No dry foods, cat expert tells Singapore owners

America’s celebrity cat expert and host of US television series “My Cat From Hell”, Jackson Galaxy, has this advice for Singapore cat owners: do not train your felines to use toilet bowls, and do not feed them dry foods. 

Cats should not be trained to use the toilet because it is not natural for them to do so, and they should be eating wet food - especially meat - because that is the best way for them to stay hydrated, Galaxy told about 200 people who attended his Q&A session at The Star Vista on Saturday.

“It’s the price to pay for keeping cats… I don’t like cats to do things they don’t naturally do,” Galaxy said to the audience made up of mainly cat owners and fans of his show. 

The practices that Galaxy frowned on are common among cat owners in Singapore. Local celebrity Taufik Batisah once posted a viral video of his cat urinating in a toilet bowl on Instagram. Many owners tend to leave dry food out the whole day for their cats before leaving for work. 

Galaxy said not having scheduled meal times will discourage cats from following orders such as telling them to sit, stand or rollover, acts that come naturally for obedient dogs.

The expert, who has at least 15 years of experience in training cats, was in town for the first time to promote the sixth season of his show, which airs on Animal Planet. 

‘Catifying’ your HDB flats and nail clipping

Building expensive cat condos or transforming much of your living space into a cat playground is impractical for owners living in small HDB flats, Galaxy said. To create a cat-friendly home, Galaxy recommends getting affordable shelves or bookcases for cats to climb and play with, which can double up as storage space.

Clipping a cat’s nails can be a daunting task for its owner as the pet may even react violently. Galaxy suggests that owners make it a habit to press the cats’ paws to expose their claws even when not clipping their nails, and “get your cat to get used to this”. He also advised owners to only cut the “sharp points” of cat nails. 

In his show, the bald and tattooed cat expert is typically seen helping owners improve their cats’ behaviour. Nonetheless, he has this final advice for owners: “Appreciate the (cats) for what they are… your cat’s not a dog.” 

Season 6 of “My Cat From Hell” airs on Animal Planet (Starhub Ch 424 Singtel Channel 208) every Wednesday at 10pm.