Oh, no! Cat woo!

I admitted a while back that my new favorite television show was Revenge. I’m only slightly less sheepish talking about another new favorite: My Cat From Hell. This was actually the first episode I saw:



It’s seriously entertaining, and the cat behavioral expert, Jackson Galaxy, seems to me to be a genuinely nice guy who gives generally good and effective suggestions (though I suppose the failures wouldn’t make it on the show). The cats’ behavior and the lengths to which humans will go to work around it are shocking and hilarious. It’s funny to think that someone could be so “terrorized by Mr. Fluff” that he’d contemplate moving, but when you see the situation you understand.

I’d planned to do a quick little post last week about my enjoyment of the show, but when I went in search of more information I came upon something disturbing. Jackson Galaxy is selling cat woo. I’m not opposed to the suggestion that there might be a soothing herb that could be properly tested (especially if tried in place of what the people and even Galaxy himself sometimes go for – psychotropic drugs like Prozac [!!!]); catnip, after all, is a plant). But this is downright silly. This, for example, is the “spirit essences report” for Stella. One of the recommended products is something called “Trauma-Free.” Here’s the product description:

This product is formulated for all animals.

Much has been documented about the debilitating effects of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in humans, but little attention has been paid to our animal counterparts.

Whether they have suffered from neglect or abuse, or fear specific sights, sounds or people they associate with negative events, Trauma-Free helps animals release the emotional "baggage" that they have accumulated. Most importantly, this remedy facilitates freedom from the past, allowing our companions to live as nature intented them to - fully alive in the moment.

Product Ingredients

This remedy contains Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Ethanol (as a preservative), Essence of Full Color Spectrum, Reiki Energy, Michael's Energy Water and the following essences:

From Flower Essence Society Healing Herbs (Bach Flower Equivalent): Pine, Star of Bethlehem, Water Violet, Wild Rose.

From Flower Essence Society: Arnica, Echinacea, Evening Primrose, Love-Lies-Bleeding

From Rocky Mountain Essences: Heartleaf Arnica, Lodgepole Pine, Twisted Pine

From Pacific Essences: Diatoms, Snowberry

From Watersong Sanctuary: Orange Flowers, Prickly Pear Cactus

From Aum Himalaya Essences: Swallow Wart

From Kuau'i Starmen Essences: Avocado, Canna Lily, Haha

From Green Hope farm: Crinum Lily, Dill, Russian Sage, Uncarina Grandidieri [my emphasis]

I watched the episode with Stella more closely, and noticed that he hadn’t, as I’d originally thought, just sent her to a veterinarian, but apparently to a "holistic" veterinarian, who was then shown performing acupuncture.

On a cat.

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