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Barnabas is the perfect cat from hell.
Ow!
Barnabas was vicious from day one.
He drew blood, he bit, he hissed. Pretty much daily.
Looked like a horror movie.
He does not like my husband at all.
The only thing that makes him happy is opera music.
I don't know if there's hope for this cat. He's not going anywhere.
We have a cat named Bogey.
Oh. Bogey is Thane's cat.
He is from hell.
Hey, what are you doing in there?
He'll go into my drawers, pull all the clothes out, dig his way in there, and
then pee on him.
Oh, my God. He's actually peed while we've been in bed. Oh.
On top of me. Oh.
Specifically. And the urine went all the way through the mattress.
We can't yell at Bogey, so we turn to each other. He's kind of breaking this
family up a little bit. So he's not part of our family? No, he is a part of our
family, but we cannot go on living like this.
I'm Jackson Galaxy.
I'm a musician by night and a cat behaviorist by day.
I've met cats with all kinds of problems.
But I've never met one I couldn't help.
Oh, hello. In my career, I've worked with thousands of cats, one -on -one,
analyzing their behaviors and retraining them and their guardians.
When relationships are at an end, I don't have many more options than to
leave. And cat guardians have reached their emotional limit. Just get rid of
her. I'm their last hope.
Are you all right?
Sorry, I don't know. Cats have nine lives, but humans only have one.
I
have
come all the way to San Diego to see Alan and Shannon and their cat Barnabas.
Who is literally ripping this couple to shreds. I'm going to go over there right
now and see if I can at least stop the bleeding.
My name's Alan.
My name is Shannon. We live in San Diego. We've been married for almost
years. We have a main coon named Barnabas.
Barnabas is the perfect cat from hell.
Barnabas is vicious from day one. He's been in the garage.
And we thought it was going to be a short quarantine, but he's so nasty that
just don't trust him in the house. Right.
He does not like my husband at all.
He will not let me pick him up.
If I do, he will swap my face or scratch me or even bite.
I've gotten bit and scratched so bad that the blood was just dripping down my
arm. It looked like a horror movie.
Today's blood drawing from the cat.
And another one.
See, he got me.
One time I was so frustrated with the cat when the cat hissed at me and I
back at the cat.
If it was up to Alan, the cat would have been given away.
Shannon believes that you don't get rid of damaged goods.
I don't want to see him ever put this away. There's no... I was always brought
up, if you have a pet, it's like when you have a husband.
You're in it for better or worse.
Barnabas is really just tearing our lives apart.
I don't know if there's hope for this cat. He's not going anywhere.
Hey, how are you? I'm Jackson. Hi, Jack, and I'm Alan. Alan, good to meet you.
Thanks for coming in. Thank you so much.
I'm Shannon. Nice to meet you. Good to meet you.
Tell me, you got a cat problem I can help you out with?
Well, we just got Barnabas, and he's been in the garage for a few months now.
Oh, wow. He's drawn a lot of blood. He bites, he hisses, he growls, he
scratches. I do not like what I'm hearing one bit. When you lock away a
cat, you're only making the problem worse by denying them social contact.
Barnabas hates Alan.
He's worse with him than he is with me.
If I go to pick him up, he'll whop at me, you know? I like to cuddle with
Yeah, me too. Yeah.
I've tried everything to make Barnabas happy. You're going to think this is
crazy. Yeah.
I put a little opera music on, and all of a sudden, he just, like, nodded off
sleep.
I was able to pet him.
Incredible. That's so cool. And then he just nodded off. Shannon told me, oh,
you're going to think that's so strange, playing opera for Barnabas. Of course
it's not strange. Music therapy worked for humans, for animals alike, and
something I can work with.
What else has been going on? Max is the cat we had. He just passed away
yesterday.
Yesterday?
Yeah. I can't tell you how sorry I am.
But he's my favorite cat.
He was a special cat.
Shannon contacted Max's breeder, and that's why we were hoping when we got
Barnabas that he'd be a little mini -Max.
Because to see that he looked exactly like Max, and I'm like, I want that cat.
But once we brought him home, he turned into this monster.
Yeah, their nephew and uncle.
Wow. Alan and Shannon are telling me about the loss of their cat, Max,
yesterday, which is just awful.
But in the meantime, I'm a little worried when I hear that Max... was the
favorite cat. That means poor Barnabas has a lot to live up to.
Was Max part of the reason that Barnabas is in the garage?
No, Barnabas is the reason he's in the garage. Now, if I didn't show up here
today, what next? What next for Barnabas? I really wanted to give
because I feel like he was getting between me and Shannon.
Yeah, if that cat gets given away, he's going to get put to sleep, and I'm not
going to have that.
All right, guys, come on, let's walk. All right.
Alan and Shannon just lost one cat. I do not want them to lose another. We have
a cat who's really asking for our help.
It's time to get started. This is our cat room.
Really beautiful steps.
I mean, you catified the space really beautifully. I assume this was for Max.
And that's where we want to have Barnabas being the loving cat that I
can be.
So we walk into what they're calling the cat room. The first thing I notice is
there's no cats in there, and that's because they lost their other cat, Max,
just yesterday. And yet, Barnabas has not come into the house. I can think of
all kinds of things we can do with this room, but we've got to get that cat out
of the garage.
There's his garage.
Oh, well, there's Barnabas.
Let me just see what happens when you approach him.
Oh.
So as Alan goes to touch Barnabas, first of all, he's going above the top of his
head. Most cats don't like that, but I don't like where this is headed even one
little bit.
Alan, try not to reach over his head.
Oh, and Alan, it just seems like he doesn't even know me.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay, wait, hold on. All right, Alan, I have definitely seen
enough of you getting beat up. Let me get in here for a second.
Now, I wanted to step in and see if I could do something different. Push this
cat's challenge line so that I can see if he's just a grumpy cat who hates Alan
or if there's a deep receded aggression going on here.
Hi, buddy.
I hear the warning.
I know, buddy. I know. I know. Well, what if I... Whoa!
Okay, man.
Whoa!
Whoa.
Whoa.
Whoa! Okay, man.
Man, he just thumped me.
So, Shannon, come on over here.
Let me see what it is that you do.
I just come over here and pick them up.
How do you like that? Watching Shannon handle Barnabas, suddenly I'm seeing his
previous life come to light. Because he can be handled by a woman, no problem.
But Alan and I? No dice. This cat wants nothing to do with men. So now I know
it's time for Barnabas to be reprogrammed to men in general.
I see the look on your face. You just got a... I take a little pin and go,
get your little tail.
Oh, yes. Yes, I'm jealous.
You know, early on, because I can't do that to him.
I could smother Max with love or whatever, and I hope
he can do the same thing with Barnabas. If we're going to get anywhere, I need
these guys to start embracing Barnabas for who he is and not who he reminds
of. Well, let me give you guys some homework, okay? Now, the first thing,
today's moving day.
He comes out of that garage. We integrate him fully into this home.
It's really tough because you're expecting Barnabas to be a little bit
Max than he is.
And he's not. He's Barnabas.
You okay?
What's up?
What? It's okay.
Barnabas.
We all do.
We all do. I know how hard this is. I know how hard today is for you guys.
We would love to have Barnabas a part of our family, especially since Max is
gone now.
At the same time, we're trying to say goodbye to Max, trying to really invite
Barnabas into the space.
Now, the second thing is, Shannon, clearly you've broken through all those
defenses that he was putting up in order for Alan to come in.
You've got to pull back a little bit, Shannon.
It's great that Shannon can handle Barnabas, but carrying cats around like
can rev them up. She may be trying to protect him. What she's doing is sending
message that he should be nervous, too.
She's saying, it's okay, it's okay. And in reality, what the cat hears, it's not
okay. And I'd rather her focus on trying to calm Barnabas down by burning energy
with play, and that way he'll be calmer when Alan tries to deal with him. Alan,
we have to reassociate him with men. So, Alan, your homework is...
opera dining i want you to feed barnabas and you do it while the opera is
playing okay all right guys i'm gonna leave great to meet you thank you and
sir i'll talk to you soon all right this just needs to work because we can't
keep living like this i want barnabas to be a happy cat and i want us all to be
a happy family and live in harmony
Right, I'm back in San Diego and I'm outside of Shannon and Alan's house for
second visit with them and their cat, Barnabas.
Last time I was here, Barnabas' violent behavior, specifically towards Alan, had
landed him in solitary confinement in the garage. Now hopefully this time
he is out enjoying life in the rest of the house.
and there's no violence whatsoever.
Believe me, in that case, I'll be a happy guy.
Alan, man, how are you?
Hey, Jack. Good to see you again.
Good to see you. So, guys, please tell me that Barnabas is at least in the
now and out of that garage.
The night that you left, we brought him in. He's everywhere in the house. Yeah,
there we go. Thank you. Thank you. I'm so proud of you guys. Good, good, good,
good, good.
I can tell he's happier than he was before, but he still needs a lot of
He's so tense.
Okay, well, that shows a lack of confidence in the territory.
Right. And, of course, the territory is still pretty new. Guys, the last time I
was here, your cat Max had just passed.
How is it putting your attention on Barnabas? Well, there's still
because he has some big shoes to fill as far as Max goes.
These guys need to realize that comparing Barnabas to their old cat is
going to prevent them from bonding with him. And Barnabas... is never going to
thrive unless he has a bond with both Alan and Shannon.
All right, so the last time I was here, guys, I asked you to video document
everything you had been doing. Let's take a look at life with Barnabas. Now,
the video homework, I got to see Barnabas moving into the house and
playing with him.
That's so sweet.
And best of all, I saw Alan starting to build a relationship with Barnabas using
opera to get through to him.
Send in,
Barnabas.
Look at you wagging your tail.
That's not a good thing.
But I saw Alan committing a cardinal sin with cats. I mean, there's this cat
wagging his tail, and he's hissing, and he goes in for a pet.
Oh. Alan, that is not a happy cat. That is a cat saying, leave me alone.
Oh, there's our man.
First off, we headed into the room that used to belong to their cat, Max. Now,
the last time I was here, Barnabas was anything but relaxed.
Whoa! Whoa!
So now, I'm just hoping today he's at least made some progress.
Hello, mister.
Hi.
Oh, hi.
You remember me?
Remember the last time I was here?
You weren't too psyched to see me.
And right away, you could tell that he was a less hostile cat.
Now, because he's living in the house, because they've been using opera to form
positive associations with men, and because Shannon's helping get that
energy out with Flay, I can tell he's not going to attack me like he did last
time. Of course, it's not me that I'm worried about. It's Alan.
Now, listen, Alan, do you feel comfortable trying to pet Barnabas?
No. When Jackson asked me to pet Barnabas, I was afraid he was going to
my face.
I have to be leery of him because I'm not sure which way he's going to go. Is
the nice Barnabas or is he going to be the mean Barnabas?
Sometimes when I come up here and I pet him, he will growl at me and hiss at me.
Really? Sometimes I see Alan will spend just a few more seconds too much with
the cat.
The one thing that I would really encourage you to do is...
Always be conscious of the way a cat tells you he doesn't want to be pet,
swishing tail and flattened ears. Otherwise, you're going to get bit.
I was not going to wait for Alan to get bit by Barnabas. I didn't want to risk
going three steps back here. But it worries me that he still sees Barnabas
unpredictable. It's not that Barnabas is unpredictable.
It's that Alan is just not reading his cat.
Some cats just aren't as cuddly as others, and their guardians need to
aware of their body language so they can tell when the cat's had enough.
I really want to focus on how we're going to get these attacks gone
What I want you to do is called the duet. You're going to sit facing each
and what I'd like you to do, Alan, is watch Shannon when she handles Barnabas
you can become more aware of how she responds to his body language. There's
better way of learning what you're doing wrong by seeing someone else doing it
right. And while you're working on that, let's also give Barnabas something to
help him get a little less on edge.
I work with holistic remedies. These are flower essence remedies.
Now, this is called Stress Stopper. It should help Barnabas just settle into
new territory a little better.
The next thing, we want to modify the environment. I'd like to see a cat tree
that cat room as a gift to Barnabas.
Now that Barnabas is in the house, I want that cat room to be his, and not
Max's old room. Let's give Barnabas something that doesn't have a trace of
scent on it, because even if these two cats never met, he can still smell
of Max, and this way, he can start to feel like this place is his now. Guys,
you have any questions at all, you let me know, all right? Good to see you
again. I think we still have a lot of work to do with Barnabas.
He's not trustworthy. I mean, one minute he's just fine, and the next minute
he's growly and hissy and scratchy and...
If he doesn't shape up, then you know the old saying, either shape up or ship
out.
Now it's time for a kitty bit.
How many whiskers does a cat usually have on each side of its face? Is it A,
B, 13, or C, 12?
Find out the answer after this break.
How many whiskers does a cat usually have on each side of its face? And the
answer is C, 12.
Whiskers are also known as tactile hairs, which means they transmit
about a cat's surroundings directly to the sensory nerve.
All right, I'm back in San Diego for my final visit with Alan and Shannon and
their cat Barnabas. The last time I was here, it was clear that these guys
hadn't let go of the memory of their recently deceased cat, Max, and that
still had no relationship with Barnabas. I already got a chance to take a look
at their video homework. I saw some great things. I saw Alan building out
cat room just for Barnabas so that he can really feel like he owns the
territory. Hey, Barnabas.
I also saw them using spirit essence as a stress stopper, which will help keep
Barnabas calm as he adjusts to life in the house.
And finally, I got to see Alan and Shannon doing the duets homework.
Basically, we had Shannon teaching Alan some really valuable lessons about how
to pet Barnabas, how not to overstimulate him.
He's going to hit it.
Today, I'm just hoping that these guys have really been able to let go of Max
and that Alan has a real bond with Barnabas. I got high hopes, but I always
high hopes.
Hey, Shannon.
How you been?
Great. Good. So, guys, tell me.
How are things going with Barnabas?
Barnabas has blossomed finally. He's blossomed?
Yes. Beautiful.
Tell me all about it. I think Barnabas is starting to relate to me better.
That's incredible, man.
I'm starting to learn about cat communication.
Yay.
That's fantastic.
You know, the first day I was here, Max had passed away the day before.
Right. So allowing Max to go, allowing Barnabas to come in, how's that been for
you guys?
The fact that I'm pouring all that grief into a form of love towards Barnabas
has made quite a difference. That's incredible.
The comparisons to Mac are totally gone right now.
We have decided to let Barnabas be who Barnabas is.
Guys, just tell me, how are things between the two of you?
Well, before, between Shannon and I and Barnabas, it was a three -way fight.
So now we're not fighting about Barnabas anymore.
Barnabas relates to me as well as to Shannon.
Glad to hear that.
All right, guys, I want to get up. I want to walk around. I want to see
Barnabas. I am excited. Come on, let's go. All right.
Well, hi, buddy.
Hello, Barnabas. This is definitely his room now, man. I mean, honestly,
everything in here, down to the bee on the wall. Don't think I didn't notice
that walking in here.
All right, this is really, really good work.
Now, if you guys wouldn't mind just taking a seat on the floor so we're not
looming over his head.
Okay. Now, Alan, can you show me how you hold Barnabas? I need to see that you
guys have formed a bond.
Okay.
When I first started with these guys, Alan would go to pick up Barnabas, not
know him, not know how his body operated, how his mind operated.
Barnabas is not mad because it's taken all this time for Alan and Shannon to
learn that. Look at that.
That is the most incredibly peaceful look.
Look at that.
Oh, man.
It does my heart good, though. It does.
It feels great to have Barnabas just let me hold him and cuddle him.
Look at that. That's the cat from the garage.
Look at how comfy it is in your arms, man.
Can you promise me that he is permanently a part of this? Oh, for
Barnabas is here to stay.
That's all I wanted. The first day I was here, Barnabas was an aggressive cat
living in the garage, and it was clear that Alan didn't have the kind of bond
with Barnabas he was looking for. I like to cuddle with cats.
Now I am blown away by what I see.
Barnabas hasn't just overcome his fear of men. Now he trusts Alan so much that
he's dripping off to sleep in his lap.
And the look on Alan's face says it all. He can finally hold his cat. These two
are bonded. He's my cat now.
Congratulations, guys.
I'm out of here.
If Jackson hadn't come, we would still be arguing over how to...
Tame the cat.
Tame my husband.
Farmers and I are definitely friends now.
I do feel like we're one big happy family, finally.
We have a cat named Bogey. Bogey is from hell.
What are you doing in there?
He'll go into my drawers, pull all the clothes out, and then pee on them.
Oh, my God.
I just can't do it anymore.
I don't want to do it anymore.
I'm done.
If Jackson can't fix Bogey, he'll have to find another home. So do you want him
to get euthanized?
So I'm heading over to see Jay and Tiana and their cat, Bogey. Everywhere Bogey
goes, he leaves a trail of destruction.
Nothing safe. I mean, carpet, clothing, you name it. These guys are at the end
of their rope, and if Bogey could, he'd destroy the rope. I'm going over there
right now to see if I can help them out.
My name's Jay. My name's Tiana, and we've been together for four years. And
have a cat named Bogey who's four years old, and he's a domestic shorthair. He's
not domestic. He's anything but domestic.
Bogey is Satan's cat.
He is from hell. You can look around the house, and there's not one place you
can look that he hasn't gotten his claws into.
He'll go into my drawers, pull all the clothes out, dig his way in there, tear
them up, of course, and then he'll decide to pee on them.
Oh, my God.
This is one of my most expensive shoes.
Bogey!
He's actually peed while we've been in bed. On top of me. And the urine went
the way through the mattress.
Bogey destroys suits.
I mean, look at this. I can't wear this. I have had associates pull claws out of
my shoulder pads and my suits that I just didn't see from Bogey climbing all
way up. Most people would say, like, oh, why don't you just shut your closet
door? He opens doors. He opens them.
He doesn't drink out of his water bowl. He'll only drink from the faucet. We
can't yell at Bogey, so we turn to each other and we yell at each other. Well, I
normally am the one to have to clean.
I clean the pee.
That's special.
I shouldn't even be on the hook for a lot of this stuff.
It was Kiana's decision to get the cat.
I was very... That's true.
All right, well, anyway.
Not my cat.
So he's not part of our family? No, he is a part of our family, but he's like,
you know, he's kind of breaking this family up a little bit.
I cannot go on.
We cannot go on living like this.
Somebody has to go. Trust me, I'm not going to go. If this continues, there's
way that we can.
Jackson, please help me fix my little baby bogey. I cannot live without my
No one can change this cat.
Hey, Jackson.
I'm Tiana.
Tiana, good to meet you. How are you? Good. Welcome to San Diego. Thank you
much.
Hey, how are you?
Jackson. Good to meet you. My name is Jay. Hey, Jay. Good to see you, man.
Guys, I don't know much about bogey. I want to hear more.
Tell me what's going on.
Bogey is destruction with a capital D.
During the day and then night, we'll be in bed.
And we catch the sound of furniture being torn apart. And then you'll hear
like, making these, like, very vocal, like, noises. Like a creaky door opening
and then kind of closing.
It sounds like paranormal activity to us.
It is. Like, sometimes we'll come home and all the doors in the kitchen will be
open. It is. It's like something's possessed him and it's just freaky.
Once he gets in the drawers, what does he do? He's in the kitchen. He'll go
around the pods. He might sleep in there for a while. He may urinate a little
bit. Oh, he pees in there? Yeah.
He's actually peed while we've been in bed. Oh.
On top of me. Oh.
Specifically. Now, I haven't met Bogey yet, but tearing up furniture, shredding
clothes, and peeing can all be signs of marking territory, but in a really
insecure way. And the fact that Jay and Tiana are getting peed on while they're
sleeping tells me that Bogey's anxiety level has got to be off the charts.
Now, what age did you first notice this?
I'd say, like, four months old. Four months old. Yeah. Okay. Did something
happen to him that might have triggered this? I don't really know where his
problem started from.
That's a head scratcher.
Okay, so...
Do you feel like you don't have a bond with him?
Not at all. No. Not at all. Well, he's my love, and he wasn't always this way,
and he's not always a terrible cat, but... You always defend him. He
He always defends him, like, when he does something. I defend him because I
him, regardless of what he does. Where do you guys go from here? I just can't.
can't do it anymore.
I don't want to do it anymore. I don't think we should have to bicker and
I'm done. You're done.
Wow. Um, okay. At least I see that I'm up again.
I can see being without Bogey's been with us since the beginning. The tension
between these two is clear. And if I don't step in and fix this, Bogey might
be the only one that's finding a new home.
Let's start right here, because this is a whole lot of cat nonsense right here,
man. That is destroyed right there.
We have patches. He's ripped off the patches. This is the act of a desperate
cat. Okay.
Cats scratch all the time. I mean, that's something that's a natural
being a cat. But there is a sense of desperation to what Bogey's doing,
by the size of the chunks taken out of the furniture I'm seeing. Now, I don't
know what's causing Bogey to act out the way he is, but I can tell you that it
has something to do with anxiety. Now, some cats act out that anxiety in really
aggressive ways. Other cats, in more destructive ways.
This is the bathroom where Bogey likes to access all of these drawers here.
Yeah. So then he hides for 12, 15 hours or however long he wants to.
And then he'll come out and he'll meow for a drink of water.
So you'll just turn the water on for him? Yeah, you have to just turn it on
like a little bit. We'll let him drink. We try not to let him over drink.
Most cats love drinking fresh water, and Bogey's found that he can get it by
drinking out of the faucet.
Bogie has taken this love to an obsessive place. Now, I don't think that
excessive water drinking is a medical issue. I just think it's another one of
Bogie's extreme behaviors that I'm hoping can be fixed.
I see somebody back there.
Oh. Can I pull you out a little farther?
Did you see him? I did. I just saw the clothes move.
He used my stepping stool, and he went right up in there. Okay, let me get over
here. I didn't see him go. Let me get over here real quick. He's very stealth.
I just, I really want to see where he goes.
He's in behind the clothes there. Now this is my opportunity. I want to see
he hides, where he hides, and how I can challenge him. Pull this out of here.
This is called pushing his challenge line.
He's really not happy with the fact that I completely uncovered him.
Yeah, well, I'm waiting for him to rocket ship out of there.
He's really scared.
I'm going to keep pushing this challenge line. I'm going to keep uncovering more
and more.
There you go.
Nice. This is the kind of thing we want to do. We want to make it so that we're
not going to let you hide all the time. It's not going to work for you. This is
something I'm going to give you guys right now. I really want you to find
spots as you're touching, right? So for him, this spot right at the top of the
ear, you see how I'm massaging right up here?
That spot is kind of universal for cats. Now, cheeks, under the chin, right?
Top of head.
They're almost acupressure points for cats. This is the first huge step right
now is getting him to a place where he sees you with comfort. Okay, you're
to switch spaces with me right now, either one of you guys. Jay, come on
And I just want you to go for those spots I was telling you about.
Discover him and give him that comfort.
Don't make him nervous.
You're looking for that exit route right now.
To the top of the ear?
Yep. Tell me what you're seeing right now.
I see a normal cat.
Oh!
See, you're getting that little eye -blinking thing going on right now.
Jay, you've seen what I'm asking for? Yeah, I just can't believe he's letting
do it.
You are bringing him comfort in this moment, right? As stressed out as I'm
making him, you're bringing him comfort.
It's been four years since we've seen that side of Bogie. So for both of us to
see that, it was, you know, it brought us back to the cat that we used to have.
It was really good for both of us, for Bogey to show us that he was still a
normal cat underneath all that destruction and clawing.
Okay, guys.
Ready for some homework?
Ready. Now, here's the thing. We have to divide this up into what we know and
what we don't know about Bogey.
Listen, we don't know what's caused Bogey to act this way, but I do know
has anxiety, and it's causing him to hide in places and act out by peeing in
cabinets and on Jay and Tiana in their sleep.
Now, for some cats, it's part of their genetic makeup, and for other cats, it's
a response to their environment. However, I do want to try to help Bogey
we even attempt medication.
What we do know about Bogey is that he goes through periods of territorial
panic, and that's because he's territorially insecure.
That's all the clawing that we see on the furniture, that's him getting into
these places, peeing in those areas. I mean, all of these things we have to say
no to. So the first thing I want you guys to do is to kitty -proof. By
child blocks on cabinets in the bathroom, for instance. Then you're
them to come forward by using cocoons, which are like cat beds in tunnels.
You're going to put treats in there, and you're going to work with him to get
him into those places. Only give him treats in his cocoons for the next
of weeks, okay? I don't want him to hide all the way in the back of the closet.
Let's bring him out in socially significant areas, but in a way that
him feel safe.
Then, one of those rewards that he gets is Touch 101, right? So you're going to
make sure you find those buttons in him, but know this.
Now you know that you can bring him comfort, that your presence brings him
comfort. And then finally, you guys are going to get an automatic fountain for
the bathroom. Put it right in between his and her sink.
Having a constant source of fresh water for a cat like Bogey will allow him to
go there at his own pace.
And also, big bonus, it's another chunk of territory for him to own out in the
world. Guys, if you have any questions, you call me, okay?
Thank you so much. Great to meet you. Bye, guys.
It's kind of a stretch for me to believe that with three hours of homework, we
can fix this cat. We did see that glimmer of hope today for a little bit,
the same time, it's been four years.
And I don't know if you can teach an old cat new tricks.
This is the last straw. If this doesn't work, bogey's out.
All right, I'm back in San Diego. I'm outside of Jay and Tiana's house for my
second visit with them and their cat, Bogey. Now, the last time I was here,
yeah, we were dealing with a scared cat who was also really destructive, peeing
on things, tearing up stuff, especially Jay's suits, and even peeing on them
while they were sleeping. I watched their video homework, and I got to see
coming out of the closet and inside the cocoon. Is that nice?
Which will help him get more comfortable in the house, but in socially
significant areas.
Hi, Boze.
And that's keeping him away from the furniture, which is just the biggest
Also in video homework, I got to see them childproofing all of those
Oh, wow.
I'm just hoping he's not hiding anymore.
I also saw that they got an automatic water fountain to get Bogey to stop
drinking from the sink faucet. And finally, I saw Tiana practicing Touch
But I really want to see Jay doing that because he's the one who needs to bond
with Bogey the most.
Because if that doesn't happen, this cat's not going to have a home for very
long. How are things going with Bogey? He is not scratching the furniture,
really tripped me out. And what about Bogey peeing on you guys while you're
asleep? Has that happened again?
No, but he has this new behavior where he pees in my sink.
He doesn't pee in her sink.
He pees in my sink.
I think we've done a lot better.
Since the last visit. So we did what you said. We kind of set up some cocooning.
We got him those boxes, the cardboard boxes where he can hide in and scratch.
And that's his favorite thing. We got the fountain of water. And he still
to drink out of the sink. So he meows and meows and meows. And Jay and I will
not give it to him.
So you guys did what I said last time. I was like absolutely flat out ignore
him. Exactly.
He peed in the sink. I mean, he's never peed in the sink before.
So his litter box was, like, right there, so it's not like he didn't have
place to go. It was fresh litter, brandy litter. We've got to dig into that,
okay? Okay.
Now, I'm not sure why Bogey is peeing in the sink, but it's something that I
need to look into because it doesn't take much to get Jay worked up, and
now, he's pretty worked up. I'm not ready to completely cave in and say, you
know, this is going to work because, you know, he's peeing in things
still.
I am adamant about, you know, kind of rehoming him if he can't get it fixed.
Just because if Jackson can't fix him, you know, I know we certainly can't. All
right. Okay, so guys, we definitely have had problems in this area. Now, you
guys were telling me that when he sees this, he will ignore this fountain, come
back to the sink, and he'll pee in it?
Yeah. Why doesn't he pee in her sink? Because the only sink he's going to pee
is the sink that gets turned on.
That's the truth.
That means that you turn on the water more. You've turned the water on. I
haven't. Well, hold on, hold on a second. Yes, because he won't stop
But he will. So we have got to go cold turkey. And I've got to tell you
something, guys.
It's going to not be fun.
Now, listen, I give homework for a reason. When they don't listen to me,
going to be problems like Bogey peeing in the sink.
Jay's the biggest enabler. He's the guy who's turning the faucet on. He's the
guy who's making this problem continue.
So, guys, I have an idea that I'd like to try. I want to judge your progress
with Touch 101.
So I'm going to have you guys sit on the bed for me. What I'm going to do is
I'll grab Bogey. I'm going to just put him in your lap.
He doesn't call me up. Where's my boy?
Come say hi to Jay.
When Jackson handed Bogey off to me, I was definitely nervous. I was expecting
it to go horribly wrong.
This is just such an uncomfortable feeling for me. I don't really know how
sit. I haven't sat with him since he was a kitten. Jay was putting out all the
wrong energy. If Jay can't show Bogey that there's a payoff when he comes out
hiding, Bogey's going to run right back into that closet and regress. Jay, go
for touch 101.
Go to those absolute spots.
I'm just waiting for him to claw at my lap.
Jay, keep petting him.
Make him feel like he's okay.
You're doing good, Jay. Just like that.
Wait, wait. He's starting to purr.
Are you kidding me? No.
Jay goes from being scared, thinking that Bogey's going to hurt him, being
apprehensive, thinking, well, this is never going to last, then starting to
settle into this reality that, wait a minute.
This is real. This cat wants to be here.
It's a first.
I'm tripping. I can't believe it.
The last time we saw a bogey like that, probably four years ago, that was
completely out of the ordinary. I mean, that was a really big deal.
That's a bogey that I remember a lot, for sure.
You guys ready for some homework?
Ready. All right, good. So the first thing is the concept of the widening
I'd like you guys to get a rolling wardrobe rack every single day. I want
take at least a few articles of clothing away from that closet and hang them
someplace else.
Bogey is still hiding in places like the closet where I found him earlier. So
what I want them to do is widen his world. And since they don't have doors
their closet, I need them to take the clothes out of there so they won't have
place to bury himself anymore.
The next thing you guys are going to do is touch time. Touch time is basically
an extension of what we did today. Make sure you're doing touch 101, you're
making sure you're calming him, and you're bringing good things to his
Now, let's talk about what I'd like to have out for him in the rest of the
world. I want you to lure Bogey out of his cocoons with play. Show him there's
bigger payoff out here.
Finally, I do want you guys to remember that he has to drink water, for sure.
I don't want you to reward him using the sink, Jay.
Jackson has really made a lot of improvements with Bogey. The touching,
handle Bogey, how to make him feel comfortable.
Take care, guys.
Thank you. Bye -bye. Call me if you need me.
But with that positive change came new bad behavior.
Now he's peeing. If Jackson can't fix Bogey, we're going to have to rehome
All right, I'm back in San Diego. I'm outside of Jay and Tiana's house for my
final visit with them and their cat, Bogey. Now, when I first met Bogey, he
a destructive cat. He was tearing up Jay and Tiana's furniture, their clothing,
and peeing all over the house. The stress was tearing Jay and Tiana apart.
Jay was ready to rehome Bogey. Now, I watched their video homework, and I saw
Bogey drinking out of his water fountain, so I hope that means that Jay
turning on the faucet.
and that Bogey's no longer peeing in Jay's sink.
I saw Tiana using the wardrobe rack. Now, my goal is that that'll open up
Bogey's world, making him more confident so he'll no longer feel the need to
hide and destroy everything.
I also saw them playing with Bogey, which is another way to bring him out of
cocoon, so that was fantastic.
But what really worries me is Jay. I saw him working on Touch 101, and neither
Jay or Bogey looked all that comfortable.
This time around, what I need to see is Jay getting on board and developing a
bond between these two that's strong. Otherwise, Bogey's going to get kicked
the curb and Tiana's going to be heartbroken. There's a lot riding on
are things going with Bogey? It's really hard for me to sit here and tell you in
words because it doesn't sound believable.
It is completely different.
Oh, God, that's music to my ears. It really is like unbelievable.
I don't hear drawers opening in the middle of the night.
I have suits that don't have claws.
And the thing that kind of blew me away the most, he comes and he hangs out with
us. How mind -blowing, man. It really is.
Since the last time I was here, how many peeing incidents have there been?
Zero.
Now,
we'll never know what happened to Bogie to make him this way, but I was able to
correct his behavior by slowly closing off his hiding spot.
giving him socially significant places in the house to own, and in doing so,
creating a bond with a human through touch.
He hasn't scratched the furniture at all. He's been coming out. He's been
hanging out with us. The Touch 101 has just turned into, you know, playtime, us
petting him, him sitting in our lap. Really? Yeah. He even drinks from his
fountain. That's amazing. Now, listen, of course, I want to get up and walk
around here and see Bogey, of course, again.
I'm excited.
You guys ready? Let's do it. Come on, let's get ready.
And there's our man.
Thank you for joining the party.
The last time I was here, Bogey was living underneath things, and he never
out in the daylight hours. To see him walking out, taking the middle of the
floor in that living room is a big deal.
You have come a long way with this cat.
Tell me right now, man.
First day I got here, there was serious discussion about Bogey leaving this
house. Is there a chance of him leaving here now?
Bogey's my boy.
Oh. I would never consider... rehoming him or getting rid of him. He's got a
home and he'll have a home. Did you hear that?
Bogey's my boy?
Yeah. Before Jackson came, you know, it was just kind of begging for a miracle
and hoping that, you know, Jay would see some sort of change in Bogey. But the
fact that Bogey has done a whole 180 makes me so happy.
I got to be honest with you. When you first came here, I was very skeptical.
I'm absolutely blown away at what you've done. And, you know, not only have you
fixed my relationship with Bogey, but you have done numbers for fixing my
relationship with Tiana. Man, I'm just so glad you hung in there because he's
going to pay you back for years.
For years.
The guy has been fantastic. He's done amazing work. Jackson, I can't thank you
enough. Absolutely.
Absolutely. Guys, if you need me, you call me, okay?
All right. Thank you, Jackson. Take care, Jay.
Before Jackson came, Bogey wasn't really a part of our household. He wasn't
really a part of me and Tiana's relationship.
Now when I come home and I see the kitty blocks and I hear the water fountain
and I see the sunbeds, it makes me happy because he's a part of our family now.
Forever.
Forever.
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