Cat Daddy Review (Audio)

TITLE: Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love and Coming Clean
AUTHOR: Jackson Galaxy & Joel Derfner
NARRATOR: Jackson Galaxy
PUBLISHER: Tantor Media
PUBLICATION DATE: 5/10/2012
FORMAT: Audio
LENGTH: 6 hours 24 minutes
SOURCE: Bought
MY RATING: 

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT #55: READ A BOOK FEATURING AN ANIMAL PROMINENTLY IN THE STORY - 4 POINTS

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): 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 Hell's 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 Whisperer" advice for understanding what cats need most from us in order to live happier, healthier lives.

MY THOUGHTS: I thought this would be a good book, but I had no idea how good of a book it would actually be. I am a huge fan of the show My Cat From Hell, so when I was at the library and I saw that this was a book, I knew I had to get it. Soon after, audible had a deal on this book, and I scooped it up. I love when writers narrate their own books because they can put emphasis on certain words or phrases that they want to stand out. Jackson does a great job with that in his book. I can hear in his tone of voice when he is angry or excited, etc. and it makes me feel those things right along with him.

I went through quite a lot of emotions in this book. I am an animal lover and have had my fair share of pets in the past, the present and most likely will have in the future. Therefore, I can put myself in Jackson's shoes during some parts of this book. I don't know what it's like to be addicted to drugs, but I do know what it's like to love an animal, and I could feel the love that Jackson has for his cat Benny. There was a chapter of this book that was particularly hard for me to listen to which made me tear up and feel quite emotional (I happened to be driving in the car at the time of course!). But being able to connect to something on that level just makes it better for me.

If you are already a fan of Jackson Galaxy, or you love animals, this is a book for you.