Cat Daddies

Greetings again from the darkness. There are so many ways to divide the world, but few lines of demarcation are clearer than 'dog people' versus 'cat people'. Being firmly planted in the former group, while being confounded by the latter, it was for edification purposes that I agreed to watch Mye Hoang's documentary. We got off to a rocky start when a Mark Twain quote popped up: "When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction." Nope, Mr. Twain and I will simply disagree on this.

We are all too familiar with "crazy cat lady" syndrome - an often reclusive, usually elderly woman, whose love of cats has resulted in a veritable feline zoo in her home. The memes are all over social media, and they are usually good for a chuckle and a cringe. But what about the stereotype of men and cats? In the 1970's and 80's the catchphrase was "Real men don't eat quiche", and there was even a (comical) best-selling book by that title. But men with cats ... well that's a stereotype that never needed a book. Even many women shy away from the guy with a cat. It's this baggage and history that inspired Ms. Hoang to explore the topic. Well that, plus her own husband's personality shift associated with a cat.

The filmmaker first introduces us to "Nathan the cat lady", which is how he's known to his 300,000 Instagram followers. He's an actor and has 4 cats, each of whom play into his popular, often humorous posts. But it's not all fun and games for Ms. Hoang. As she shifts from California to New York City, the camera turns to David, a homeless immigrant and former construction worker. David's story is the most poignant, and actually seems a bit out of place with the other 8 subjects in the film. In fact, David and his cat and his story could easily have been the focus of an interesting documentary short.

"Real men" and their cats make up most of the rest of the film. A fireman, long-haul trucker, trainer/stuntman, and avid hiker are included. Each offers up a tale of how their own mental well-being was transformed by their pet cat. There is also a segment on a non-profit cat rescuer whose mission is to minimize the number of stray cats strutting aimlessly. Perhaps these stories resonate a bit more as we approach two years on the pandemic calendar. One thing is certain, in a purr-fect world, cat ladies will now share the market with cat daddies.

The film had its World premiere at the 2021 Dallas International Film Festival, and will be featured at several other film festivals prior to year-end.

A purfect movie because it was very unique to see the several stories of how cats can affect people in a positive way. People don't realize the intelligence cats have overall and the emotional connection they can nurture with people, if only that person invests in them.

Also, just seeing the different ways people live life with cats, from homeless to firefighters, was definitely something that makes you think "I wonder how other people live with their cats and how they treat them?"

In close, when leaving the theater, I heard someone say "I think I'm going to get a cat!" That says it all, doesn't it?

I caught 'Cat Daddies' last night at a showing in Columbus, OH and really enjoyed it! It's a pretty straightforward premise: the doc features 8 or so men and their pet cats and shows how their human-animal bond enhances the life of each "cat daddy". I kept expecting it to morph into a lecture on masculinity and the history of the femeninization of cat ownership (which I actually would have dug, too) but it didn't -- probably to its benefit.

The issues of gender, the effects of global warming, the state of American healthcare, Covid, homelessness, race, poverty, social media, etc are all present and important parts of these men's lives -- but they are woven through the film in a skillfully apolitical way. By steering clear of a social "deep dive", 'Cat Daddies' allows the focus to stay on the individual, emotional bonds between men and their cats, and -- like pet ownership itself -- remains something (most) everyone will probably enjoy!

After this film, I was finally convinced that I am an unconditional cat person. A few stories, a few furry bundles of joy and pressing social issues. Perhaps the kindest documentary film you can imagine. It's also worth mentioning and thanking the MOYGOLOS studio, which did a great job dubbing the characters (with the exception of the cats, of course). In some places, I admit honestly, it becomes quite boring to watch due to the pace of the story. But on the other hand, this is a documentary, not an action film. 'Cats' is a calm, kind, sometimes sad, but not very interesting film. The biggest plus is that we are shown real people with their real stories. I think that partly thanks to this film, some people can pay attention to the problem of unfortunate homeless pets around the world and try to help at least financially. But from a purely cinematic point of view, I will say that the film is long and could have been made shorter by at least 1/3, or even half. But overall, the film is sweet and kind and leaves a pleasant aftertaste.

This was a cute idea for a documentary with the intent of (apparently) dispelling stereotypes about masculinity. Unfortunately it collapses under its own weight, often times reinforcing these stereotypes instead of correcting them.

The strange narrative of "I've never had a pet cat because I'm a dude" seems pretty ridiculous. The guys claim they've never been around cats and I think one says he'd never even seen one as a child. Did they all grow up on a deserted island??

Most people grow up with a cat, or have a friend who has a cat, or a relative, etc. Unless you have an allergy to cats, I don't understand how you can go your entire childhood without any interaction with a cat of some kind. The director presents cats as some rare and foreign species. It makes it difficult to take any of these stories seriously.

There are a few exceptions. I enjoyed the man who started a catch, spay/neuter, and release program in Brooklyn. That was awesome and even educational. The homeless man pulled at your heart strings. And I enjoyed the backstories of some of the social media famous cats.

But for every good moment, there is a counterbalance of truly cringy scenes. Multiple men joke about using their cats to score dates with women. It just reinforces this shallow stereotype of one-dimensional men who'll do anything to hook up.

How about featuring some truly authentic men who've loved cats their entire life with no ulterior motive? I know plenty of men at work who love cats without any qualms about masculinity. Again, this documentary claims to squash that stereotype, but only seems to reinforce it.

And it's interesting that gay men are completely erased from the narrative. A lot of gay men are cat lovers, so it would have been great to hear some stories from someone who's gay. Instead we see a lot of typical "bro" types who want a pat on the back for having a cat.

Ah, well. The cats themselves are adorable. I enjoyed seeing them and learning more about them.