit viewers over the head with imagery of the misery endured by cats, wildlife, and humans around the world as a result of cat overpopulation.
When the focus turns to the Australian outback, we see Aborigines forced by dwindling food supplies to beat cats to death with sticks in order to stave off hunger. I feel deeply for these people, who have struggled to subsist for centuries after being systematically oppressed by their colonial overlords. What is truly abhorrent is that the filmmakers suggest that cats are not only personally responsible for this misery wrought across continents, but indeed that they are on some type of diabolical predatory mission.
These sentiments are echoed by two Anglo anti-cat vigilantes encamped in the outback raising endangered mammal species in captivity. The irony of the descendants of the colonists who brought cats, hunger and upheaval to the continent seem lost on these do-gooders, who shoot and electrocute cats, wear skinned cats as trophies, and sport bumper stickers that proclaim: "The only good cat is a flat cat."
Far from pointing a finger at this deeply illogical behavior, the producers speak with glowing praise of their "work".
The notable points should not be lost. Humans are responsible for neutering their cats and keeping them indoors for the common good. The method of delivering these points is most backward and insulting.

Thinking this would be a great documentray I could not wait to watch Secret Lives of Cats and I was in for a surprize. The show depicts the cat as a walking murdering doctor Jekel Mr Hyde! Saying how the cat kills wildlife. But in reality most cats catch mice rather birds as According to the World Watch Institute's paper Losing the Strands in the Web of Life: Vertebrate Declines and the Conservation of Biological Diversity, "The leading culprits in the decline of birds are a familiar set of interrelated problems all linked to human activity: habitat alteration, overhunting and overcollecting, exotic species invasions, and chemical pollution of the environment. Habitat loss is by far the leading factor ... ." Feral cats should only be humanely controlled by trapping, neutering, and releasing. Provided proper food and care they live contented lives. Take squirrels for example. I am sure a Squirrel or rabbit do not live to a ripe old age but you do not see people catching them and killing them to save them from a life in the wild? This show says a dead cat is better off! They show you two women clubbing a cat for dinner. One woman catches a cat with a tracking collar ah hello how about doing TNR instead of montoring an unneutered skinny cat pant with fear and hunger, that aussie was a complete dork. I trapped and neutered over 23 feral cats and they are doing just fine, they eat and sleep and leave the birds alone. They rather not waste energy chasing birds and keep the weight for winter.

If you love cats ban this lying garbage.

An excellent cat documentary that follows up, but not directly, on National Geographic's wonderful "Caressing the Tiger." It has a younger feel than thier previous documentary and parents who are interested or have cats might want to review it to decide if their 4th grade and older children might like it.