Jackson Galaxy, the cat behaviorist and host of Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell, penned his first book Cat Daddy about raising a cat named Benny, who ultimately helped save his life.

Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Saved His Life

While working at a local shelter, Galaxy decided to foster a cat who’d been brought to the facility after he’d been hit by a car. Before long, Galaxy decided he wasn’t much of a foster parent and decided to give Benny a home. “He was a busted up cat who was hit by a car right before he came to be in my life. I fostered him for a little while and of course failed at being a foster parent and wound up adopting him,” Galaxy told uInterview exclusively.

As it turned out, Galaxy didn’t know what he was about to get himself into with Benny. The cat ended up needing more than a house and a human to feed him; Benny needed an outstanding amount of attention to help right the damage done to him while living as a stray.

“He was an incredibly challenging cat both in behavior, physically, and emotionally,” revealed Galaxy. “There was so much about him that challenged me everyday.”

While Galaxy helped Benny acclimate to domestication, Benny helped Galaxy face his addiction battle head-on and emerge on the other side. Essentially, according to Galaxy, Benny saved his life.

“I don’t think I would be here [without him],” Galaxy told uInterview. “My problems with addiction are well documented in the book. Benny and the other animals in my life pulled me out of that tailspin, so I wouldn’t be here without him.”

“My first book, Cat Daddy, was about my relationship with Benny. Benny was a cat who came to me while I was working at the shelter. He was a busted up cat who was hit by a car right before he came to be in my life.  I fostered him for a little while and of course failed at being a foster parent and wound up adopting him. He was an incredibly challenging cat both in behavior, physically, and emotionally. There was so much about him that challenged me everyday. First of all, I don’t think I would be here. My problems with addiction are well documented in the book. Benny and the other animals in my life pulled me out of that tailspin, so I wouldn’t be here without him. The other thing is, I definitely wouldn’t be a cat behaviorist without having to constantly rise to the challenge of dealing with Benny.”