The Raw Cat and Catification are two sides of the same coin
Jackson Galaxy video screenshot
Below is the lifestyle rhythm of the Raw Cat per Jackson Galaxy, and he is correct of course:
Hunt, catch, kill, eat – groom, sleep. Rinse, repeat, let’s do it again….
This lifestyle rhythm emanates from “pretty much [having] a wild cat in your home.” – Jackson Galaxy. (note: the term ‘lifestyle rhythm is mine and not Jackson’s)
Like many people he dislikes cat clothes for sale in pet stores. He likes cat training and believes that it is good for the cat but dislikes training cats to perform tricks because it is demeaning to the animal. If a cat who has been trained to do tricks for human entertainment could speak English, she’d say “Hell No!” according to Jackson.
That is an interesting thought. I know exactly what he means. For me it is disrespectful of the domestic cat. However, I don’t believe that cats find doing tricks demeaning but the human should feel that she/he is demeaning their cat.
The comments to his video on YouTube are interesting as some people don’t understand the point he is making. Here is one for example:
“It’s only his opinion that it is “demeaning” to train a cat to do tricks or go in the toilet. Anyone who knows cats, knows you can’t make a cat do anything they don’t want to do. Declawing a cat however, is cruel and should be outlawed. No cat would ever agree to that. But training a cat to do something that he/she decides to go with is not “wrong.” I like what Jackson Galaxy does for cats but I do think sometimes he gets a little too emotional and thinks he knows what every cat is thinking/feeling. Chill dude.”
But I think this person (Nimbus Cloud) misses Jackson’s point. Jackson wants people to respect the Raw Cat. He wants people to accept the cat as she is and let her behave as naturally as possible. He wants us to respect the cat and the special qualities that she has. Training a cat to do tricks to entertain people does not meet that criteria.
The title to the video is “Why You Should NOT Toilet Train Your Cat”. But he barely discusses it because toilet training – he means a cat using a human toilet – is one aspect of a relationship with humans that he finds less than perfect. It is similar to the problem of putting cats in clothes. It is making cats do human activities when Jackson wants people to enjoy the special Raw Cat character, meaning the character and subsequent behaviour of an almost wild cat in the home.
It is not harmful or morally really bad to put a cat in a tutu but it is not the best form of cat guardianship. It is second best and it indicates a less than good attitude towards the task of cat caretaking.
The companion phrase and concept to the “Raw Cat” is “Catification” (of the home). The Raw Cat describes a domestic cat’s natural behaviour which is not far from that of wild cats species and catification describes a home which encourages and allows this form of natural behaviour.
When these concepts are adhered to the cat is happy and calm even though he/she is living in an artificial world; the human home with human behaviour.
I’m glad JG changed it from the play eat sleep nonsense. Cats hunt, kill, eat, groom and sleep. My cats deliver a regular kill bite to their feather toys.
Most people try to humanize animal behavior instead of understanding their pets natural instincts.
And I don’t care what anyone says. Scratching and burying their scat in a litter box is part of a natural behavior they would exhibit outdoors. Going in a toilet is not natural. I agree with JG on this one 100% which is unusual as I generally want the Cat Owners From Hell clubbed on he head for their idiot behavior that leads their house cats to act like
maniacs.
I find it sad that JG has become little more than a corporate peddler. It’s nice to see him coming back to the basics.
Good comment. There is no doubt that (a) JG loves and understands domestic cats and (b) he does have a corporate connection as you say. He is a business which must affect (a). I love his genuine desire to feed the cats natural instincts.
I have quite a few JG cat toys. I’m not opposed to him making a good living do what he loves. I do think many of the catification projects on his show are corporate sponsored and fail to disclose that. Some of these items are quite expensive and require professional installation. I would never let my cats use a shelf that was not put up by a professional. He had a show early on where he took the time to show the owners how to arrange the furniture they had to make cat walkways. My cats can traverse the living room without having to set foot on the ground and we have converted many of our storage spaces to cat life.