Jackson Galaxy: How to get a cat to like you

SINGAPORE — It is actually quite easy to get a cat to like you, said Jackson Galaxy. All you need is a little bit of reverse psychology.

The host of Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell, in which he visits troubled cat owners’ homes and supernannies their problem felines, is known as the “cat daddy”. But more than being a cat behaviourist, he is actually more of a master of languages — just think of him as someone who is able to speak cat, dog and human.

If you are an insecure human longing for some kitty love, well, “all you have to do is pretend that you’re either allergic to them or that you hate them,” said Galaxy, who is in Singapore for the first time to give two talks this weekend.

“If you’re in a room with 10 people who are like, ‘Cats love me’ and one person who’s like, ‘I don’t like cats’ or ‘I’m allergic to cats’ — that’s the person the cats will go to. Because they respond to somebody giving them their own space.”

He added: “That’s why, when I go to a house, the first thing I’m going to do is nothing. I’ll ignore the cats completely and let them come to me.”

That just might explain the fundamental difference between cat people and dog people. “Dog people are dog people because we know what love and affection looks like, and we breed it into them — wagging of the tail; rolling on the back; tummy rubs. Now, cat people – you identify yourself as a cat person because you like a little bit of that quiet love,” he smiled.

The 49-year-old, who, as the owner of five cats and two dogs, calls himself “bipetual”, considers it his job to show people that cats do not deserve their reputation for being aloof and condescending.

“People might think that because a cat’s back is to them, she’s aloof. But for a cat to sit near you with their back to you shows you that they feel safe. Because in the wild, a cat would never take their eyes off you for a second,” he said. “That’s the core of people misinterpreting cats. Because everything cats do that demonstrates comfort and love, we think, ‘Well, a dog wouldn’t do that.’ Yeah, because they’re not dogs.”

Thanks to this effectively “bipetual” translator, we all have a chance of getting along. “I consider myself a decent ambassador from the world of animals to the world of humans,” he said.

Jackson Galaxy will give two talks today, at 2pm and 6pm, at The Star Vista. Free admission. There will also be a cat adoption drive from 11am to 8pm. For more details, visit https://www.facebook.com/AnimalPlanetSEA. The sixth season of My Cat From Hell is on Wednesdays at 10pm on Animal Planet (Singtel TV Ch 208 and StarHub TV Ch 424).