Cat Daddies (2022)

[bunniefuu]

Princess, come on.

Can you roll this thing?

Okay.

Annie, come here.

Come here Pickles, here you go.

All right, are you ready?

Ready.

Three, two.

People see a cat dad

and they're like,

oh, you must be

weird and creepy.

And it's, like, dog owners are

just as weird as cat owners.

It's a high stress job. When

you punch in in the morning,

you don't know what

you're about to run into.

You probably have a hard

time getting the guys

to admit Flame helps,

but it's proven that even

just petting an animal

can bring your

blood pressure down.

One of my good

friends in college

asked this group

of male friends,

what do you guys think

if I got a couple cats?

Definitely the

reaction was, like,

no, man, you can't do that.

I had no idea of

her love for cats.

She came over that was it.

And I was like, keep doing

your thing Toodles, good boy.

They're not like a dog when

you call them right away.

I think most guys don't

like that about cats.

There's only so much you

can do with guiding a cat.

For the most part,

it's just her leading the way

doing what she wants to do.

Cats are at the top

of the food chain.

They're the only species

that's trained us

to cater to them hand and foot,

without even the expectation

of returning affection.

I think that's pretty boss.

I love everything about him.

I know he feel it

when I'm really down.

David doesn't have

any family here.

He doesn't have any place to go.

Lucky, first and foremost,

has become his family.

I'm Nathan Kehn.

On Instagram I make videos.

My name is Nathan the CatLady.

Pretty much just make funny

videos, hopefully, funny

with the four cats

that I live with.

I didn't always

have cats in L.A.

I honestly didn't want

to have pets in L.A.

'cause as an actor you're

never home, you're on set.

You never know when

you're gonna be there,

and I don't think that

you should own animals

unless you have time for them.

I had an old roommate

who had Pickles.

He wanted to get a

dog, but I told him,

we're never home,

you can get a cat.

Pickles, kind of

got hooked onto me,

but I was gone a lot,

and he started getting

really depressed.

And so I was like,

all right, how about you

get a second cat, Ginger.

I will split it with you.

It will be your cat, but

I'll put in the money for it.

So we got Ginger.

They immediately became

best friends, it was great.

And then when he went

to move out, I was like,

so you're gonna keep them

together, and he said,

"Well, I might get

rid of one of them."

And I was like, I can't.

So I ended up taking them both.

Annie, my ex's mom found

on the side of the road,

and she was five weeks old,

and a terrified little thing.

I took her home,

and Ginger immediately started

grooming her and bathing her

like it was her

own, so I was like,

all right, I'll

have three cats now.

And then moved in

with my roommate,

and he had Princess,

and he's like,

yeah, do you mind if I bring

my cat? You already have three.

I was like, why not?

You know, once you hit

three, it doesn't matter.

I could have 16.

No, hey, they're right here.

You guys are terrible hunters.

You hit three, you're

a crazy cat lady.

With social media,

now that people are posting

more videos of them with cats,

I feel like we're

getting to a point

where it's gonna be okay to

be like, yeah, I have cats.

Guys with cats, beards and cats.

There is hot guys with cats.

And I do that every

once in a while,

but I always feel

like such a tool.

So I started my acting page,

was doing skits, and they were,

you know, kind of taking off.

And then I had two

videos with Princess

that just went viral,

and I was like, oh.

So I did a couple

of skits by myself.

And then some more with

the cats, took off again.

Right around I think 25K

followers, I was like,

you know, maybe it's

time that I really, like,

just go with the cat thing.

Before I had a following,

I lost four commercials

'cause I went to the

casting callback,

and got put on avail, which

means I'm on hold for it.

And they said,

"Okay, production wants

to see your Instagram."

So I sent it to them and they

released me from the project.

You'll look at

casting breakdowns,

and it will literally say,

need actors with 10,000

followers, or more.

Last night I was

at an Emmy party.

It's not 'cause of my acting.

It's 'cause Instagram helped

me kind of skip those steps.

It's like playing

"Chutes and Ladders."

I found a ladder in

this acting world.

I do spend a lot of date nights,

and Saturday nights home

with these little guys.

I don't do a lot of dating.

I try and keep myself

pretty well focused.

I want to make sure

that while I've got a

chance to make this grow,

I put my energy into it.

I always wait a little bit

to let girls know, like,

by the way, I have four cats.

I either get the, oh, that's

so cute, let me meet them,

or the, oh, 'cause at

the end of the day,

I can't be with somebody

who's not an animal lover.

My ex did not like cats.

And at one point asked if

I would get rid of my cats

if things got serious.

I want animals in my

life for a long time.

That's not gonna happen

if I'm with somebody

who can't deal with just

the four I have here.

My name is Jeff Judkins.

I work here in the Bay Area.

About twice a year,

me and my friends go

on backpacking trips.

A friend would always

bring his dog, Gotham.

And I really wanted to have

a pet to bring along with.

I was really hoping that it

would be possible to have a cat

that could come with.

And I even brought it up to

them, and they kind of laughed.

And it didn't seem

like a possibility.

A couple months later,

I was reading this book

called "AWOL on the

Appalachian Trail."

And about halfway through,

there was a picture of this

man that he met on the trail

that had a cat on his shoulder,

and he was hiking the

trail with his cat.

I immediately sent a

picture to my friends

that I backpack

with, and I'm like,

see, it is possible that

you can bring your cat out.

So I went to the

shelter by my house.

And as soon as I

walked in there,

I heard this cat just

incessantly meowing,

and aggressively trying

to break out of his cage.

Well, that was Zulu.

And I started

texting my friends,

and I was standing

next to Zulu's cage

when I was texting them,

and Zulu reached

out of the cage,

and swatted me in the face.

I knew right then, like,

I wanted to adopt him.

His behavior at the

shelter demonstrated to me

that he's a very bold

cat, very courageous,

showed zero fear.

As soon as I brought

him his tail was up,

he just wanted to

go climb trees.

He seemed really comfortable.

We started the hike

and he would, like,

run next to me while on

the leash it was so cute.

It wasn't gonna be that

I need to train him.

He kind of came out of the

box as an adventure cat.

None of my friends in the

m*llitary, from college,

really knew how

much I loved cats.

I own it now, I love cats.

When I was growing up,

like, yeah, it wasn't

something that you really say,

like, I wouldn't feel

comfortable saying that.

I don't know why.

It's the first time I've

seen a ranger out here.

I know, there's

usually no rangers.

Because Zulu is

always off leash,

so we'll probably get

a ticket for that.

My name is Erin,

and I'm Jeff's roommate.

Jeff got Zulu, then I

saw their relationship,

and I was always texting him,

asking him, like, when

I can come see the cat,

and when I can come hang out.

So then I decided to get a cat.

At the same time,

we were both looking

to kind of save money.

So we decided to move

out of San Francisco

into this apartment in Oakland.

And now here we

are with our cats.

First and foremost,

it's really hard to find an

apartment that's pet-friendly.

I also think it's really

hard to find an apartment

with roommates who

all accept cats,

and want to be around cats.

We were looking for a place

that had a big

enough living room,

where we could actually

split the living room up,

and make a separate

bedroom out of it.

It's just a pressurized

wall completely temporary.

There's nothing securing

it to the ceiling,

floors, or walls.

This bedroom is my bedroom,

and I actually convert this

into a bed every night,

and then change it back into

a daybed during the day.

I kind of also work in

here when I work from home.

I don't think the

Bay Area is somewhere

where I'm gonna

stay for very long.

Rents are so high,

and people like me

who make decent money,

still have that feeling that

they're not making enough.

It's not that great to have

Zulu play in a parking lot.

Like, that's what

he does right now.

He plays in a parking lot.

My goal by moving elsewhere

is not only to save money,

but, yeah, to provide a better

quality of life for Zulu.

I have a little boy, my

baby boy kitten, Lucky.

One evening I came out

from train station.

I look at people across

the street standing,

and talking something.

I say what they looking?

And I just went

across the street,

look at what they looking

at, it wasn't moving.

I thought first it was a

rat, and he was so dirty,

so bloody, had no fur, only

in couple spots he had fur.

So I pick up stick and

I just move his head.

When I move his head,

I saw it was a kitten.

When I saw he's alive,

I just took and I

put on the armpit

because it was really cold.

I don't know how

he still was alive.

I had no idea what

to do with him,

but I really don't want he die,

so I just went 110

Street it's SPCA.

I said, I'm homeless,

I just lost apartment.

I have no money to take

care of this kitten,

but if you can't something

about it he's die.

And he said, come

back in couple days.

I tell him, no, I'm not leaving.

I have nowhere to go,

so I just stay outside.

And I named him Lucky

because he survived.

He made it, he don't die.

Since that day we

was inseparable 24/7.

I love everything about him.

I know he feel it

when I'm really down.

Sometimes he gives kisses.

He makes me really

happy, you know.

I never seen such a

smart kitten like him.

I've been born in Georgia.

I grew up in an orphanage.

19 years I've been

in the United States,

being homeless almost two years.

It's hard, it's very hard

'cause I've never been homeless.

I never been in

situation like this.

So I really had bad

thoughts, you know?

I don't think how I

will survive like this.

And that little creature

just saved my life.

Here you go.

Thank you, thank you so much.

Have a nice day, lady.

You see a lot of homeless

folks with an animal.

And if you kind of

take a step back,

and envision being

in their shoes,

that animal means

everything to them.

It's not easy to rationalize

just how they're willing to

completely neglect themselves

for the sake of their animal,

but that animal is their friend.

They're at home

with their animal.

And if that's on the

street, that's where it is.

Well, I met David with my work.

It was actually part of a

homeless outreach initiative.

I had heard that he had

a little cat with him.

I happen to be a cat person

myself for the last few years.

I certainly wasn't

when I was growing up,

and I immediately said,

I want to go see the cat.

I want to meet the cat.

Lucky just kind of drew me in,

but after talking with David

just for a few minutes,

I knew immediately there was

something special about him.

David's been waiting for

housing for a long time.

There's been a decline

just in his health.

He has a disability,

cerebral palsy,

and it's affecting

him on the street.

The cold weather, the frostbite,

he's losing the kind of mechanics

and mobility in his hands.

Someone's first thought may be

why doesn't he just go

into an emergency shelter?

And David's first thought,

which I learned is always

his first thought is...

Lucky is staying with me.

I don't want to lose Lucky.

I don't want them

to take away Lucky.

I always keep a

Bible behind my shield.

It goes into every fire with me.

And no matter how hot the

fires are, it won't catch fire.

It won't burn.

It's just I take the word

with me wherever I go.

My name is Jordan Lide.

There's a lot of

unknowns in this job.

When you punch in

in the morning,

you don't know what

you're about to run into.

You could be running into the

worst part of somebody's life

multiple times in a shift.

Well, it's 24-48, one

day on, two days off.

You can work overtime shifts

you're working 48 hours,

but every guy here has

at least one other job.

Most every guy gets

off shift here,

and goes straight

to their next job.

I've worked on the ambulance,

and I started my own

woodworking business.

I do a lot of rustic woodwork,

and furniture, and flags,

and stuff like that.

Stuff to support

first responders.

I don't know if

you want me to say,

I actually work at a deer

processor, too, clean deer.

In the evening times

here at the station,

a lot of the guys we tend

to hang out in the bays,

hang out, just talk, and

kind of just decompress.

One evening when

we were out there,

I sort of heard a meowing sound

coming from behind the station.

As I got outside, I noticed

a small malnourished cat

hunkered down in the grass,

Jordan's wearing

his slippers

Do da, do da

Hey, boy.

You could tell he was kind

of scared and timid of me,

but at the same

time he didn't run.

All of a sudden he started

climbing all over me.

It was just like an

instant friendship.

I came inside, and was looking

for something to feed him.

And one thing we had was

some leftover fried chicken.

So we broke that up, and

he ate the mess out of it.

And he started showing

up behind the bays

more and more each day,

and the guys would, well,

we would raid cabinets,

tuna fish, whatever we

could find to feed him.

So he started just becoming

more and more of a presence.

At first, the guys were kind

of hesitant, or standoffish,

you know, it's a cat

in a fire station.

And I think he's

slowly won the hearts

of every single guy here.

Well, I've never really been

around cats, never owned one.

When the cat came, it was

kind of like, yeah, you know,

I don't know about it, but

you couldn't tell he was a cat

except for his obvious features.

He don't act like a

cat whatsoever, so.

I had one cat growing up,

but we've always

been a dog family.

I've always had dogs.

And most of the guys

here have only had dogs.

Flame really helped change

the perception on cats for us

'cause people always

thought of cats

as, like, more of a

moody aloof animal.

And Flame is the

opposite of that.

We've had Flame

about four years now.

Flame is just,

he's so personable.

He just wants to

be around the guys.

He's unanimously

loved by all the guys.

The first thought I had was

the chief is gonna k*ll us.

At first, the chief

wanted us to get rid of him.

He just saw a stray cat.

And then we didn't.

One day he comes out, and

Flame he's so comfortable

that he just starts

walking across the bay.

And the chief like kind of

looked to the side, and said,

"I thought I told you guys

to get rid of that cat."

We were like, yeah, but

he kind of lives here now.

The chief started petting

him, and he's like,

well, if he's going to stay,

we need to get Flame his sh*ts,

and its history since then.

Everybody has a hand in

taking care of him day to day.

Flame stays in the base

where the trucks are.

And we've tried to bring him

inside, and he doesn't like it.

He likes being out in the bays,

being able to venture

around when he wants.

He's very in tuned with us,

with the trucks, with the tones.

In the summertime, he'll

lay up on the diamond plate

on the bumpers of the

trucks where it's cooler,

but just the flip of the

battery switch he jumps,

and he'll either run

to the back of the bay

'cause we pull our

trucks out of the front,

or he'll go over near where

our gear is to the side.

He's never gotten in the way.

He's never accidentally

got on a call, or anything.

He just knows, oh, it's

time to get out of the way.

I'm not a big fan

of the cold weather.

Definitely don't like

snow, but Tora does,

so I have to go along

with it for her.

Anytime we get her in the snow,

we have a hard time getting

her to leave after that.

My name is David Durst,

and I'm from Fruitland

Park, Florida.

There's definitely

a lot of stereotypes

about the average trucker.

A lot of people think we're

generally an overweight,

50-year-old Southern guy, and

that's all there is to us.

We hear that all the time,

but I think trucking is a

lot more diverse of a group

than most people expect.

There's many different countries

that people come from to

come here, and do this.

A lot of different

personalities.

You meet so many

different characters.

More and more companies

are actually moving

towards allowing pets.

With other truckers

it's mainly dogs.

That's definitely the

most popular animal.

Then next would be cats.

And then after that you

get a bunch of crazy stuff,

like, squirrels and birds.

And we've heard a story

about a guy with a donkey.

We don't know if that's true,

but that's been

passed around a lot.

So, hopefully, he's out there.

I went into trucking

almost two years ago.

At that point in my life

I really wanted to travel,

but I never felt like

I had enough time.

And if I had the time, then

I didn't have the money,

but I really enjoy

driving as well.

I figured I could drive and

get paid for it, and travel.

I went into it and haven't

regretted it ever since.

We're out on the road so

often it gets very tiring.

It feels more like a job

than having fun sometimes

'cause I got in it having fun.

We're out on the road so often.

This most recent time

we've been out here

close to four months,

but with her it makes

it feel like home.

Before trucking we were

very big into hiking.

Obviously, that's not

possible in trucking anymore

unless we're at home.

We would shut down at

the end of the day,

wake up and have

truck stop food,

and then drive and

then go to sleep again.

And we didn't

really get out much,

but since having her,

we want to provide her

with as good of a life

as we possibly can.

And for her that's

getting outside,

and walking, and exploring.

I don't think she

really recognizes places

that we've already

been as favorite spots

unless it's somewhere like home.

She definitely recognizes home,

but other than that,

I think she just

takes everything in,

and it's a completely new

experience for her every time.

There's been really remarkable

places that we've been,

and she's blown away by it.

So the second time

we went, we thought,

okay, she'll know this place,

and she'll remember it,

but it was brand new to her,

and just blew her mind again.

She's much more

comfortable in places

that are a little bit

off of the beaten path.

She likes to walk on

trails a little bit,

but then if she can get off and

explore her own little area,

that's where she really

gets into her groove.

If there's something to

climb, she loves that.

She loves climbing trees.

If there's a rock formation,

she can get on top of she's

going to get on top of it.

And up you go.

Get down.

Did you get it?

Before this, I hadn't

had really any interest

in photography.

I wasn't even the one

taking the pictures.

And then once we got a camera,

I started experimenting

a little bit

with taking the

pictures of Tora,

and being the one more

involved with that.

Getting into photography,

brought out a more

creative side of me.

I never really had, like,

an interest in fashion,

or anything like that.

I like dressing her up

in cool stuff, and, like,

somewhat playing into trucker's

stereotypes, that's fun.

In terms of how many

outfits she has,

that's not a number I know

off the top of my head,

but it's probably closer to 150.

And then under here

we have her scarves,

and she has a lot of those.

She's got a little cowboy hat.

Then these are

all just bandanas.

More colorful ones up

here that are reversible.

Fringe with some more,

like, earth tones.

And then the more

colorful ones are in here.

Do you know off

the top of your head

how many scarves she has?

I can give you an actual number,

if you guys want,

like, actual numbers.

She has everything, like,

recorded on her phone.

That way she doesn't purchase

the same thing again.

We do a lot of meetups,

and that was never something

that we planned on doing

when we first got her.

We never planned on

having a following,

and having people

want to meet our cat,

but the bigger we got online,

the more people started

reaching out to us,

and wanting to meet us.

We just decided it would

be something fun to do

because it made

other people happy.

I found out about Tora on

Reddit, she made the front page.

I found out this morning

they were doing a

little meet and greet,

so I was like, okay, done deal.

I'm driving up, a little

stalkerish I know.

She's adorable, I

love cats, love them.

We've had a couple people

travel over 100 miles

just to meet her.

I think the farthest

one was 300,

and he was willing

to make it that day

'cause I usually

tell people, like,

we'll get to your area eventually.

Even if we have to, like,

schedule time off

to meet you there.

Don't drive 300 miles

to meet my cat, please.

David actually ended

up getting a place

with Breaking Ground.

He actually didn't believe

it when they told him

that he had a place 'cause

he was waiting so long,

and his jaw dropped.

Now we move the goal post.

The goal was get him a

place, him and Lucky.

And then he's gonna get healthy.

He's gonna find a way to get

treatment, get looked at,

and really address

the health problems.

He was only in the

place with Lucky

for I'd say maybe a

week, week and a half.

And that was at the point

when the medical

ball started rolling.

And that started rolling

really, really fast.

So he did go up to

Metropolitan Hospital,

and, unfortunately, he

didn't get the best of news.

He has a tumor in his arm.

It looks like it's a

rare form of cancer.

There's a possibility that

in order to save his life,

they actually have

to amputate his arm.

It looked like he was gonna

be admitted to the hospital.

Again, David's first thought is

what am I gonna do with Lucky?

Eight months ago, I met Pamela,

a young lady who was passing

by after work every day.

We become close friends,

and she offer me, she said,

I can take him just

take care of yourself.

Go in the hospital, do

whatever you have to do.

And she took him.

He's on my mind constantly,

but most important

thing I know he's happy.

She's really taking good

care of my baby boy.

She offered me to bring me

couple days to reunite him,

but I don't wanna put him

through that, you know.

It's so hard to say bye again.

So I just have to have

patience, couple more weeks,

and I see him soon.

Dave, Dave, what's up bud?

It's Chris, I'm

actually out front.

Looking sharp, looking

sharp, how are you?

I'm okay.

Everything good?

Everything will be fine.

So I'm sleeping.

It's nighttime, two,

three, in the morning,

sleeping I'm out.

Feel a little paw

right on my face.

I kid you not, last night.

A little paw on my

face scratching.

You know, I want to be mad.

I want to be mad at her.

You want to sleep.

Why are you doing it?

She wants to burrow.

She wants to go

under the covers.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

And find, like, the

tightest little spot.

Warm spot.

The tightest warm spot, and

just curl up, and go to sleep.

With you, oh, my God.

So if she can't get

right under the covers,

she was gonna let me

know, and she let me know.

Before I forget, my mom called

me yesterday, and she said,

"You're gonna see

David tomorrow?"

I said, "Yeah, I'm

gonna see David."

She said, "I have

something for him."

It's a little bit late,

but it's a housewarming

gift number one.

And the main one is

kind of a get well soon.

Thank you.

She wants you to

take care of yourself.

She sends her love.

She sends her regards.

A little something for you,

and she had to put Hello Kitty.

Yes.

She's got Hello Kitty here.

It's pretty though.

Sure, speaking of Pez, I

got to show you pictures.

- Thank you so much.

- Yeah, you're welcome.

I appreciate.

I got to show you pictures.

Do you see why Lucky

reminded me of her?

When I first saw Lucky,

I said, it's like a

boy Pez, you know?

Does Lucky do that?

I love, no, maybe couple times,

but he don't laying down just.

She's like really orange here.

You know, like Pez

is a little more red.

Lucky's got a little more brown.

Yes, I'd say gray.

Yeah, a little

gray too, he's cute.

I want to rest up because

I have really God willing,

I don't lose my arm

up to I recuperate.

I will try more harder

than before to get a job.

So I gave my baby

boy life he deserves.

I'm sorry, when I

think about him.

Just find a job and get

back on my feet fix my life.

It's been too long.

I've been on the

street too long.

With another day

of fast-moving developments.

They're declaring

a state of emergency.

Providing the actions of them

are to reduce the

number of people.

This colony is feral.

They were living in this

area when we found them.

We got them spayed or

neutered several years ago.

They're part of my

daily routine now,

and part of our family.

My name is Will Zweigart.

I live in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

And by day I work

in advertising,

and on nights and weekends,

I help to rescue cats.

For decades, New York City

has been under-funded,

and under-resourced when

it comes to animal welfare.

Right now, we don't even have

an animal welfare department.

The programs are all under

the Department of Health,

which is to protect people.

If you map out where is there

a street cat population

problem in Brooklyn,

unsurprisingly, it's in

traditionally lower income,

underserved areas.

These are areas that

have seen systemic,

and structural

inequality for decades.

So the fact that we have

tens of thousands

of cats outside

is from decades of

under-funding these programs,

like, spay/neuter.

Trap-Neuter-Return, or TNR,

is a humane method for

sterilizing feral cats

that are living outside.

I think they're

three months old.

I spend most of my free time

working on this as a project.

Because I have a full-time job,

this is left to

whenever I get a moment.

Trap-Neuter-Return is effective

if you're working

in a specific area,

and really working to sterilize

the majority of

cats in that area.

So that's why we're

called Flatbush Cats.

That's the area that we

serve in central Brooklyn.

When we moved here

a few years ago,

there were cats everywhere.

That was actually

when we began to learn

about Trap-Neuter-Return.

So even as lifelong cat lovers,

we didn't know anything about

what Trap-Neuter-Return is.

We asked around for help.

We assumed that someone else

would come and take care of it.

It took us several

months before we realized

that we were actually

someone else.

It's been a long effort to trap,

and sterilize all

of the feral cats

that were born outside

on this block alone.

We've probably rescued, or

TNR'd several dozen cats.

Two or three years ago,

I was feeding a dozen

cats here at night.

Now we're down to

just one or two cats

that a volunteer

leaves food for.

This is actually proof that

Trap-Neuter-Return works.

All of the cats that were feral,

that are sterilized are

no longer reproducing

having kittens that

suffer and die outside.

We found Teddy on the street.

He looked like a

discarded teddy bear

that someone had just

thrown on the street.

Ironically, I was

visiting that block

because I was about to begin

Trap-Neuter-Return project.

When you see a cat that

is dirty with matted fur,

really dehydrated,

just looking sick,

there's a really good chance

that that is actually

a friendly cat

because when a cat

is living indoors

for most of their lives,

they don't know how to fend

for themselves outside.

Teddy was in really bad shape.

He was in later stages

of kidney disease.

His body was about to shut down.

I'm really glad that we

found him when we did.

It's frankly a miracle that

he was able to recover,

and now enjoy such a

wonderful life indoors.

Prior to this experience,

I had done some consulting

with nonprofits,

but I'd never actually

run a nonprofit,

or had a leadership role.

I was always told,

you'll never raise money

unless you ask for it.

You have to ask, ask, ask.

I feel the more modern

version of that is

you have to document your work.

If you document your

work every single day,

you don't have to ask.

People see what you're doing.

They see where their

donations are going.

So we began to commit

early on to social media

as a means to literally

fund the work.

We were drowning in vet bills.

I figured if people could

see what we're seeing,

they couldn't walk by,

they would want to help.

In the process we met

so many supporters

that have really

encouraged us to grow,

and become a real nonprofit.

The most basic information

about cats and welfare

is not really being

shared with the public.

So most people don't

know what a feral cat is,

and they don't know

what socialization is.

Socialization is a window

of time to introduce the cat

to the loving indoor

life that they deserve.

When a kitten is around

six to eight weeks old,

that's the ideal time that

you have to bring them inside,

and get them accustomed

to being around people.

We kind of call

them spicy kittens.

It's a term used by other

foster, and rescue groups,

to describe cats

who are very hissy.

Really what you're

seeing is fear

because they haven't

been exposed to people,

they're trying to

defend themselves.

And so the spiciness, the

hissing, that's all fear.

That's all a desire

to protect themselves

because they don't know that

we're really here to help.

Socialization involves

spending several hours a day

with younger kittens,

and acclimating

them to indoor life.

You have to show

over and over again

that humans are not a thr*at.

In fact, humans are the source

of all of these amazing

things, like, tasty treats,

and food, and comfortable

places to nap.

This is Laszlo,

Mr. Big Belly.

This is Guillermo.

Cats teach me patience over

and over and over again.

I may be attached to

a certain outcome,

like, a cat warming

up to me quickly,

but we continually

have to respect,

and understand how they operate,

but I think it's so

interesting how much work,

and investment you have to

put in to earn a cat's trust.

To earn a cat's trust

means that you've really

proven yourself as a

trustworthy individual.

My name is Ryan Robertson.

What I love about doing stunt

work is that it's not work.

It's work because

you have to be on it

if you want to be safe,

and you want to have a

long career, but it's fun.

At first, I got into the

business to be an actor.

When I started doing

stunts, it was just, like,

oh, yeah, more of this.

We are a part of the

storytelling process.

We're just doing

the action of it,

like, the real guts,

and the meat and potatoes is

the majority of stunt work.

Physical fitness has always

been a big part of my life

because I started

training in martial arts

at five years old.

I run, I box, anything

to add to my skillset.

Toodles, where'd you go?

Toodles.

When I first got Toodles,

he was eight weeks old.

I didn't know

anything about cats.

My brother had a cat,

normal size cats.

Toodles weighs 25, 26

pounds, he's a big boy.

Besides, of course, like tigers,

and other cats that are

bigger I didn't know that,

like, house cats can

do that, so, you know,

it was just like, man, he's

growing, he's getting bigger.

And then somebody told me like,

yeah, Maine c*ons get big.

Toodles is only three,

so I don't know how

big he's gonna get,

but, you know, who knows?

The bigger, the better,

I guess, it would be fun.

Then I'll be out here walking

them around the block,

and people will

think I have a lion.

He's a big boy,

happy, he gets fed,

and gets his playtime,

gets his exercise,

but, you know, he's big boned.

I've never seen a

cat like Toodles.

I don't know how other cats are.

Cats that I see in movies

that's all I have to go by.

I come down, like, four a.m.

And then I as soon as

I get this and hears,

I hear doo, doo, doo, doo, doo,

footsteps coming down right

into the food, or he'll be like.

Exactly, look, he's like,

hey, man, why you got

that food out there for?

I know, man, I know,

I'm about to feed you.

He likes the little

meaty pieces.

Uh-huh, keep talking, buddy.

Yeah, all you're saying

is the same thing.

I got you, okay.

Toodles changed everything

that I thought about cats.

When I grew up, my mother

was always afraid of animals,

so I never grew up with

pets, so I shared her fear.

Oh, you're finished,

huh, Toodles?

When we moved here we

were like, you know what?

We didn't really

need a living room.

We wanted a place to work out,

and we made the

living room a gym.

My name is Megan,

Ryan is my boyfriend.

And Toodles is now

my adoptive son.

A couple times.

Yeah, a couple times, you

do it, like, three times.

One, two, three,

two, hit, uh, uh, uh.

Two, three, two, ready, hit.

Ryan and I met

a couple years ago

at a stunt type gathering.

We became friends,

like, we hit it off.

Well, obviously we

have stuff in common.

About a year, or so went by,

and I needed actual

boxing training.

And so many people have

been trained by him,

and been recommending him,

I was like, all right.

When we first started, like,

talking more than just,

you know, training, he sent

me a picture of his cat,

and he's, like, holding Toodles.

Like, I already

thought Ryan was cute,

and, like, something

was special with him.

When he showed me that picture

of Toodles, I was like,

I got to see this cat,

and, you know, if

this guy has a cat,

like, I think I found the one,

like, already thinking, like,

crazy thoughts in my head.

He would joke all the time

that Toodles was his wing man.

I was like, yeah, man,

Toodles got me over

to your house, like.

The way Toodles happened,

it was, like, fate.

On Sundays at PetSmart they

have, like, pet adoptions.

And I was looking around,

and Toodles came up to me,

and I was like, oh, his

name was, like, Toodles.

I was like, oh, Toodles.

Oh, you look like a

Toodles, and that was it.

It was no question.

I've been in there before

just browsing, just looking,

not like, oh, I want to pick

out a cat, pick out a dog.

I didn't go in there for that,

but Toodles was like,

you taking me home today.

And I was like, you right.

What they had told me was that

somebody had, like,

tossed him out a car,

or something like that.

Workout, playtime

is fun with Toodles.

I never knew this about cats.

As soon as they see that red

dot that they cannot resist it.

Toodles in his old age has

gotten, like, after a while

it was like, ah, I

know I can't catch it.

So he just watches

it, but, you know,

when he has his energy, like,

in the morning, especially,

he'll jump up the wall.

If you see a man

care for something

that's not himself

it's attractive.

I don't even know if

I've ever dated a guy,

and admitted, like, how

much I love cats to them.

To me, I thought

I'd have a situation

where I'd teach the

guy cats are cool.

I didn't really think

I'd run into someone

who already loved cats, and

had, like, the coolest cat ever.

It was a win-win.

I always forget it's supposed

to be always like this,

standing upright.

Third surgery was right

now I went through.

It's they cut my

tumor, clean up,

and cut bone, a

piece of bone out.

Next surgery will

be on my left arm.

Fourth, they want to put,

straight out my hand's

cut the tendons,

and I have better

dexterity, I can grab stuff.

I can be getting

work, you know, job.

It's easier for me

to move around stuff.

I wish I can have my baby boy

here, but it's impossible.

I talk to Pam on her Facebook,

and she tries to

always bring him.

And, you know, I call him,

he just look up around hears

my voice looking for me.

I miss him very much.

Okay, come here.

Luck, such a good boy.

When he first got here, he loved

to run as fast as he could.

I guess, being down in the city

in that confined little

area he couldn't run,

but my God, this guy is fast.

I work as an executive

assistant in Midtown Manhattan.

I go back and forth

between two offices,

and that's really

how I met David.

I was walking from one office

to another, and he was there.

And it's developed into

a very good friendship,

so we're lucky.

He had talked about

going to the hospital,

and I figured that

he was worried about

what would he do with Lucky?

So I would tell him from

time to time, don't worry.

I could take Lucky.

I know he was thinking about it,

and it was hard for him

to give me Lucky to watch.

I took Lucky January

31st of this year.

I thought it was only going

to be, like, four weeks maybe,

but then as things were postponed,

and operations, and that,

and so, but I know David knows

that I'll take care of him

for as long as he needs me to.

That's not a problem at all.

I don't think he was

the typical outdoor cat

because he was so confined

to that small little area

where he was with David,

but when he walked in there was

no adjustment period at all.

I mean, he walked in,

and it's like, I'm here.

Loki and Lucky, the two males

got along very well

from the beginning.

And maybe that's

because Loki is older.

Lucky is relatively young.

So there wasn't any kind

of fighting, or anything.

I mean, they followed

each other around.

It was almost like

Lucky was looking at him

to see what he should do.

And they were very close

from the beginning.

They sleep together,

they sleep all entwined,

and actually he holds onto him,

but he's very gentle, Loki.

I've never seen him fight.

Well, they play and

they're very rough playing,

but they're only playing.

I cannot believe how

good hands he is right now.

They sleeping together.

They never sleep separate.

Every night they sleep together.

Every time you call Lucky,

Loki comes with

him, they both come.

They really fall in love.

He have really,

really good friend.

The doctor ordered

blood transfusions.

So they gave me, like,

three packs of blood

transfusions all night.

It's Chris calling.

Hey buddy.

Hey, how are you buddy?

How are you feeling?

I'm okay.

I'm sorry I missed your

call because Robert is here.

You remember camera guy, Robin?

Hang on.

That was it, hey, that's right.

What's going on with, so

when is the next surgery?

I'm starting chemo.

They gave me green

light this week,

I guess, after surgery,

maybe surgery be Tuesday.

This medical process

has been drawn out.

I feel like it's probably

been drawn out a lot longer

than David expected,

but he's managing to

keep his eye on the prize

of getting healthy

with the knowledge that

he's gonna get Lucky back.

My name is Peter Mares.

I've always liked to

think of creative names.

For some reason,

I really couldn't think

of a good name for Keys

other than her toes

look like a keyboard.

So I actually named her

Keyboard in the beginning.

And then I was dating

somebody at the time,

and she came over, and she

was checking Keyboard out.

And she said, "What

would you name it?"

I said, you know, Keyboard?

She said, "Well, why don't

you just shorten it to Keys?"

And I thought that

sounds really good.

It suggests a lot

of things, you know,

like, keys to your heart, or

keys to the secrets of life.

One summer morning,

all of a sudden

she just rose up with

her paws up in the air.

The light shining

through the blinds

just made it look

so, like, heavenly.

And I thought, man, I got

to tell people about this,

but then the next

morning she did it again.

Then I figured, well, she might

do it three times in a row.

So the next morning I

had my camera ready,

and I got some sort of

fuzzy picture of it,

but, you know, I could just

prove to my friends, like,

look, she actually did it.

I used to have dogs.

So I would train my dog,

give them a treat after

they'd do something

that I wanted them to do.

So I figured, okay, it should

work the same with cats.

It was a bit trickier,

but when she did it again,

the closest thing I had

to me was coconut oil

because I used to put it on

my cancer wound that I got.

I just grabbed some coconut

oil, and she went nuts for it.

Here you go, p*ssy, here

you go, p*ssy, here you go.

She did it again.

I just kept pointing

my camera phone at her,

and she would do it,

and then I'd give her the

coconut oil right away.

She just somehow realized

that if I do this

little stand for him,

I'm gonna get the coconut oil.

I took this really great

photo of Keys outside.

I mean, it's picture-perfect.

It's the one we use as our logo.

A friend of mine, she sent

me a message on Facebook,

and said, "Do you mind if

I use this photo somewhere,

like, in a contest?"

So she posted it on Imgur,

some site in England.

And supposedly it sh*t up

to the number one photo.

They're the ones who

called it the Goal Kitty.

We started an Instagram on it

because there was

some media interest.

They want to know

who owns this cat?

You know, where does

this cat come from?

"People" magazine did

a little spread on her,

here, where it says

27.9 followers,

and she wants a hug.

This artist is really into cats.

She instantly fell in

love with Goal Kitty,

and started following it.

Then asked my permission if

she could paint Goal Kitty

for some art exhibition

she was gonna do.

The art exhibition

had come and gone.

No one had bought it,

and I thought, really?

I made her a decent offer,

and she countered,

and we had a deal.

She's getting all

this attention.

So I started thinking about,

okay, how could I

market this cat?

We even got an official

trademark on her.

I've invested some of my

tax money on merchandise.

These are kind of

nice and popular.

I own one of these

black ones here.

Anyhow, that's the

Goal Kitty trucker hat.

The coolie, or koozies,

whatever they call these

things here for your drinks.

And these are kind

of popular, also.

She's a comical cat,

and so if you have a sense

of humor, you kind of get it.

I think it just

fascinates people.

Also, I think that

it's positive.

She brings joy to

a lot of people.

Zulu.

Zulu.

Zulu.

I can't find him right now

so I can ring him here.

Zulu, are you over here?

Oh, there you are.

Hey, fluffy.

Want to go back inside?

It's time to go inside.

Come on, straight for them.

As horrible as the pandemic

situation has been,

the up side for me has been

that I am no longer tied

down to San Francisco,

and I don't have

to live as close.

I don't feel comfortable moving

far away from San Francisco,

but I do feel comfortable

moving a couple of hours out.

And that's how I ended up

here in Santa Cruz County

in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

For us, it's been great, and

the cats have just loved it.

They're just sprinting

around the house.

Zulu.

Ready, Zulu?

Come on, Zulu.

Come on.

Zulu.

We don't have to bring them

outside as much we found

because they have

this enclosed patio

that they can just sit here,

and watch different

wildlife outside.

They hang out here the

majority of the day.

They're either sleeping here,

or they're just sitting

and staring out,

staring at the

different wildlife.

At nighttime, the same thing,

they're out here just listening,

and you can see their

ears constantly twitching.

I've always shied away from

responsibility and attachment,

and things that

would tie me down.

I've always enjoyed the

wandering lifestyle.

To be honest, like, even

when I was wandering,

and going from place to place,

I've definitely yearned

for a home base.

And now I feel like I have it.

At the live news desk

monitoring a huge wildfire,

threatening a lot of homes

right now in the South Bay.

The communities that are

under evacuation orders,

Boulder Creek, that

city is threatened.

The wildfire

in Santa Cruz Mountains

is exploding in size now 48,000

acres, and zero containment.

Some parts of Boulder Creek

have been hit

harder than others.

The fire generally stayed on

the west side of Highway Nine.

That's the side we're on.

At the time there's so much

things you're thinking about,

pare it down to

what's important.

Like, okay, us and our cats.

That's really the only thing

that we need to leave with.

Everything else will be fine.

Usually, I might just

like, let Zulu out,

and let him walk

himself to the car.

We're very conscious of, like,

now is not the time

to lose the cats,

like, we cannot lose them.

We need to, like, make

sure that they are safe.

Come on.

Yeah, all of this.

There's no reason this

house should be standing,

other than the fact

that it was defended.

I mean, I was

honestly speechless.

I was shocked that

it got so close,

but didn't take our house.

It's a lot to process.

If you go up

here up this mountain,

which is where I

would walk every day,

most of those houses are gone.

The evacuation would have

been a lot more stressful

if our cats weren't so

accustomed to just, like,

being loaded into the car.

I mean, they love the car.

They just, like, lounge it's

like a vacation for them.

We're still without power here,

and we're going on four weeks.

The water has benzene in it.

They're working around the clock

trying to fix these things.

Clearing out trees that have

already fallen, or at risk.

Once we got

settled in the hotel room,

it was super nice to have my

cat around just day-to-day.

Hi Fitzby.

They've adapted

to life in the hotel.

I mean, they're

such adaptable cats.

Zulu will meow at

the hotel room door.

He's getting used to it now,

like, now we hop out

of the hotel room.

We walk down to

the elevator lobby.

He patiently waits for the ding.

As soon as he hears the ding,

he gets closer to the door

'cause he knows

it's gonna open up.

He usually says hi to the

people at the reception desk.

With some hotels they

would allow dogs,

but they wouldn't allow cats.

Come here.

I think he associates head

bumps with treats now.

I don't know what our

future plans will be.

Potentially staying here,

potentially leaving.

Who knows what the

immediate future holds?

It's a high stress job.

You don't even notice it

when you start petting him,

playing with him, but he's just,

like, he takes your

mind out of it,

and something that's innocent

in the midst of chaos.

I think having an

animal in a fire station

is a great, great thing.

Just from having Flame here,

every department should

have some sort of animal.

I remember one of

the fire departments

was forcing their guys

to get rid of their cat.

This is Edna.

She has called Station 49 in

the Bayview District home,

since she was rescued as a

stray kitten five years ago.

The department says while

animals can be comforting,

Edna will still have to go.

We did a couple of posts

to bring awareness to it.

The fire chief got

15,000 emails that day.

We posted on his page.

We know how much we

appreciate having Flame,

and love having him here,

how much a part of

the family he is,

and how unanimously loved

Flame is by everybody,

it kills us to think

that other people

are trying to take it away

from other firefighters.

Burnout is a very real thr*at,

and it's constant and pervasive.

You have to give a lot of

yourself to do this work,

and, although, it's

very rewarding,

it can definitely feel endless.

It can be stressful

just taking a walk.

You may be faced with

a medical emergency,

just walking down the sidewalk.

I definitely feel a sense

of purpose in this work.

The immediate gratification of

taking a cat off the street,

getting it cleaned up,

finding it a comfortable home,

and then seeing it on

Instagram six months later

napping on a couch in the sun.

So we've been

here for about four months.

And as soon as we moved

into our new place,

we started noticing strays.

It's also during COVID,

so most places just

weren't accepting strays

for a couple of months 'til

things could get sorted.

Now we found some spots that

will allow us to take them in,

and they can get,

you know, fixed.

They can get their rabies sh*t.

We love having them,

we love feeding them.

We love building them

their little homes,

and their kitty condo

we call it outside.

And just making the best

life for them that we can.

It got to a point where, like,

it was a lot of cats out here.

You know what I mean?

Like, more than 12.

We have to do

something to help them,

and to find, like,

a home for them.

Ricky was just a

cat in the back,

like, he hopped the

fence and come over.

And we just found out

all these little kittens

that are out here

they're Ricky's.

So Ricky's got to get taken in.

As much as I love cats,

I had no idea how to trap a cat.

Ryan had no idea

how to trap a cat.

So we started watching

videos on how to trap,

and follow a couple of

people on Instagram,

like, okay, what's

the best practices?

We spend billions of

dollars on shelters,

euthanizing cats,

keeping cats in shelters

that we can't find homes for.

If we put a fraction

of those resources

towards free spay/neuter,

then we would actually

be spending less

on animal welfare nationwide.

And the same is true for

health care for people.

Oh boy, my baby boy.

Good boy, good boy,

such a good boy.

Huh?

Who did this, huh?

You had fight with Loki?

Loki b*at you, Loki

b*at you, eh, buddy boy,

and scratches here,

too, oh, my God.

You've been in a

w*r, what's wrong?

I didn't know

about this scratch.

That's a doggy right

there, baby, doggy.

February, March,

April, May, June, July,

August, September,

October, nine months.

From two years I miss

nine months of his life.

First two weeks, you won't

believe it I cry in sleep.

I was going crazy.

There he is.

How are you, buddy?

David, you have no

idea how good it is to see you.

Oh, he looks good.

Yeah, but too scared,

eight months, he never go

outside, so he's shaking.

Oh yeah.

Tomorrow he coming with me.

All nurses want to meet him.

Really?

We're going tomorrow, yes.

That you can bring him?

Yeah.

Wow.

You know, he's...

Therapy.

Therapy animal, yeah.

Sure.

I have papers they

cannot mess with me, so.

He looks like he's

at home right on your lap.

It's like coming home.

You know what I mean, Dave?

How have you been doing?

How's the arms?

Bad.

Not good.

This one healed,

but I cannot move because

one bone is missing.

So it's harder to use

than I was using before.

So it's like stuck

this position.

They say it's not curable,

but they at least keep at bay.

Right, I remember

you had told me that.

But right now it's, you know,

when it takes so much energy

from me, and I can move now,

it's already getting worse, so.

David, the last time I saw you,

you were in Metropolitan

Hospital in a tiny room.

Is it good to be out of there?

I was going crazy in there.

Yeah, I know, well, yeah.

- You brought me food.

- I know.

It was so bad

food inside, oh, my God.

Yeah, yeah, it was bad.

You and Pam, yeah.

Yeah, the cheeseburgers, right?

The food was terrible.

Listen, I kept that

McDonald's on Second Avenue

in business when

I came, you know?

That's true, that's true.

I think I got four

to six cheeseburgers at a time.

Yeah, always.

To stock you up a little bit.

Oh God, bless, thank you, Chris.

It used to be the number two,

and now it's not the number two.

I never forget that.

Bad stuff makes, you

know, good memories

always makes really good.

Yeah, yeah.

Thank you so much.

It's the least I could do.

How is your place?

70% have lice.

No.

The landlord told

me don't ever touch anything.

Don't speak to no one,

just keep to yourself.

Stay in your room.

I don't know, I'm

just too tired.

And, you know, slowly, slowly,

that hope was, I had hope,

it slowly just.

I know, you still got to have.

You have some, right?

You got some, don't you?

I'm still fighting,

but I'm still fighting because

of him be honest with you.

That's fine.

I'm so tired,

but this guy is

keeping me alive still.

You know what

you're going through

much better than I do,

but you just got to

keep on trucking.

He's right there.

He's right there

in front of you.

Thank you.

You know, and that's

what we all want for you.

I know, Chris.

We'll do anything we can.

Thank you, guys.

Hopefully, everything go

positive way, but I'm tired just.

I know, stay strong,

strongest guy I've ever met.

I'm smiling under this mask.

It's so good to see him, and

see you, most importantly.

To see David kind of undergo

what he did, all the surgeries.

I really can't wrap my

brain around how he does it.

And he just perseveres

without being able to

see the end in sight.

He doesn't know where

the finish line is.

The finish line may not

be a good thing for him.

He just continues the course,

regardless of where

his spirits are,

regardless of what the

doctors are telling them.

And to me, it's so admirable

because I don't know if I

could do something like that.

Lucky was always, like, a

pillar of strength for him.

It was a reason for

him to keep going on.

To not have Lucky around,

there's no substitute

for being face-to-face.

I think during a pandemic,

appreciation for our pets

has to be at an all-time high

because we're not able

to see our friends,

and families often.

We hear from a lot of

adopters how their new cats

have become this emotional

support companion.

And a lot of them expected that,

but they couldn't

have anticipated

what a critical role that cat

would play as a family member,

as someone to be there for

them through tough times.

Unquestionably,

cats and all pets

play a really critical role in

our own emotional well-being.

I think they're part

of our self-care.

They're part of a

good daily ritual,

and we know that

caring for others

can be a source of fulfillment.

And I think that's

certainly true for cats.

Men have always loved cats.

I think it's becoming a little

bit more socially acceptable.

Some of those old stereotypes

that were harmful and useless

are fading away.

If you think about how

we're defining masculinity,

I mean, caring for others,

being able to protect others,

that's the foundation

of strength.

You don't even notice it

when you start petting,

and playing with him,

but he's just, like, he

takes your mind out of it.

Looking back on it you can

go, he come jump up on me,

and I forgot about that

call for a few minutes.

Coming home and

having something there,

excited to see you

every time is huge.

I mean, you put in

a long day at work,

and you come home to

an empty apartment,

it's kind of depressing.

Cats are just kind of sensitive.

I think you just have to be

patient and calm with them.

Guys need to learn

some of those traits.

We have people

comment anonymously

on our YouTube videos,

and say I'm a 6'2",

250 pound, ex-Marine,

and I'm crying like

a baby at this video.

And they talk about

it like it's something

that would be viewed

as a sign of weakness.

Being able to show compassion,

that's what leadership

is all about.

So to me, it's redefining

what strength looks like,

and how it's more

diverse and dynamic

than we maybe originally

thought about it as.

So this is Pez.

My wife wanted a cat

for God knows how long,

and I'd have to hear

it all the time.

Why can't we get a cat?

Why can't we get a cat?

And I just was against it.

And then as soon as I saw Pez,

I absolutely fell

in love with her,

but if it wasn't for her,

I wouldn't know any better.

Right, Pez?

Good girl.

Oh, yeah.

I guess I was a

cat guy all along,

and I never really knew it,

but you brought

that out of me, Pez.

You let me know that

I was a cat guy.

Well, we met in Las Vegas.

Peter was there for his

brother's bachelor party.

Well, I brought up Goal Kitty.

That was my way to

get to talk with her.

And she said, "Oh, I love cats."

Hi.

So this is my boy,

Hachi, my little baby.

We're gonna keep working

until we've increased

the capacity for

spay/neuter in Brooklyn.

I founded this organization

to solve a problem.

I'm happy to retire.

I've already set a

retirement date of 2030,

and that just keeps me focused.

And, you know, if

we're being proactive,

we should be able

to address this.