Must Love Cats Episode 3 Recap & Resource Guide

My cat Priscilla usually writes these recaps, but she's on strike this week (something about not getting enough Temptations,) so I'll be taking over while her contract negotiations are underway.

In the meantime, I can't wait to fill you in on another great episode, filled with cool cat stories, this time from all across the Midwest!

The Fur Kids

"I love my fur kids, they're my family. Turned my house into a home, they mean everything to me."

First up, John traveled to the town of St. James, Minnesota to meet Greg Krueger, an incredible man who has transformed his home into a veritable kitty palace! The gentle, cat loving soul customized his entire living quarters for his six "fur kids," (Kitty, Wendy, Vicky, Trashee, Indy, and Shooting Star) in the belief that the cats are what makes his house a home.

Over the course of 20 years, Greg has spent $10,000 to turn the house into a "kitty playland," complete with 300 feet of cat walkways, 38 hand carved cat openings, and dozens of platforms. The bedroom even features a "private, rustic hideaway" in case the cats want some alone time, and a custom mini-kitty sized staircase.

Amazingly, Greg's cats can travel through the entire house without touching the floor, and if for some reason they ever want to leave, there's even an outdoor cat enclosure for them to enjoy!

(Check out my exclusive interview with Greg and The Fur Kids, here!)

***

Yoda, The Cat With Four Ears

Next, we traveled to the town of Downers Grove, Illionois to uncover the mystery behind an unusual cat named, Yoda.

What makes the 4-year-old kitty so mysterious? The gray housecat has two very uncommon characteristics: Flaps of skin on his head that make him appear to have four ears!

Image source: Must Love Cats Facebook Fan Page

Yoda's owners, Valerie and Ted Rock, took the "deformed" kitten in after someone brought him into a Chicago bar, because no one wanted the "devil cat."

On this day, Yoda is visiting a local school to meet with some of his adoring fans. The curious looking cat doesn't travel far because he gets carsick, and the Rock's don't want to exploit him (he is their family cat after all), but one must agree he loves these little outings where he is treated like a bona fide celebrity!

At the end of the segment, a visit by John to Yoda's vet reveals that the kitty's "horns" are just earlobes/flaps that "are not doing anything but making him famous."

Mystery solved!

***

The Rock Cats

Billed as "Chicago's only trained domestic cat show," The Astro-Cats are always ready to amaze you with their smorgasbord of rare kitty talents! Prepare to see them "ride skateboards, ring bells, roll barrels, walk the high wire, climb ropes, push a shopping cart, jump through hoops, and even run a cat-size agility course!"

The traveling cat circus, only one of four of its kind in the U.S., also features a trio of

feline rock legends known as The Rock Cats, and John hooks up with them to see a very special performance, and get a behind the scenes look into their studio. He even gets a chance to get up close and "purr"sonal with furry band members Pinky (guitar), Dakota (percussion), and Nue (keyboard).

Acro-Cats founder Samantha Martin won't reveal the secret of how she trains the The Rock Cats, but she does admit that much of her training is clicker based. In addition to using it on her own cats, she also uses the clicker method to train her foster kittens how to do tricks during Astro-Cats performances, in order to give them a better chance at getting adopted!

***

Tats For Cats

Next up, John stays in Chicago to attend another pawtastic event to help raise funds for felines in need.

Insight Studios regularly holds the fundraiser, appropriately titled, "Tats for Cats," in an effort to raise money for Tree House Humane Society, "a cageless no-kill cat shelter dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured, and abused stray cats."

You know I couldn't resist posting these cat cupcakes that were custom made for the event!

A record breaking number of people attended the tattooing event last June, with all of the proceeds going to the shelter.

John talked to some of the customers about their personal cat tattoos, and finished the segment with a (temporary) kitty tat of his own.

To see more great pictures from the event, check out Tree House's Flickr photostream here.

***

Garfield

And finally, the last part on this week's episode took us to Muncie, Indiana to visit (arguably) one of the most famous cats in the world!

Muncie is home to Garfield creator Jim Davis, and his office PAWS, Inc., is affectionately referred to as "The house that Garfield built."

Davis wrote the first Garfield strip in 1978, and was loosely inspired by the cats on the farm where he grew up, especially one in particular, named Granny. Amazingly, even after 33 years, Garfield is still syndicated in 2,500 newspapers around the world!

First Garfield comic strip (click to enlarge)

The PAWS office looks like a fun place to work, with lots of feline "employees" to liven up the atmosphere. There's even a real life cat named Nermal, whose name was originally Charlie Brown!

After taking a tour and talking to Davis, Fulton meets with the animated, lasagna loving fat cat himself for a candid one-on-one chat. Not much is really revealed, except that Garfield is not too fond of John's "kitty ditties"!

Jim and John

***

Don't forget to tune in to an all new episode of Must Love Cats this Saturday night at 8/7 P on Animal Planet, when John hits the Northeast to meet some kitty fashion plates and NYC's best mousers!

P.S. If you're looking for even more information about any of the stories featured in this episode, check out the handy resource guide below!

MUST LOVE CATS FANPAGE
http://www.facebook.com/mustlovecatsfanpage

(This page has great photo galleries from each episode, and is the source of several pictures from this post!)

GREGORY KRUEGER & THE FUR KIDS

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1374901306

YODA – THE FOUR EARED CAT

No official website or facebook page

AURI/CAT LITTER & POTTY TRAINING

Website: http://www.auri.org/

Website: http://www.litterkwitter.com/en/index.php

ACRO-CATS & THE ROCK CATS
Website: http://www.circuscats.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tuna-and-The-Rock-cats/84494939571?sk=wall

TATS FOR CATS - INSIGHT STUDIO & TREE HOUSE HUMANE SOCIETY

Website: http://www.treehouseanimals.org/

Website: http://www.insightstudiosonline.com/

JIM DAVIS & GARFIELD

Website: http://www.garfield.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/Garfield

Hear Me Roar T-Shirt - Gridelin, $20.00

COOL CAT T-SHIRTS - DIRECTLY FROM THE CREATORS

http://www.etsy.com/shop/paisleymagic (Acro-Cats & The Rock Cats segment)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gridelin (Yoda segment)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/namu (Tats For Cats segment)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rctees

http://1aeon.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BucketArts

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sayitinsign

http://www.etsy.com/shop/loft45

Must Love Cats Episode 3 Recap & Resource Guide

Must Love Cats Episode 2 Recap & Resource Guide

Hi guys! It's me, Stephanie's cat, Priscilla! Back for another recap of Must Love Cats, Episode 2!

First of all, I have to apologize for putting this post up so late. I type everything with my own two paws, and that can be pretty time consuming! Maybe I'd be able to write faster if I had a set of thumbs like this cat, named Jimmy!

Anyway, I loved this episode of Must Love Cats even more than the last one (if that's possible), so let's get right into it!

Joey The News Cat

The first stop on John Fulton's continuing tour around the country to find the coolest cat stories, was to visit the biggest television star in Little Rock, Arkansas - A 3-year-old tabby cat named, Joey!

When Joey was a kitten, he wandered into the news garden of Today's THV, and the rest is history! The station quickly adopted the feral cat as their own, and now he's got a REAL job helping to present the news every morning.

Co-workers claim that Joey is, "always doing something cute," and that he goes into "diva mode" whenever the cameras come on. The little charmer has "true catitude," and and brings joy not only to everyone at the station, but to all of the viewers who tune in to watch him!

***

The Cat Engineers

Paul Klusman and TJ Wingard are just two crazy cat guys from Kansas who are professional engineers by day, and YouTube celebrities by night! They created a series of cat videos, starting with one called "An Engineer's Guide To Cats," that have truly allowed them to express themselves in a "really cute, but manly way."

John met the main cast of kitty characters from their videos, Ginger (the "Blonde Diva"), Zoey ("The Star"), and Oscar (not quite sure what his designation is), and got a peek into the "laboratory" where their videos are shot.

After an impromptu lesson in Cat Yodeling, John also stopped in to meet Reginald, a beautiful black cat who was adopted because of the engineer's efforts!

***

Kitty Prosthetics

Moving on to Colorado, John meets with a brave black and white kitty named Cassidy. The poor 12-year-old is missing his back paw, but luckily for him, the Must Love Cats crew has come to help! They travel to an an amazing treatment center in Denver called Orthopets, that specializes in braces and prosthetics, custom designed to help "disabled pets have a chance to live normal and pain free lives."

Once they arrive at the hospital, the medical team fits Cassidy for his new "kitty ski boot," and send him off to adjust to his new foot! A few weeks later, John comes back to visit Cassidy and his owner, who says he's doing just great!

***

Cat Trees

Back in Kansas, John heads to a farm to meet a man who crafts unique "cat trees" out of, well.. actual trees! After selecting the wood (Osage Orange, Maple, Cherry, or Walnut), the artist, Ray Smith cooks it in a kiln for several days before the finishing touches can be applied. The one-of-a-kind trees cost between $900-$1,800 each, and Smith uses his "expert tester," an orange kitty named Little Z, to ensure customer satisfaction!

Little Z approves!

***

Cedarhill Sanctuary

Next, it's time to go down south to Caledonia, Mississippi where John meets the cats of Cedarhill Sanctuary. Created in 1990, Cedarhill is a lifelong sanctuary for exotic and domestic cats, and is home to 12 tigers, 5 lions, and over 200 kitties!

Founder Kay McElroy came up with the idea to start the sanctuary after rescuing an abused cougar cub in 1987. She was unable to find anyone able to care for it, so she decided to start her own place of refuge. Much like The Cat House on the Kings featured in last week's episode, Cedarhill costs $42,000 a month to run, and relies entirely on donations. One big difference between Cedarhill and Cat House on the Kings, is that the cats at Cedarhill never leave, as they all have had "traumatic pasts" and have been deemed "unadoptable." While this is sad news, to be sure, it's also good to know that they eventually found the purrfect feline paradise to call home!

***

Evergreen Cat Lodge

Speaking of paradise, for the final stop of the week, John checked himself in to the Evergreen Cat Lodge, a "cats only" boarding facility located in the foothills of Denver, Colorado.

The "Jungle Cat" Suite

For $35 a night, your cat gets access to one of 32 well appointed VIP suites (see more pictures here under "Gallery",) that hold up to 3 cats each. Your pampered pussycat has free-run of their room, furnished with all the comforts of home, and then some! All of the rooms have glass doors so the caretakers can check in on kitty without disturbing her, the litter boxes have ventilation systems to keep everything smelling fresh, and they even have toasty fireplaces to keep your cat warm on cold Colorado nights!

Premium wet and dry food are also provided to guests at no extra charge, but some cat owners prefer to provide their own, or even have custom meals prepared on the premises. John hits the kitchen where he whips up (and samples) a delectable combination of turkey, rice, and sea salt for one fortunate feline. Bon appetit!

***

Well, that's all I got for this week, kitties! Don't forget to tune into an all new episode of Must Love Cats this Saturday at 8/7 P on Animal Planet, when John explores the Midwest and meets the creator of Garfield, and a cat that has four ears!

P.S. If you're looking for even more information about any of the stories featured in this episode, check out the handy resource guide below!

MUST LOVE CATS FANPAGE
http://www.facebook.com/mustlovecatsfanpage

JOEY THE GARDEN CAT
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thvjoey
Website: http://www.todaysthv.com/

THE CAT ENGINEERS
YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/user/klusmanp

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/klusmanp/308886747862
CafePress Store: http://www.cafepress.com/engineersguide

ORTHOPETS
Website: http://orthopets.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/OrthoPets-Orthotics-and-Prosthetics-for-Animals/145575143069?sk=info

NATURAL TREE FURNITURE
Website: http://www.naturaltreefurniture.com/

CEDARHILL ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Website: http://www.cedrhill.org/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=25295002542&v=info

EVERGREEN CAT LODGE
Website: http://www.evergreencatlodge.com/

JOHN'S CAT SHIRTS

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rctees
http://1aeon.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gridelin
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BucketArts
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sayitinsign
http://www.etsy.com/shop/namu
http://www.etsy.com/shop/paisleymagic
http://www.etsy.com/shop/loft45

Must Love Cats Episode 2 Recap & Resource Guide

Priscilla's Corner: Must Love Cats Episode 1 Recap

After all the brouhaha I made about the Must Love Cats premiere on Saturday night, I'm ashamed to admit that I wasn't even home to watch it! However, I do have a valid, cat lady approved excuse: I was out hobnobbing with Matilda, the Algonquin Hotel cat in New York City!

Fortunately, my cat Priscilla, the original pop culture pussycat, was at home tuning in and she's more than happy to share her thoughts. She agreed to type up a recap, in a new feature I'd like to call "Priscilla's Corner." Take it away, Prissy!

Listen, I'm going to put it right out there and say I don't like cats very much. In fact, I hate them. A few years ago they brought in a cat from the STREET to live here. Literally, he was living in the sewer and they brought him in, and now I have to live with him. His name is Charlie, but I mean, who is this guy? He's been here almost six years now, and every time I see him around the house, I still act like I've never seen him before in my life.

So anyway, it's Saturday night and Charlie and me are sitting around looking at the wall as usual, when Mom texts and tells us to put on Must Love Cats. And I figure, heck, why not? It's not like I have anything else better to do.

CATNIP FARM

The first episode of the show is about West Coast cats. I'm an East Coast cat, so already I'm...wait, did he just say CATNIP FARM? Yes, we're taking a "trip" to learn about the "crazy, mysterious world of catnip."

John showed us around a store called Bark, which has a huge selection of catnip - From sushi catnip, to eggs and bacon catnip - You want it fresh? Dried? In a spray? A toy? They have nip in every form you could possibly imagine. John even brought a cat with him to test it out. (How can I get in on that gig?)

What exactly is catnip, and where does it come from? Our next stop on the Tour de Cats is the Trout Lake Organic Catnip Farm, in Washington State. A V-E-T is discussing some "nepetalactone" mumbo jumbo, and John is nibbling on some fresh catnip, saying is tastes "dirty" and "minty."

Outrage! Would he say that the finest caviar, filet mignon, champagne.. tasted dirty? As a catnip connoisseur, I demand a retraction from Animal Planet on behalf of all my kitty brethren.

In other news, did you know catnip tea makes a safe, edible treat for humans? No? Good! More catnip for people, means less catnip for us cats!

source

Ok, now we're on to Washington State University, talking to another v-e-t about why catnip drives kitties crazy. While not a highly researched area, the official guess is that "volatile oils stimulate certain receptors in the nasal cavity." Zzzzz. My response is that it's like laying on twenty soft laps, getting your chin scritched, while eating tuna fish, and sitting in a box, surrounded by hundreds of furry mice, milk rings, and balls of string.

After giving John some more catnip (waste!), the v-e-t asks him if he feels more playful. "I do," he replies. Ok, I'm starting to see why some people find this guy so charming.

He ends the segment with this pearl of wisdom: "Give your best bud as much catnip as SHE wants."

Oh yes, I'm really starting to love this guy!

Commercial break! Like what you've seen so far? The eggs and bacon catnip, and the kitty shirt John is wearing during the Catnip segment are both available on Etsy!

THE CAT-TOGRAPHER

And we're back, getting to know about a very handsome orange kitty known as Cooper the Photographer cat. He's lives in Seattle, and is only five years old. I'm almost 10, so does that make me a cougar?

This creamsicle colored cutie was adopted as a stray, and his owners decided to put a camera on him to see what he was up to while they were at work. Impressed by what he came back with, they posted the results online for friends and family, which quickly spread on Facebook and YouTube, giving him thousands of adoring fans worldwide. His work even sells in fine art galleries for $265 a piece!

Recently, Cooper moved up from still photography to feature filmmaking. What a talent! His movies remind me a lot of The Blair Witch Project. It's too bad he has to share the spotlight with some weird, hairless kitten they keep referring to as his "baby brother." I've never seen anything like THAT before in my life!

John followed Cooper on a prowl around the neighborhood, and it's actually pretty amusing because Coop clearly hates him, running away and backing up every time he gets close.

"Sir, I do believe you need to back up!"

Cooper, if you're looking for a mature lady to spend your nights with, I would be happy to pack up and move to the West Coast to be your blushing black & white bride!

DAN THE TREE CLIMBER

Next stop, Seattle to find out what happens when cats get stuck in trees. Dan Kraus is a tree specialist who rescues felines in distress in his spare time. Cute boy with cat alert! Not only does he help cats, he also makes time to hang out with his Mom's beloved cat, Sweetie.

"What goes up, doesn't always come down," and for the reasonable price of $75, Dan will climb any tree and bring your cat down to safety. The tallest tree he's ever scaled was over 100 feet tall, and to date, he's rescued over 700 trapped felines!

John tries some tree climbing of his own, and jokes, "These pants cost $3,000. I really don't want to wreck these!" Look at this guy, a comedian!

In a dramatic turn of events, a call comes in while they're shooting the show, for a 6-month-old cat named Jack who is stuck in a tree. Between the distressed young owner and something called a "cat sack," I couldn't really take all the excitement, and put my paws over my eyes. OMG, he made it! Jack is saved! Oh boy, I'm not crying. There's just some catnip in my eye.

CAT POO COFFEE

source

Cat poo coffee!? How uncivilized! According to John, Kopi Luwak is the "rarest, most expensive coffee on the planet." The long and short of it is that the civet cats eat the coffee berries and poop them out, resulting in the lovely picture you see above. These aren't really kitties! They look more like raccoons, if you ask me.

John asks who would have thought that cats could create such a great tasting beverage. Well it doesn't take a cat PhD to know that "a cat could poop out something that tastes the best." Fulton finally gets a sample, and proclaims the bizarre concoction to be, "light, but bold!"

source

**LITTER BOX BREAK**

CAT HOUSE ON THE KINGS

Lynea Lattanzio founded The Cat House on the Kings over eighteen years ago, and it has become California's largest no-cage, no-kill, lifetime cat sanctuary and adoption center.

Lattanzio funded and built the center herself, and the sanctuary is home to 800 cats and kittens. One of the most amazing things about the land is that Lynea has literally turned every inch into space for the cats. Even a house on the property she once resided in has been turned into an exclusive kitty den! That's the way it should be, if you ask me!

The only part of this segment I didn't enjoy was the talk about "senior" cats. Apparently, we are considered old folks at the age of 7 or 8??? And GERIATRIC at 10 or 12?? Why, I never!

Although Cat House on the Kings adopts out nearly 500 cats a year into forever homes, some remain at the sanctuary to live out the rest of their lives in comfort and peace. Lynea tells John, "If they don't have a home, they still have a life. A good life." *sniffle*

It takes $48,000 a month to keep the sanctuary running, and they rely entirely on Lynea's own savings and public donations. In fact, during the segment, a "cat lover" stops by to drop off a check for $25,000 to help build a new kitty ICU.

OH, THERE'S THAT CATNIP IN MY EYE AGAIN. Damn it.

KLEPTO-KITTY

The final story of the night is a real show-stopper that's currently going viral on the web. It's about a gorgeous pussycat named Dusty, who has a nasty habit of stealing anything he can get his little paws on!

The 4-year-old "criminal mastermind" from San Mateo, California has stolen over 500 items in just a few short years. His owner, Jean Chu, thinks it's just his way of showing love, but feline experts believe it just might be a case of kitty OCD.

The thing I'm most baffled by is that his owner has a labeled collection in her office of EVERY ITEM Dusty has ever stolen! Would you proudly display your neighbor's bra on your wall (no judgements here, but if the answer is yes, please keep it to yourself). Chu claims that no one ever comes to claim their missing items, even though they know Dusty is the culprit.

REALLY? I find this part a bit suspicious. I mean if he stole my Hello Kitty undies, I might call it a day, but if he took one of my little cat shoes or swimming goggles, I would march my butt right over to that house and ask for it back!

John dressed in all black and a stocking cap to install a kitty spy cam so they can finally catch Dusty in the act. I know I haven't mentioned anything about Fulton's "kitty ditties" yet, but I will say that the klepto-kitty song was my favorite of the episode. And when Jean and John finally sat down to review the surveillance video of Dusty hauling his loot back to the house, it was definitely the biggest laugh of the night.

***

Well, that's all I have for now, kitty furriends! Did you your cats watch too? What did they think?

Don't forget to tune into Must Love Cats on Animal Planet, Saturday nights at 8PM E/T to catch all the feline fun!

Up next week: Must Love Cats drinking games? Take a hit of catnip every time John Fulton sings a song or says "kitties!"

ETA: Looking for even more info about the show? Check out the Must Love Cats Episode 1 Resource Guide here!

Priscilla's Corner: Must Love Cats Episode 1 Recap