Photo: Courtesy of Animal Planet.
Full disclosure: We love TV. So much so that sometimes we'd rather spend a whole weekend in front of the tube than dancing in da club. Is a lack of television service holding you back from feeling our joy? No problem! You can get by just fine on Netflix, Hulu, and the myriad other streaming services rapidly taking over the home entertainment industry (thank you, Internet!).
Some shows are just better when binge-watched. Whether it's the latest BBC comedy, a PBS miniseries from the '70s, or just that cultish show prematurely scrubbed from a network, we're hooked on the stream. Staying In(stant) is your guide to the best of streaming content. Each week, we bring you a show we're obsessed with and think you should be, too.
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This Week: My Cat From Hell, like The Dog Whisperer but 157 times better.
Where To Watch: Netflix
How I Got Hooked: Animal Planet Saturday-afternoon marathons, paired with hangovers, to be frank.
Wait, you say, you are expecting me to watch a guy with questionable tattoos, wearing a bowling shirt that's labeled "Cat Daddy," and whose actual, legal name is Jackson Galaxy give me cat-training advice? Are you drunk? Can I pay to not watch that? Not really, and yes, you could, but then you would be out money.
To be fair, Jackson is a bit much at first — stuck in the '90s, described as a "cat behaviorist," and carrying a guitar case filled with cat toys. And, in the first episode, it may be grating. But, as the series progresses, and you see Jackson come into the homes of poor cat guardians (his term, but I'm adopting it) and not just save lives, but marriages/relationships/couches. He becomes sage-like. He becomes a soothsayer. In fact, if I ever get married, I would ask Jackson to officiate, and then be my therapist. Because his cat advice is really life advice for all of us.
Best Episode: I can't pick a favorite, but I like whenever he does the slow-blinking thing to nervous cats to say that he "loves" them. Try it at home: Blink very slowly at your cat and see if it blinks back. (Though, the episode where he gets the cat to do sound therapy reduced me to tears.)
Why You'll Love It: You mean the "cat daddy" bit didn't sell you? Okay, the real reason is that you get to see neurotic people and their neurotic cats, and a guy who clearly has the biggest heart in the entire world comes in and solves their issues. And also, the cats do silly things. Jackson does real, actual sleuthing to get to the problem of cat behavior, which generally stems from human behavior.
Secondly, it is also really refreshing to see that some humans really, truly care for their feline friends. Dogs get the loyal title, but there is something really wonderful about an engaged, cuddly kitty. And, it's so much trickier. Dogs are easy, you give them a treat, they respond. Cats, on the other hand, need to be read and explored.