JACKSON GALAXY INTERVIEW PART 2 & CATIFY TO SATISFY REVIEW

Design Your Way to Feline Bliss…

is a headline from the cover of Jackson Galaxy and Kate Benjamin’s new book, Catify to Satisfy. The book is now available from Amazon.com ($9.99 – Kindle and $13.16 – paperback). We received our review copy about ten days ago, and I couldn’t wait to start reading. I was tempted to immediately turn to Chapter 3: Let’s Talk About Litter Boxes. I didn’t do it, however. I eagerly read the book from start to finish, and my review is included in this post.

 

Jackson Galaxy

 

When I interviewed Galaxy at the beginning of October, our main focus was the Jackson Galaxy Foundation.  However, we discussed the new book as well.

I wanted to know why Galaxy and Benjamin thought it necessary to write another book so soon after the success of their best seller, Catification.

According to Galaxy, “I talk a lot about community and the importance of community and that community which I call Catification Nation.” The moment Catification came out, this community started pelting Galaxy and Benjamin with questions about the things they didn’t discuss in Catification. Galaxy adds, “You can’t cover all the bases, and we did not.”

Galaxy says:And so this time around we’re delving more into things like dreaded litter box issues where behavior and design collide normally in a very unpleasant way. We are trying to deal with that 1000-pound elephant in the room.”

This is one of the main problems I face in my house with eight cats. I had been waiting since our interview to have the opportunity to study this chapter.

Galaxy, adds [It’s] “not just about what features to have in your house and not just about design but the behavior behind the design. A litter box is not just a litter box. A litter box for a cat is a sign post. It says I live here. I own this territory. It gives me that Cat Mojo. It makes me secure .”

“When we start debating about how many litter boxes you should have in your house, we need to start looking inward. We need to look at ourselves.” This is what Galaxy calls putting on your cat glasses.

“We don’t like litter boxes. We don’t like them out in the open. We don’t like them to not have covers, and we don’t like them in our chosen significant areas like the living room and the bedroom. But I am here to say that it is better for the house especially in the multi-cat house. It’s important and so we spend an entire chapter on that.”

“We spend more time profiling the people within Catification Nation. People who really took the task and came up with beautiful results, and we profile them, their lives, their relationships with their cats and the great work they did. There’s nothing like seeing being the proof. You can take a deep breath and go do something so life changing for your cat and for yourself as well.”

“We went deeper. We went wider, and I think the results are complementary to Catification but Catify to Satisfy can stand on its own.”

My Review

I totally agree with Galaxy’s final statement. If you read Catification (My copy is falling apart.), this is the perfect companion book. If you missed the first book, don’t despair. Catify to Satisfy has many great ideas and examples of of projects to make your and your cats’ home a place where everyone is comfortable, happy and “owns” the space.

 

Catify to Satisfy - Jackson Galaxy

Peter Cohen of Goleta, California, has catified his house to turn it into a kitty paradise.

 

This new book is full of wonderful projects completed by others who share their space with cats, including a redo of the facility where Galaxy got his start some 20 years ago, Humane Society of Boulder Valley (Colorado).

Inspiration abounds on every page of this book. We constructed our catio several years ago after what I’d seen on Galaxy’s Animal Planet show, “My Cat from Hell.” We added some shelves a few months ago, but I can see, after reading the new book, that these need some modifications. And now, I am brainstorming and planning the construction of a cat super highway inside the house so Astrid can feel confident enough to start coming upstairs again.

Chapter 2 addresses the problem and solutions for kitties scratching in inappropriate places, like your furniture. This section explains why your kitty does this and includes projects (with instructions) to create a variety of scratching posts and surfaces. One of my favorite projects was created by Kate Benjamin—a vertical scratcher that can be attached to a wall. It’s created by repurposing a picture frame and a sisal rug remnant or carpet square. This will be my first project from the book. I already have a frame and will be picking up the carpet in the next few days.

I know I will be referring to Catify to Satisfy often as I make our home (that our vet already calls Kitty Paradise) one that will promote Cat Mojo even more than it does now. I recommend this new book to anyone who shares their home with one or more cats or works with a shelter that could use some catification.

Book Tour

Jackson GalaxyGalaxy and Benjamin have already embarked on their Book Tour. These are the remaining dates and locales.

Austin, TX
Nov 20 • 7pm – Jackson Galaxy
hosted by Book People
603 N Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78703

Miami, FL
Nov 21 • 6-7pm – Jackson Galaxy
Miami Book Fair
Miami Dade College
Room 2106 (Building 2, 1st Floor)
300 NE Second Ave.
Miami, Fl 33132

Milwaukee, WI
Nov 22 • 7pm – Jackson Galaxy
hosted by Rainy Day Books
Turner Hall Ballroom
1032 N. 4th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53203

Kansas City, MO
Nov 23 • 7pm – Jackson Galaxy
hosted by Rainy Day Books
Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary
707 W 47th Street
Kansas City, MO 64112

If you missed Part One of my interview with Galaxy, where we discussed the Jackson Galaxy Foundation, you can read it here. This is a three-part series, and I will be posting the final installment next week. It will include news from PAWS PR (see my original post) about a joint project with the Foundation and Photographers for Animals to help shelter animals find homes for the holiday season. And Galaxy will answer some questions I posed not specific to either the Foundation or book.

Giveaway

I was given a free copy of Catify to Satisfy by the publisher, and I pre-ordered a copy for myself. In view of this, I will be giving away one of the copies. For the opportunity to win the book, leave a comment on this post. You will have until Friday, November 27, at 5 p.m. EST to do so. The winner will be selected using Random.org.

(Credits: Photos of Jackson Galaxy: Jeff Newton. Excerpted from CATIFY TO SATISFY: Simple Solutions for Creating a Cat-Friendly Home by Jackson Galaxy and Kate Benjamin with the permission of Tarcher/Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Copyright Jackson Galaxy and Kate Benjamin 2015.)