Total Cat Mojo: The Ultimate Guide to Life with Your Cat

I am a certified cat behaviorist through the IAABC and a registered veterinary technician. I am one of only two or three certified cat behaviorists in my state. There is a real need for cat behaviorists to help people out with understanding their felines. As Jackson writes about in this book, cats thrive on having an environment that brings out their mojo. You want to bring their surroundings to life. A cat's life should include things like cat towers and cat shelving units, play therapy, and novel stimuli such as cat grass and catnip plants to keep them entertained and happy. In addition to doing private behavior consults - I also do volunteer behavior consultations for a cat rescue called Tenth Life where I still continually learn about cats and their behaviors. There is always more that can be learned the cats that share our home. Even I learned so much from Jackson's book. And that is the thing - even as a cat behaviorist and multi-cat owners - I am still reading every book and watching every video because learning is a life long commitment for me. I owe it to the cats I work with and the owners that devote everything that they have toward solving behavior problems and giving them the best life possible. Because every cat is a unique individual and some behaviors that they display require creative and innovative modification strategies. Not every behavior fits the book as they say. I have worked with hundreds of cats and owners with litter box issues, aggression, separation anxiety, and the list goes on. I was excited to read Total Cat Mojo since Jackson Galaxy is my favorite author. I read it in only two days. I met him one year ago and he really understands cat behavior. I have watched every episode of My Cat From Hell in addition to reading all of his books and articles. Being able to see him go through a case from beginning to end has helped me tremendously in being able to talk to people about behavior problems. I have aspergers and while I completely understand cats - talking to people was a difficulty for me at first. I have excellent written skills but Jackson Galaxy really help me with the consult side of it from his videos and book series. I was actually able to receive a copy of this book 2 days early. My background is much like that of Jackson Galaxy. I started in the animal shelter environment and was helping cats who had behavior problems and helping people to better understand their cat. Being able to understands cats is not a magic trick and we are not a whisperer like Jackson points out - it is about looking at the world from your cat's perspective and understanding the world from this perspective. Once your are looking at the world on the floor like your cat would then you can begin to modify the world and offer your cat what he needs. As a cat behaviorist - I did retention and behavior consults directly through various animal shelters to help curb cat returns. There was not many people who fully understood them or their needs around this time. Many people still recommended declawing as a catch all for cats who clawed their couches and devocalizing for cats who excessively meowed. It was my job to discourage such inhumane practices and teach positive training. I turned the perspective of the community around and worked toward getting declawing banned in several areas. There still isn't many people who have knowledge of common cat behavior issues and modification strategies which is reinforced everyday by what I see. I am a non-judgmental person and I like to show that I am because as a cat behaviorist - I know that it can be tough to adopt a cat like perspective at first and then figuring out what to do. I was the cat room supervisor at one big animal shelter for 5 years where I showed people that nearly every cat could be saved by behavior modification. I turned hissing cats into lap warmers and feral kittens into adoptable house cats. Many of the strategies, techniques, and tips that I use today are in this book. Each protocol and strategy are clearly and uniquely defined. Like Jackson - there was that one cat who inspired me to become a cat behaviorist. There was a cat that bit everyone at the shelter and made them bleed. The cat even sent one guy to the emergency room. The cat was turned in by the police because the cat had backed the original owner into a corner and was hissing. The cat was about to be euthanized. I worked with the cat for 3 months with a plethora of techniques such as play therapy and enriching the environment. Today that cat is one of my best buddies who serves as a constant reminder for the reason I got involved in the cat behavior world. I learned much of my cat behavior skills from experience and from watching Jackson Galaxy. This book is one of the most complete and definitive guides to understanding cats and giving them what they need that I have ever read. The images and the graphics that demonstrate each concept is absolutely stunning. As I have learned - many owners need to see a picture to understand a concept fully which is the basis for including such comprehensive pictures. It is a great addition to my bookshelf of Pam Johnson books such as Think Like A Cat. There is no book that I recommend more than Total Cat Mojo from Jackson Galaxy. I do recommend that people supplement their reading with other books such as Think Like A Cat who is another favorite cat behaviorist. I got my skills from reading every cat behavior book I could get my hands on and watching every video I could. That is what I recommend for understand your cat and becoming a cat behaviorist for those who are interested in doing so.

Fantastic book. Everyone in my family read it cover to cover before we adopted two cats. The transitions and introductions went perfectly! We now have two beautiful cats who are healthy, friendly, fun, well-adjusted, and like each other. Thank you Jackson!

Good book, very informative, much needed

its a good book but I would also try other authors on cats.Specific characteristics of cats are not here,this is mostly about making a cat comfy in his home,and his behavior. Interesting.-list of cats in history where cats evolved from.-very good. Good starter for cat owner.--Especially if your cat is too aggressive or too shy, how to help them.

Excellent book for Kittens. Well written and very descriptive. Will be a great help from young aged kittens to adult age.

Ive been a huge dan of jackson for along time. I've seen every my cat from hell episode. Jackson is an expert on cats. This covers a wide range of topics that are important. Everything from cat personalities and cats individual character to health and wellness.

OK, so my wife and I had cats when we were kids; no pets for decades though due to work/travel. About 3 years ago, we rescued an about 3 month old stray female kitten that got trapped in our garage while we were away on vacation for month. Somehow, we managed to nurse her back to health. OK, so then about a year and a half later, we got a brilliant idea to get her a friend; we ended up with two Cheetoh male kittens. Well, the first meeting between them did not go well; she really freaked out. What to do? Having seen Jackson's show, we got a copy of this book. It really helped us understand how cats operate, and we were able to dramatically improve the situation. Now our little female plays with the boys and and they all get along just fine. Jackson's book is well written and easy to read. Want to understand how to be a better cat parent? Read this book and apply the lessons.

I love Jackson Galaxy and my (daughter’s 🙄) cat, so when I saw this book, it was a must, (did I mention I love books, lol?) My cat Delilah is 10 years old. She was a reluctant gift as a kitten to my then-13-year-old youngest daughter, as our family had been going through some awful times and my daughter was so in love with this kitten, I caved. I wasn’t into cats, and we had a beloved dog and a bunny at the time, but I quickly fell in love with Delilah (and now with all cats, lol 🤦🏻‍♀️). Delilah was a delight, funny and mischievous, not particularly friendly, but also very well-behaved. After a bit, all we had to do was say, “uh-uh”, or “No, Delilah”, and she listened, but I digress. Fast forward, and as an adult cat she is quite skittish, almost nervous, and she only likes me (but she tries to pretend she doesn’t, lol). She’s healthy and playful. She just alerts to sounds and other people, though she has always been cared for lovingly. I bought this book to better understand Delilah and what may have changed who she is after she grew up. Jackson has helped me to be the best mom to Delilah possible, as I want her feeling safe and healthy and most of all loved. I have read the book and continue to go back and research sections as necessary. Great book, very knowledgeable, and a nice conversational style. This book would be great for any cat parents or just animal lovers.

It has illustrations and pictures🩷😍🤩 and very useful for furparents like me✅🩷☝🏻

Dieses Buch sollten alle Katzeneltern mal lesen. Die Informationen sind wirklich wertvoll und Jackson schreibt mit sehr viel Herz. Kann ich sehr empfehlen!

Comprato per un regalo di Natale, penso che lo ricomprerò per me.

Très bien documenté, avec un véritable effort sur des points évolutifs et génétiques récents en préambule. Beaucoup de pédagogie, du bon sens et une empathie contagieuse pour les félins. Plein de conseils pertinents et beaucoup d’humour aussi, ce n’est pas une redite des ouvrages précédents, plutôt un bon complément. Dommage qu’il ne soit pas traduit, c’est un des meilleurs comportementalistes pour convaincre efficacement les propriétaires -pardon, hôtes- de chats qui seraient un peu déboussolés par le comportement de leurs petits compagnons. Il a été rodé dans ses shows « m’y cat from hell ». Et pourquoi pas ce côté spectacle si le fond est pertinent . A lire aussi AVANT de sauter le pas si vous pensez que vous aurez une peluche malléable, ce livre montre la responsabilité qu’il faut accepter d’endosser, avec n’importe quel animal de compagnie d’ailleurs. Cet esprit très anglo-saxon de se mettre à la place de l’animal, en tenant compte de ses besoins spécifiques, devrait être la norme. Une version Grand public de l’ethologie, si peu enseignée ici !

I've had cats all my life, currently I have two. One is an elderly female cat that I adopted from my local animal sanctuary in January 2017 & another young tom cat that adopted me a few months later in August. They are both opposite ends of the scale. She is a lovable, just wants a quiet life, demanding, very vocal house cat who uses a litter tray, set in her ways & tends to sometimes suffer from separation anxiety. He on the other hand is like the tasmanian devil, very energetic & goes through the house like a tornado during play. Sometimes during his hyper moments he can be a little too aggressive - occasionally the back of my legs or my feet tend to suffer the consequences. However he is extremely funny, entertaining to watch & so affectionate. This book, in the short time I've had it so far has given me more understanding of cats & has been very helpful in a few little issues I've had with the pair of them. I get up very early during the week for work, the elderly female cats body clock carried this on at weekend yelling at me to get up way too early. Ignoring her totally & not letting her 'own' me as the book says as helped so much, this includes the moments of separation anxiety she suffers from when I leave the room. She still does wake me up but not at the ridiculous time she was originally & still yells when I leave the room but nowhere near as bad as before. She's not one for climbing up onto the window sill to watch 'cat tv'. I've even tried putting her there myself to relieve loneliness & boredom but she is not interested & jumps back down, nor is she interested in the many toys lying about the house. Another little issue I was having with her was a problem with the litter tray. She used it but I was coming home to puddles on the kitchen floor near to the tray. I took a good look at what was going on, the book suggested it would most likely be the litter box or the litter itself as it was happening near the cat tray. The tray was quite deep & rose up at the back, It does have a cover but I've never used it as a previous cat told me in her own way she didn't like it. I also figured it out myself it wasn't a good idea to use the cover having a young mischievous cat in the house too who might just be waiting to pounce as she came out of it. I actually wondered if the issue was because of him at first as she was an 'only cat' with her previous owner & she came to live with me & a resident cat who unfortunately I had to put to sleep due to illness. I noted that she was doing all her business near the lower side of the tray only which then made it pretty obvious why she started peeing on the kitchen floor. The sides were too high for her to get to the back of the tray. I suppose it never entered her head to start from the back and work her way forward ;) I've changed the tray now, a large one with low sides all around so she can enter & exit at any side which has been a success! No more puddles on the kitchen floor!! As for the young one, being full of beans I've watched the way he plays and provided more toys, activity toys and even a tunnel to match his style of play to burn off all that excess energy he has. Put it this way he hasn't wasted my money, he's easily pleased :) One issue which is still ongoing although it has progressed slightly is his excessive scratching. Oh how he loves my stair carpet! This mainly happens when he's in his excitable energetic moods. He never seemed to use the cat tree in the kitchen that I've had for years. I read to look at the way he was scratching. No wonder he wasn't using the cat tree as his preference was horizontal scratching. I've bought a scratching board that is designed to wrap around corners, or it can be used as a mat. Instead I've used double sided tape and taped it to the bottom stair where he tends to attack the most lying on his side & pulling. He started using the scratching board as well as a couple of other horizontal scratching furniture I've bought, but was still scratching the rest of the stairs horizontally. I've put double sided tape on the right & left side of each stair now, hoping eventually he will learn the 'yes/no technique' & stop scratching the carpet altogether. He didn't seem too impressed when his paws stuck to it :) I've also been training him to use the tall cat tree that is situated in the kitchen with the help of Dreamies as a reward, unfortunately there is no room for it near the stairs. He goes to it himself now & scratches it, mainly when I'm in the kitchen though. He seems pretty proud of himself when I say 'Yay!' which is then followed by a Dreamie or two as a reward :) Glad I bought this book, it's been very useful so far for me for my 2 moggies. I'd recommend this book to any cat owner. You might be surprised at what information you'll pick up that you never thought of yourself before. Cheers Jackson!