- 4 weeks ago
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00:00There's really been a lot of dog-telling, hasn't there?
00:06For the love of dogs.
00:07There you go.
00:08Dogs behaving very badly.
00:10Top dog model.
00:11Underdog to super dog.
00:13Woof!
00:14Exclamation mark.
00:15Some of it is great.
00:17Some of it, not so much.
00:19Oh.
00:20Sorry, who is this?
00:21That's my dog.
00:22Is that a real show?
00:23One man and his dog.
00:25Help, why dogs...
00:26Help, why dogs as fat as me.
00:30Whereas cat TV, there's basically just this.
00:34Oh!
00:35And that cat is made of cloth.
00:38Sorry to crush your dreams.
00:40OK, Joe Brand did do a lovely kitten rescue show on Channel 5,
00:44but a general celebration of this country's and the world's
00:49second most popular pet?
00:51Where, in Bastet's name, is for the love of cats?
00:55Nowhere.
00:56Now, wait a minute.
00:58He's going to do a big jump.
00:59Oh, wow!
01:00This is an unbelievably brilliant animal.
01:02All right, I think I can get it.
01:03Whoa!
01:04Maybe not.
01:05In this three-part series, I'll be fulfilling a lifelong dream
01:08to spend most of my time with cats.
01:11Come on.
01:12Great.
01:13Like a mountain goat, except a mountain cat.
01:16They're not always easy to film with.
01:18Ah!
01:19He's a wiggly one.
01:20Oh, there we go.
01:21But that turns out to be half the fun.
01:23Come on, Zelda.
01:24I think Bella's winning.
01:26I'll be exploring pedigree cats.
01:29He's got a very incredible Star Wars face.
01:33Rescue cats.
01:34That's a very wobbly cat.
01:35Yes, we do get them quite a lot worse.
01:36I mean, it's sort of heartbreaking.
01:37It is also quite funny.
01:39Celebrity cats.
01:40Thanks.
01:41Larry wanted to come in.
01:42In the Netherlands, in Italy, we would have people come up
01:44and be like, oh my god, is that a cigarette?
01:46Wow.
01:47People couldn't decide whether he was extraordinarily beautiful or extraordinarily ugly.
01:53Celebrities with cats.
01:54Meow.
01:55Come on, Pats.
01:57Oh my god.
01:58What?
01:59She feels like a real cat.
02:00Yeah, because it's a real cat.
02:02Well, it's a dead real cat.
02:04Chairman Meow.
02:05That's a good name for a cat.
02:06Adolf Kittler.
02:07I can't have that, obviously.
02:08That's complicated.
02:09And cats with incredible skills.
02:11I can sense medical things way before they happen.
02:15That's extraordinary.
02:16Bye, Mr. Hammer.
02:17Most people don't know that cats can do this.
02:20Are you going to be called Cat Man now as a general thing?
02:23I'm not going to change my name.
02:24One really wants to stroke that name.
02:27A man with a cat is a more rounded person.
02:30Right now, I'm quite near fainting.
02:32He's got his ying and his yang.
02:35This is David Baddiel, Cat Man.
02:39Look over there.
02:48Why this lack of cats?
02:50Well, there are a lot of misconceptions about them.
02:52They're sneaky and lazy and selfish.
02:55But what cats actually are is very, very various.
03:00Dogs may be generally nice.
03:02Cats are not generally anything.
03:05Every cat is different.
03:07For example, here's my cat.
03:18Tiges, do you want to come out?
03:20You're not sure, are you?
03:21Zelda, do you want to come out?
03:23And finally, Ron.
03:25Tiger, by the way, has already got upstairs,
03:27which we were told we weren't allowed to use upstairs.
03:29Ron has gone behind that bit of wallpaper.
03:32Zelda.
03:33Zelda.
03:34Tiger is an incredibly lovely person.
03:39He's very keen to sort of help in a new situation.
03:42There isn't much he can actually help with,
03:44except making you feel better.
03:47Hello, Zelda.
03:48Zelda's quite vocal.
03:49She's hard work.
03:50She's a high-maintenance cat.
03:51But there's something to be winning about her.
03:54She works with this aesthetic.
03:58It's like 1960s beatnik thing.
04:00It's very Zelda.
04:02Ron is the biggest.
04:04He's got massive balls like baseball gloves.
04:06And despite having the strength of seven men,
04:08he is always a bit jumpy.
04:11The most nervy of my cats.
04:13One of my previous cats, Monkey,
04:14grew very fond of Ron in his old age.
04:17Monkey.
04:18Really very fond.
04:19Monkey.
04:20To be honest, Ron never does this at home,
04:23so this is a bit of a win for me.
04:31The other really weird thing about the lack of cats
04:34on our TV screens is that there does exist something now
04:38which demonstrates that people like seeing cats on screen.
04:43This thing is called the internet.
04:46And it has been won by porn.
04:49But then after that, by cats.
04:52It's not altogether a new thing.
04:54The first ever cat video, Boxing Cats,
04:58was made in 1894 by Thomas Edison.
05:02And I found that out on the internet.
05:06What's been your highest rating video?
05:08So we actually have one that's not on the bike.
05:11We're in the underground.
05:12And Sigrid gets into the tube and meets some people.
05:15Wow.
05:16That's got about 42 million views.
05:1742 million views.
05:19In the year of 2018,
05:20he went from like 40,000 to a million followers
05:23in less than a month.
05:24Right.
05:25I think it was one of the most viral videos of that year.
05:27Ma!
05:28Ma, there's a weird straight cat outside.
05:31It looks, it looks like grandma.
05:34Michael Rapaport shouting is one thing.
05:36But what's funny is Wilfred's completely deadpan face.
05:39If you look on YouTube or any other kind of streaming film,
05:42they film cats essentially being.
05:44My position is that whatever cats do,
05:46I never think it is.
05:48Have you not seen the one with the cats on the shelf?
05:50And the person's going,
05:51Don't do that.
05:52He knocks the glass.
05:53No, no, no.
05:54Don't do that.
05:55He knocks the glass.
05:56Then he knocks it off.
05:57That's great.
05:58No, no, that's a rascal cat.
05:59Yeah, rascal.
06:00That's a roguish, adorable rascal cat.
06:03You must get loads and loads of messages.
06:07Yeah, there's quite a few,
06:08but a lot of it's just saying, like,
06:10I love Lippy.
06:11How old's Lippy?
06:12Right.
06:13Where do you live?
06:14And stuff like that.
06:15But where do you live one's more friendly.
06:17Do you get said lots of stuff for him?
06:19We do.
06:20Mostly food and treats.
06:21Yeah.
06:22That, like, the tent was sent,
06:23the cat tree was sent,
06:24the cat scratching post was sent.
06:26It's really good.
06:27Yeah, yeah.
06:28So this is Louie.
06:30Hello, Louie.
06:33Louie is amazing.
06:34Does he go on here with that?
06:35He does, absolutely.
06:36He's allowed everywhere in the house.
06:37I mean, he's in charge.
06:38So he is a British Blue.
06:40He's British Blue.
06:41He's eight years old.
06:42Yeah.
06:43He's my first pet, actually.
06:48At what point did you start devoting your life to Louie?
06:51I was conscious that a lot of my friends are not cat people.
06:53Right.
06:54And I was probably littering their social medias with pictures of cats.
06:59So I thought, I'll make him his own account.
07:01Yeah.
07:02And when I set out, I had no intention of this ever becoming what it has.
07:09Obviously, there's loads of cats.
07:10Only certain cats spark.
07:12Yeah.
07:13And one wonders, what is it about Louie?
07:14I mean, he is beautiful, but...
07:16I think a cat that has a niche, a unique personality trait, a unique skill,
07:20a unique aesthetic of some form.
07:22Hmm.
07:23Shall we just have a quick look at Louie's social media page?
07:25This is Louie.
07:28And this is Louie sat on his Juliet balcony in Edinburgh.
07:32Who's talking?
07:33Who's that?
07:34A cheap David Attenborough, I think.
07:37I use editing software where they have a variety of voices.
07:41In my head, if he spoke, that's how he'd sound.
07:43Oh, really?
07:44Louie is eight years old.
07:46That's 48 in human years.
07:48An Aquarius, naturally, which means he's emotionally unavailable,
07:53but fascinating at dinner parties.
07:55So you wrote that?
07:56Yes.
07:57Tried to make it a bit funny.
07:58That is, like, properly character-written comedy.
08:01Yeah.
08:02Can you do a kissy?
08:03Kissy.
08:04Good boy.
08:05Do a twirl.
08:06Oh, good boy.
08:07Lovely twirl.
08:08Yeah.
08:09No, not her one.
08:10Yay!
08:11Sort of.
08:12That's right, yeah.
08:13High five.
08:14Yay!
08:15There you go.
08:16This is his page, is it?
08:17This is his page, yeah.
08:18What's it called?
08:19It's called Ragdoll Atticus.
08:20Recently hit 70k, so that's...
08:21That's great.
08:22...really good going.
08:23Going how long?
08:24A bit over a year.
08:25This is the one, so it's on 6.8 million views.
08:26Oh yeah, let me see that.
08:27It's day two of our 12 Days of Cat Enrichment miniseries, and today I got my cat a pet fish.
08:45I am interested in, like, the way that cat content goes viral, because there's a certain
08:52pace and a certain jump cuttiness.
08:54Yeah, obviously everyone these days has such a short tension span.
08:57It used to be, like, quick clips.
08:58Yeah, so fast.
08:59If it's too slow, they'll just, oh, scroll on to the next thing.
09:01Yeah, you know, people think that the internet is rotting our brains, and I think if it is,
09:05cat content is doing it in quite a nice way.
09:07Yeah.
09:08Because that's, I love that, that's such a sweet video.
09:10Isn't there anyone on a motorbike?
09:11Or was that there?
09:12I didn't...
09:13Yeah, I feel like the motorbike.
09:14He's a bad boy.
09:15Yeah, he looks like a real bad boy.
09:17It's terrifying, like a hell's angel in a kind of 1970s film.
09:21Exactly.
09:22Paramount asked us to recreate a Mission Impossible moment for the new parody.
09:28We're a mountain.
09:29We would like Atticus to do a parody of our film.
09:31Exactly.
09:32Very good.
09:33That wasn't all him, was it?
09:35He does have a stunt double in the prom.
09:37It was a stunt double.
09:38They pay you to do that.
09:39That's how we make a living, yeah, is through the brand deals.
09:42Wow.
09:43Can we see him on a motorbike?
09:44Yes.
09:45Oh, I know.
09:46Ready, Atticus?
09:47Wow.
09:48Good boy.
09:49Good boy.
09:50Clever.
09:51That's quite a tight turn coming up, Atticus.
09:52Wait to the left.
09:53Come on, Atticus.
09:54You can do it.
09:55Look at this.
09:56He's loving it.
09:57And we're going to make it.
09:58It's such a tight turn.
09:59Oh, no.
10:00His most viral video has over six million views.
10:02Show me that one.
10:03I've got on the balcony, I've got bird feeders, so when he looks at those, it's these noises.
10:19Oh, the noises, right.
10:21And I think I got 30, 40,000 followers just from that video alone.
10:26People love it.
10:28I love it.
10:29I'll tell you one thing I think that's incredibly sweet about it, is that this is a cat, you
10:34know, doing its kind of like, there's prey out there, there's birds out there, I could
10:37catch them, but then yawns in the middle of it.
10:39Well, exactly.
10:40It just shows the level of laziness.
10:42If a bird flew in the room, I just don't think he'd do anything.
10:48Just looking around here, Louis' brand is that he's essentially an aristocrat.
10:52You've got little Louis cushions and a caviar cushion.
10:56Does he like caviar?
10:57Yes, he does.
10:58For his birthday I get him caviar.
10:59Do you really?
11:00Yeah.
11:01He's a fussy eater.
11:02Do you know what's funny is actually, last week he stopped eating his normal food.
11:05Right.
11:06And I was quite worried.
11:07Yeah.
11:08But I think he was just making sure he looked particularly good for today.
11:10Yes.
11:11So I think he was a bit nervous about meeting you.
11:12Yeah.
11:13But yeah, I get given strange things and something I was given was this spray.
11:17So I'm very interested in this.
11:18Which is infused with catnip.
11:20This could be the answer to my prayers.
11:22By which I mean that cat, whoever it is, my cat, anyone's cat, it's ignoring me.
11:27I want it to be over here.
11:28It's just because of cheap.
11:29Cheap deodorant.
11:30Oh no, he's coming.
11:31He's coming.
11:32He's coming.
11:33He's coming.
11:34He's working.
11:35Oh, I'm so excited.
11:36Come on, Louis.
11:37Come on.
11:38Louis, I've absolutely made myself stink of catnip for you.
11:42You know.
11:43And he's definitely quite interested.
11:45Yeah.
11:46It's definitely kind of working.
11:48The other thing I have is catnip bubbles.
11:53Hours of fun.
11:55Oh, that's better.
11:57Oh, Louis.
11:58He's very judgmental of people being in the house, so you should feel quite honoured he's
12:01greeted you.
12:02Yeah, well he hasn't really greeted me.
12:03But he has decided to be over there.
12:06I think he's a good judge of character.
12:08And I mean, I think this is why cats are better than dogs, because you've got to earn
12:13their affection.
12:14Yeah.
12:15It's not a given.
12:16I think it's more rewarding.
12:17And I also don't like someone being that needy.
12:19No.
12:20He's quite aloof.
12:21No.
12:22So when he does come and sit by you, it feels more special.
12:37One thing I've noticed is that people passing by, Sigrid brings sort of immediate joy.
12:42Yeah.
12:43Yeah, very much so.
12:44In fact, some of my earlier posts were actually just sets of photos of people smiling at us.
12:49She just kind of spreads joy wherever she goes.
12:51Yeah.
12:56Do you make money from it?
12:58I do now, yeah.
12:59It is my full-time job.
13:00Quite a lot of people just donate a little bit of money every month for us to keep doing
13:03what we do.
13:04What do you do?
13:05Well, we go out and we just explore.
13:09We explore London.
13:10Right.
13:11By bike.
13:12Right.
13:13We meet people and we just kind of have like pleasant moments.
13:14People often describe them as, you know, feel-good videos.
13:16How does she get on with dogs and stuff?
13:19So she's kind of notorious for hating dogs.
13:23She will hiss at them.
13:25Okay.
13:26Even if we just cycle past, she'll hiss at them.
13:27Okay.
13:28And how are the dogs with it?
13:29The dogs are usually terrified.
13:31Right.
13:32Have you taken her anywhere out of London?
13:35Yeah, we've done a few trips.
13:36We went to southern Italy.
13:37Okay.
13:38We cycled through Belgium and the Netherlands over the course of a week.
13:41Wow.
13:42And surprisingly, she's internationally known.
13:43You know, even in the Netherlands and Italy, we would have people come up and be like,
13:46Oh my God, is that Sigrid?
13:47Right.
13:48And you know, just a few months ago, we rode all the way across England.
13:52We did, what was it, 500 miles over the course of eight days.
13:55We raised 30,000 pounds for charity.
13:57That's brilliant.
13:58Well done, Sigrid.
14:00Yeah, Sigrid agrees.
14:01Ron likes bongos.
14:05Do you know what that is?
14:06No.
14:07Okay.
14:08Drums?
14:09No.
14:10It's when you play the bongos on them.
14:11Gently, you just take their sort of rump and sort of bongo it.
14:15There we go.
14:16Oh God, he's so brilliant to hold.
14:19He's absolutely, what a great cat to hold.
14:22Okay.
14:23This is it.
14:24This is it.
14:25Bongo, bongo, bongo.
14:26Look at the ears.
14:27He does quite like it.
14:28I think he likes it.
14:29Bongo, bongo, bongo.
14:30Do you like the bongo?
14:31You don't have to say bongo, bongo, bongo.
14:33That's just something I've made up.
14:34Ah!
14:35No, he doesn't like it that much.
14:36Oh, I feel bad.
14:37He's never bitten someone.
14:43I don't think he likes it.
14:44I'm not going to lie.
14:45He's never done that.
14:46It turns out he doesn't like bongos.
14:47He's never done that.
14:48I think that's what that proves.
14:49I'm sorry about that.
14:50I think he's just playing hard to get.
14:51I'm not going to bongo again.
14:52Look at his face.
14:53He's like, don't bongo me.
14:54Are you a qualified architect?
14:55Yes.
14:56So just over a year ago, I actually left architecture.
15:01I now full-time work as an artist and run Louie's account.
15:07Right.
15:08He's worked with Amazon, Google, Eufy, Shark, Deliveroo.
15:14I'd only work with brands that their values would align with what I believe in.
15:18What do you believe in?
15:19I'm not really sure.
15:21I'm not sure what you believe in apart from Louie.
15:32There have been some months where Louie's been the breadwinner, which is quite disturbing.
15:37Yeah.
15:38And I think it's a lot of self-reflection when I think I've trained for something for so long
15:42and through his mere existence, he's doing better.
15:46It's possible that part of his high status, which he definitely has, is you're reliant on me.
15:51Love.
15:52Well, exactly.
15:53You know, don't mess with me.
15:54Don't get men in to bongo me because you are totally reliant on me.
15:59Louie.
16:00Louie.
16:01Louie, look.
16:02Louie, hello.
16:03Louie, I'm sorry about the bongos.
16:07Louie.
16:12Okay.
16:16Just in case, by the way, you're thinking by now he's a bit mad, he's a bit obsessed.
16:22No one likes cats this much. You're wrong. There's loads and loads of us out there.
16:37So this is Maud?
16:39That's Maud. And this is Pads Picklesome.
16:42Look at Pads.
16:44Pads is a handsome half Bengal.
16:46So are they related?
16:47Yes. Maud is Pads mother. But the father was a full Bengal.
16:51Sorry, I've already been clawed.
16:53OK, let's film.
16:55How you doing? Here you go, my love. Here you go. Yeah.
16:59That's Pickle. Pickle looks absolutely great.
17:02So sweet.
17:03I took that this morning.
17:05Kevin is very beautiful.
17:06Yes.
17:07I mean, to be honest with you...
17:08No, you haven't finished looking at this yet.
17:09Oh, OK, sorry, no. He's in the bath.
17:10Kevin in the bath.
17:11Kevin in the bath.
17:12Kevin in bed.
17:13I don't know how angry he was.
17:14No, he looks cross.
17:15This goes on for some time.
17:16I like the independence of a cat.
17:19I think it probably plays to what we've done with our lives.
17:22Cats are freelance. Dogs are...
17:24Dogs are P-A-Y-E.
17:26Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:27Come on, Pads.
17:28Pads, come here.
17:29Come on, Pads.
17:30Pads, come here.
17:31Come on, Pads.
17:33When I was looking around at houses, I said to the estate agent, I need a garden for the boys.
17:38And she went, oh, how old are your sons?
17:39Good.
17:40I said, both three.
17:42And she went, twins.
17:43I said, cats.
17:44That's how you should stroke a cat.
17:45Yeah.
17:46You pinch down there like that, and you know the other area they love.
17:49I know, yeah, that area.
17:51Well, Dolly recently has been saying to me they like bongos.
17:54Bongos?
17:55Bongos is that.
17:56Now, this might not be great on camera.
17:57I'm not sure what this is like on camera.
17:59I should have stopped that.
18:00No cat likes that.
18:02Yeah, well, I should have got around the other side.
18:05No, you shouldn't have done it at all.
18:06Well, honestly.
18:07I'm not doing that to you, am I?
18:08Oh, God.
18:09Oh, no.
18:10Lovely boy.
18:12So, we have two alive cats at home.
18:14Right.
18:15Two rescues.
18:16What a sweet pea.
18:17Yeah, yeah.
18:18Have you got a picture of you with Pickle?
18:19Millions and millions.
18:20Oh, that's our first little portrait together.
18:23Oh, that's beautiful.
18:24Oh, God, what's he doing there?
18:26Licking his lips.
18:27So, I have hired a pet psychic to tell me that my cat likes the garden.
18:31You know, like, when psychics do a thing, like, was your mum a kind person?
18:35That's similar to one of your cats likes the garden.
18:38Oh, no, because she got the right cat.
18:40Is this going to be a problem?
18:42No.
18:43It's fine.
18:44Well, let's see how mad Roger gets.
18:46It's good.
18:47I like it.
18:48Dolly, you're my daughter.
18:50I am.
18:51How important would you say cats are in our family?
18:53I think cats are the most important thing in our family.
18:56Oh, okay.
18:57Well, not me.
18:58Mmm.
18:59I'd say it's a close call.
19:01Right.
19:02Oh, hello.
19:03The dogs are back in.
19:04Oh, hang on.
19:05Oh, God.
19:06Now, you see, look at this.
19:07Hello.
19:08Hello.
19:09Hello.
19:10You have to work at cat affection.
19:11It's not the same, is it, with these guys?
19:12Look at that big nose.
19:13A handsome big nose.
19:14Yeah.
19:15Powerful.
19:16Now, one thing I want to make clear is I think some people will think that the show is anti-dog.
19:19It really isn't.
19:20I like dogs.
19:21I just prefer cats.
19:24I was out with somebody the other day who actively doesn't like cats.
19:29I don't think I'll be able to live with someone who said, no, I don't want a cat.
19:34I don't love cats.
19:37I don't understand why people are proud to have a pet that doesn't apparently like them.
19:43Whereas I've got this needy relationship with my dog.
19:46I need to be greeted when I come home.
19:49We used to own a cat together.
19:50We didn't own it together.
19:52It was your cat and I live with you.
19:54I always thought it was our cat.
19:56Well, who bought the cat?
19:57I did.
19:58And so we brainstormed a name.
20:00What I do remember is you saying to me, what does the cat do a lot?
20:05And I said, meow.
20:06And you said, chairman meow.
20:08There you go.
20:09And that was what the cat was called.
20:11But I think they are very beautiful and very graceful.
20:14Dogs are very slapstick.
20:16Yes.
20:17And they're more satire cats.
20:19I think that is very true.
20:21Cats sit outside our window and taunt the dog.
20:26That definitely happens.
20:27What do you mean taunt?
20:28Well, they sit there right by the window and the dog is kind of at the window.
20:33I mean, cats, they do this weird noise if they see birds outside the window.
20:38They go, meow, meow, meow, meow.
20:40I'm not doing it very well.
20:42Impressions are not my strong point.
20:43You say you're not doing it very well, but I'm loving it.
20:46OK.
20:47I'm imagining me and you sitting in 20 years time talking and you just doing that.
20:53I don't know what's wrong of me, but I'm looking forward to it.
20:59Are you going to be called Catman now as a general thing?
21:03Well, I'm not going to change my name.
21:04That's all I'm ever going to call you again.
21:06OK.
21:07I think that'll be odd.
21:08I'll say to my wife, I'm nipping up Catmans to watch the match.
21:13I think that's fine.
21:14I can't be Robin because you'll torture me.
21:20Can I say to your audience, David Baddiel loves cats.
21:24He's not doing this, you know, he's not desperate.
21:28It's not like, you know, when you see people doing a documentary about Formula One
21:33and you think you've never ever mentioned Formula One to me and I've known you 20 years.
21:37You do love cats.
21:39You should be doing this show.
21:41I wanted my four cats to be here, all of them, part of Catman.
21:52But just as we've started filming the mum of the other three, Pip, the queen of the animal chapter of our household for 15 years, she's become unwell.
22:02Yes, because she always looks sad.
22:09I'm here in my daughter Dolly's room with Pip and this is an amazing moment because basically we thought Pip was a goner.
22:19And then really what happened was that Dolly, who is holding the camera now, said that she'd quite like her to come home for a bit.
22:28That's what's happened. The vet has decided that she can come home.
22:32And now I think she's a bit weak and she's a bit confused, but she's not as bad as I thought she might be.
22:39So we don't quite know how long she's got, but I'm very, very happy to see her.
22:46Very happy to see Pip.
22:48Anyway, Pippi, are you pleased to be home?
22:52Yeah.
22:53Yeah.
22:54She's part of the story.
22:56She is.
22:57Here in the UK, the dog thing, it's wrapped up with our national identity.
23:11John Bull and his British bulldog.
23:13Fox owls, horribly ripping foxes to shreds for the horsey amusement of lords and ladies.
23:19And of course, corgis, forever padding loyally at the feet of Queen Elizabeth II.
23:25But what of cats?
23:28Where is our feline emblem, our whiskered ambassador of Britishness?
23:34There's one.
23:36One.
23:37But to be fair, he is a really big star.
23:46Number one.
23:47No Mary.
23:48Yeah.
23:49Day number two.
23:50Okay.
23:51Day number nine.
23:52We finally saw Larry the cat.
23:58Hello.
23:59Hi, Dave.
24:00Lovely to meet you.
24:01You're Justin, right?
24:02Yes, lovely to meet you too.
24:03And you specialize in taking photographs of Larry the cat.
24:05Yep.
24:06So I was really worried that we just wouldn't see him at all.
24:09But here he is, sleeping outside 10 Downing Street.
24:12Yeah.
24:13And how old is Larry?
24:14He's 18 years old.
24:15He was about to see cats before.
24:16That's right.
24:17He used to strut around so they knew he was this kind of special.
24:20And I think that's why they picked him to come to Downing Street.
24:22How many Prime Ministers has he seen?
24:24Five.
24:25Do you think that he would remember Liz Truss?
24:26Or do you know that?
24:27I can't remember that one.
24:28It was so quick.
24:29I'm going to just see if I can stroke Larry.
24:31Just very slow.
24:32Is that allowed?
24:33Yeah.
24:34Oh.
24:35Okay, okay, yeah.
24:36Hello, Larry.
24:37What a moment.
24:38Who do you think was his favorite of the Prime Ministers?
24:42I honestly think it would probably be Cameron.
24:45Because it was his first one.
24:46Exactly.
24:47And despite what people say, I think Mr Cameron was quite affectionate with Larry.
24:51What do people say?
24:52Do people say that he wasn't?
24:53Yeah.
24:54The rumor that somehow I don't love Larry.
24:56I do.
24:57And I have photographic evidence to prove it.
24:59That's so British that you'd be worried about that.
25:02Yeah, exactly.
25:03So, Keir's got two cats, hasn't he?
25:05He does, yeah.
25:06Jojo and Prince, he knows that Larry's quite territorial, so he's kept his cats pretty far
25:10away from the apartment.
25:11I mean, it's one of the things about being Downing Street Cat, right?
25:14You can't rely on your human owner, can you?
25:17Bless you.
25:18Because they're going to change.
25:20That's right.
25:21Sometimes very quickly, in Liz Truss's case.
25:22But, you know, you might think, I really like this one.
25:25And, oh no, the country's voted him out.
25:27Or her out.
25:28Yeah.
25:29So, oh, that's interesting.
25:30Yeah, that's what he did with Trump.
25:31Fair enough.
25:32He was making a statement.
25:33A positive statement, some might say.
25:35I'd say.
25:36I like assholes.
25:37That statement.
25:38But, yeah.
25:43So, a lot of us shot a lot wider to get him in frame.
25:46Right.
25:47He always tends to photobomb any kind of visiting leader.
25:49Yeah.
25:50It's something that he always does.
25:51Yeah.
25:52Can we try some treats if he'll come to the edge?
25:55We could try.
25:56I think he's deaf.
25:58Can I have a go?
25:59Yeah, we can try.
26:00Larry, look.
26:01Hey.
26:02Come on, Larry.
26:03Larry, mate.
26:04Yay.
26:05Oh, what a result.
26:07So, Larry, can I ask you, what was your opinion of the way that Boris tackled Covid?
26:14No?
26:15He doesn't actually talk about politics that much.
26:17No, no.
26:18He's very apolitical.
26:19Yeah, he seems quite apolitical.
26:21This is great.
26:22I feel part of history.
26:24He's thinking he might be called back at any moment for a cabinet meeting.
26:27Here we go.
26:28Oh, there we go.
26:29People are too focused on getting their selfies with Larry.
26:32They don't really stop to kind of admire him and just kind of appreciate him.
26:35You're a lovely cat, Larry.
26:36Okay.
26:37Larry, look at that camera.
26:39I believe you've got Larry merch that you produce.
26:44Yes, I do.
26:45Can I see?
26:46Sure.
26:47So, this is the famous over-the-shoulder pose.
26:50It's almost like a red carpet one, like a movie style.
26:53It is a great picture.
26:54I feel I've seen this.
26:55This is like an iconic picture of Larry.
26:56Yeah, it is.
26:57Okay, what else?
26:58I have a travel mug.
27:01So, there's two faces.
27:04So, obviously, that's the before coffee and then that's the after.
27:08Well, hang on.
27:09Are you saying there's the two different faces of Larry?
27:10Yeah.
27:11You can't tell.
27:12They look exactly the same.
27:13Ah, you can't tell.
27:14I really can't.
27:15If you look at his eyes, you'll be able to see the difference.
27:16Really?
27:17Yeah.
27:19So, hang on.
27:20Which is before coffee?
27:21That's before coffee.
27:23Okay.
27:24And that is after coffee.
27:26You see?
27:27You see how expressive cats are?
27:29Look, he's doing proper photocalling now.
27:33Yeah.
27:34The thing is, he knows when there's a camera pointing at him, he'll gravitate towards it.
27:38I'm going to try and pick him up.
27:44Hang on.
27:45There you go.
27:47You're all right, lad.
27:50It's my sad duty to announce that I am stepping down as David the old cat man.
27:55Perhaps we should put this at the end of the series.
28:02I notice there's no cat flap.
28:04So how does that work?
28:05The custodian can actually see who's at the door and he'll always let Larry in.
28:08So someone will see him on CCTV?
28:09Yep.
28:10There's a camera across the road.
28:11Come on, cat custodian.
28:12Let Larry in.
28:13I should lock on the door.
28:14Okay.
28:15I mean, custodians are meant to know, but this is amazing.
28:19Thanks.
28:20Larry wanted to come in.
28:25Right.
28:26I'm going to do this as a job forever.
28:31So it's a couple of days after Pip came home and Tommy's been nursing her with a special
28:48broth.
28:49What's over?
28:50What have you been giving her?
28:52Well, I've just been putting all her medication in the juice from a can of tuna.
28:57But generally her fur looks better.
28:59There's talk of her cleaning herself again.
29:02Yeah, a little bit.
29:03She even jumped up onto the kitchen island to try and look for more food.
29:08And just generally she's looking, you know, still like quite...
29:12A little bit weary.
29:13A little bit weary, but she definitely looks better.
29:15All right, Pip.
29:16Bye-bye, Pip.
29:17Pip, you're on telly.
29:18That's it.
29:19Pip.
29:20You're on telly.
29:21There you go.
29:22Oh, one eyes back.
29:23Well, I'm not...
29:24People go on about this.
29:25People who don't like cats go on about the anus.
29:27They go on about it.
29:28I don't like it.
29:29I don't like cats because you see a lot of cat anus if you've got a cat.
29:32One of my dogs used to have a mark on the back of his fur around his anus.
29:35Yeah.
29:36And it looked like the Statue of Christ in, is it Brazil or Rio?
29:38Yeah, Rio.
29:39Yeah, it looked just like that.
29:40Yeah, it did it.
29:41And the round bit with his head.
29:42It was perfect.
29:43And for a while I thought...
29:44Did you have pilgrims coming to the house?
29:45Well, I thought, I should put this online.
29:46This might get a bit of traction.
29:47Yeah.
29:48And I thought, people might think I'm being sarcastic, but I won't.
29:49To be honest, Pads has got a little bit of something going on which might be biblical.
29:52There.
29:53I thought, look.
29:54Yeah.
29:55I mean, if you see it, you see a lot of cat anus.
29:56You see a lot of cat anus if you've got a cat.
29:57One of my dogs used to have a mark on the back of his...
29:58The fur around his anus.
29:59Yeah.
30:00And it looked like the Statue of Christ in...
30:01Is it Brazil or Rio?
30:02Yeah, Rio.
30:03It looked just like that.
30:04Yeah.
30:05I mean, to be honest, Pads has got a little bit of something going on which might be biblical.
30:09There.
30:10I thought, look.
30:11Yeah.
30:12I mean, if you see it, great.
30:13I just see good nature.
30:14Yeah.
30:15In all its more beauty.
30:16This is a lovely cat.
30:17I know.
30:18It's my cat.
30:19Of course he's lovely.
30:20Oh, you're back, are you?
30:22Let's ignore him.
30:23Let me bribe you a little, though.
30:25Can I try?
30:26Yeah.
30:27Oh, no, he's gone out.
30:28This sounds, apparently.
30:29I don't know if you know.
30:30Oh, do you know what I heard?
30:31Matwa has come here in cat language.
30:33Matwa?
30:34Yeah.
30:35Matwa.
30:36Matwa.
30:37Yeah.
30:38It doesn't work on mine.
30:39It's not working.
30:40They haven't studied English.
30:41No, they're not.
30:42So now, you have, what's the name of the cat?
30:43I have Cisco.
30:44Like San Francisco?
30:45Yes, Cisco was the name given to her by my ex, and he was like, I was thinking of keeping,
30:50you know, this one, but I think she belongs with you.
30:53He's a cat pusher.
30:54You know, he's kind of like, he was the one who was like, you're not that allergic to cats.
30:57Here's a cat.
30:58He's a cat dealer.
30:59Yeah, pretty much.
31:00He's on this, he's, he's like, anyone want some purr?
31:03Want some meow?
31:04Anybody?
31:05Right?
31:06Just hang out on the park.
31:08Another possible reason for the absence of cats from television is that people think,
31:12well, they don't really do anything.
31:15Lazy layabouts, the stereotype goes, who spend their days draped over radiators, occasionally
31:20opening an eye to judge us before drifting back to sleep.
31:24But maybe what we need to do is realise that cats, if very gently nudged, can do more.
31:31He likes going for walks.
31:33Yeah, he really likes going outside.
31:35Come on.
31:36Great.
31:37Good boy.
31:38Brilliant.
31:39Like a mountain goat, except a mountain cat.
31:42Is she going to go into the station, or on top of that motorbike?
31:45I'll tell you, if we saw a hot wire motorbike, then that would be a great bit of television.
31:49That would be fantastic.
31:50We'll stop and talk, if he wants to stop.
31:53Oh, no.
31:54I'd say you're pooing on telly.
31:56Wow.
31:57He's really going for it.
32:07Okay, so Marley, Jasper clearly is a good walker, but how did you know that was something
32:12he would like?
32:13He had unbelievable amounts of energy as a kitten.
32:17Yeah.
32:18We took him to the beach at midnight, so there was no one there, and he loved it.
32:22The thing that would bother me, I guess, is that they would just get frightened.
32:25It does take training and socialisation, because I've done it with both my cats, and
32:29each cat is different.
32:30Does he ever ask to go for a walk?
32:32Every day.
32:33He does not like me leaving the house without him, and I don't like leaving the house without
32:36him either.
32:37No, no.
32:38He goes almost everywhere with me, except for uni.
32:40You bring out the harness, he's purring, and he's sitting at the door.
32:44This is not a distressed cat.
32:46No.
32:47He's not shaking.
32:48He's not trying to hide.
32:49No.
32:50No.
32:51Tell me the longest walk you've done with him.
32:52We did Ben Nevis.
32:53Wow.
32:54In total up and down, it took us 15 hours.
32:55Are you thinking about Everest at some point?
33:10No.
33:11I'm not quite equipped for that.
33:12Okay.
33:13And it would take us maybe years at his speed.
33:15That's true.
33:16It would take a while.
33:17So, I'm ready for paddle boarding with cats.
33:18We have paddle boards.
33:19We have the cat.
33:20Bongo.
33:21His eyes, which are amazing and kind of mysterious.
33:22But he can see.
33:23Yeah.
33:24It's a rare condition.
33:25It just makes his eyes a different colour.
33:26But he can actually see really well.
33:27I think this board looks good for you.
33:28Okay.
33:29Bongo.
33:30Get into position.
33:31Just stay standing.
33:32I'm facing that way.
33:33You'll be facing that way, yeah.
33:34He can swim.
33:35He can swim.
33:36But he can swim.
33:37He can swim.
33:38He can swim.
33:39He can swim.
33:40He can swim.
33:41He can swim.
33:42He can swim.
33:43Yeah.
33:44So, I'm ready for paddle boarding with cats.
33:45So, I'm ready for paddle boarding with cats.
33:46We have paddle boards.
33:47We have the cat.
33:48Bongo.
33:49His eyes, which are amazing and kind of mysterious.
33:50But he can see.
33:51Yeah.
33:52It's a rare condition.
33:53It just makes his eyes a different colour.
33:54But he can actually see really well.
33:55I think this board looks good for you.
33:56Okay.
33:57Bongo.
33:58Get into position.
33:59Just stay standing.
34:00I'm facing that way.
34:01You'll be facing that way.
34:02He can swim.
34:03But he won't enjoy it.
34:04Okay.
34:05I can swim.
34:06But I won't enjoy it.
34:07So, try not to swim.
34:08Should I go?
34:09The cat's gone with you.
34:10Easy does it.
34:11Whoa.
34:12Whoa.
34:13Um.
34:14Yeah.
34:15I'm okay.
34:16Sort of.
34:17It can't last forever.
34:18What life?
34:19But clenching your bum.
34:20Yeah.
34:21Really helps.
34:22I'm doing that.
34:23Good.
34:24Okay.
34:25I think that's good advice.
34:26It can't last forever, but clenching your bum really helps.
34:27Whoa.
34:28Also, if I'm going to fall, I think we won that on camera.
34:31Yes.
34:34Hooray.
34:35Paddle boarding with cats.
34:36Is Bongo all right with getting wet?
34:38Yeah.
34:39We're going to crash, aren't we?
34:44Bongo.
34:45Traitor.
34:46Yeah.
34:47Bongo.
34:48I mean, I'll be honest with you, I have walked dogs in my time and I'm already feel more comfortable
34:52walking a cat.
34:53It's quite relaxing.
34:54It's really relaxing.
34:55That is a dancing tale.
34:57I could take him absolutely anywhere.
34:58He's been on boats.
34:59We've been to London.
35:00He's not scared of the tube.
35:01He goes to pride parades.
35:03He's listened to like outdoor concerts.
35:05So cool.
35:06You know, it's a whole new aspect.
35:08Because actually when we've talked about getting a dog, which we never have in our family,
35:13we have said actually one good thing about your dog is that you can walk with them.
35:17It turns out...
35:18You can walk a cat.
35:19You can walk a cat.
35:20Come on.
35:28Come on, Bongo.
35:29Oh, look at this.
35:30This is what we want.
35:31This is the hero shot.
35:32Tell me where to go, Bongo.
35:34I think of you as a ship's cat and a ship's cat should be helping me find my way to port.
35:41He's telling us.
35:43It's like there's some treasure somewhere at the end and Bongo knows what it is.
35:47He can jump.
35:52I do get the sense that Bongo is enjoying himself.
35:55So, anyone who is worried about whether or not it is stressful for a cat to be doing this kind of activity.
36:02And obviously it's not going to be for every cat.
36:04So, you know, don't try this with your cat at home.
36:07I've always done paddle boarding.
36:09Right.
36:10And one day Bongo came and he went on it.
36:12Oh, he just did it by himself?
36:13Yeah, you just need to learn cat body language.
36:15No, he's clearly fine.
36:16However, it is quite stressful for middle-aged presenters.
36:21But as ever, one of the things that makes it less stressful is the presence of a cat.
36:25Bongo used to go horse riding.
36:27Really?
36:28I was holding the horse's head collar.
36:29Did he enjoy it?
36:30Yeah.
36:31He really enjoyed it.
36:32What about the horse?
36:33They were friends.
36:34Aww.
36:35And they'd like bump noses.
36:36This is a Disney film.
36:37Oh, he's going to jump.
36:38He's going to do a big jump.
36:39Way.
36:40That was impressive.
36:41That was impressive.
36:42That was like something from an action film.
36:43It's like something that Tom Cruise says, no, I can still do it.
36:46Oh.
36:47Oh, he's taking your boat.
36:48Go on, Bongo.
36:49Oh, wow.
36:51Okay.
36:52So we like to, in this show, do a bit of behind the scenes action.
36:54So where Bongo is now is the canoe where the camera is.
36:58I think he wants to direct.
36:59Yeah.
37:00We all get to that position in our careers.
37:03Yes.
37:04Good boy.
37:05Now I know it's, I know absolutely it's the right thing.
37:18I'm sorry.
37:19Sorry I wasn't there.
37:20I feel bad.
37:21I just got your photo and I just burst into tears.
37:25It's all right.
37:26It's all right.
37:27Because I want to, I want to cry.
37:29We did our best and we did the right thing.
37:32Bye-bye.
37:36Oh dear.
37:37I very much wanted to include Pip in this series.
37:53I was hoping that a miracle was going to happen and she was going to turn around and get better.
37:57Because she was obviously really ill.
37:59I think you have a very simple response to your pets dying.
38:06When Monkey died, I just wept and wept and wept.
38:09It was quite soon after my dad died.
38:11And I wept more than when my dad died.
38:13And that doesn't prove that I didn't love my dad.
38:15It proves that my relationship with my dad was complicated and my relationship with Monkey was not.
38:24And it's the same with Pip.
38:29Anyway, I loved Pip and I'm very sad she's gone, but it's the right thing to do.
38:42So I'm still very upset about Pip.
39:01But I'm nearly as upset about the bill which has just come in from the vet.
39:07But it's not about the money.
39:10And she was worth it.
39:12I think what it's taught me, it's taught me many things.
39:15Living with cats and living through the death of this cat.
39:19About wisdom, about maturity, about life.
39:22But it's also taught me that I might go and look for some better ways to ensure older cats.
39:27So tell me, you've had cats your whole life, right?
39:36Yeah.
39:37My first cat I remember, who died when I was like three or four, was a grey moggy called Smokey.
39:46My early memory of my mum's party trick, when people came round after Smokey had died, she would sing that song,
39:56on top of old Smokey, just to see me cry in front of neighbours.
40:01Oh, right.
40:02She would sing it and you would cry?
40:03Yeah.
40:04Yeah.
40:05Well, she would do it deliberately to make you cry?
40:06Yeah.
40:07Yeah.
40:08OK, should I call social services retrospectively?
40:11That's awful.
40:12So, well, yeah, I mean, you know, it is a sad thing.
40:15I still, every cat I've ever had, until recently when Ollie died, I've cried.
40:21Yeah.
40:22The worst thing with Ollie was when Jane was making the phone call and I was holding her for the last time.
40:28Yeah.
40:29And I just burst into tears.
40:30Because I've had about 20 cats.
40:31Right.
40:32And Monkey was a cat I really love.
40:33And so, Dolly came with me when I took Monkey to the vet and she said, not only has she not ever seen me cry,
40:42she's never seen a human being cry as much.
40:44Yeah.
40:45And the vet said, yeah, yeah, it's time.
40:47And then she said, do you want to be alone with him for a bit?
40:50Which I wasn't expecting.
40:51Right.
40:52So, she left us to say goodbye to Monkey and the, almost like emotional blackmail, started purring.
40:58I know.
40:59I know.
41:00Like, that thing of not, of the animal not knowing what you're going to do, underlined
41:05by the fact that he's thinking, this is nice.
41:07But that's the good bit, that they don't know what's going to happen.
41:10It's all on us.
41:11Yeah, of course.
41:12Of course.
41:13Right.
41:14But it's, it, you know, it's still like a wonderfully kind thing to do.
41:19They've had 16 to 20 years or whatever, and then they don't know that they're going to have a lovely death as well.
41:27Yes.
41:28And they're not going to be in pain.
41:29No, no, it's a very good thing.
41:30So, it is, you know.
41:31It's a very good thing.
41:32And you have all the emotional stuff.
41:33It's all on us.
41:34Yeah.
41:35It's all us.
41:36One's relationship with an animal is full of love, right?
41:38And genuine love.
41:39Of course, yeah.
41:40And so, and I think people can feel a bit ashamed sometimes of how much they love their pet.
41:45I know.
41:46A survey by Cats Protection shows that 73% of pet owners believe it can be as difficult and upsetting to grieve for a pet as for the loss of a person.
41:56But 55% also said they hid their grief for fear of being ridiculed.
42:02Me?
42:03I'm with Adam Ant.
42:05Ridicule is nothing to be scared of.
42:08Which is good.
42:09Particularly as regards this next sequence.
42:16Are you sure we've come to the right place?
42:26I have done, I think, one session of yoga in my life and it went very badly wrong.
42:30Oh, gosh.
42:31I ripped the quite loose trousers that I was wearing.
42:34And I thought, well, that's it for me in yoga.
42:37But you know what's brought me back?
42:38Kittens.
42:40Explain to me the theory of, like, what are kittens and yoga interacting?
42:44What's happening there?
42:45Yoga brings, you know, a lot of physical and mental wellbeing through calmness and movement.
42:51Cats themselves bring a lot of peace and tranquility to a setting due to their nature.
42:57And combining the two, pet therapy and yoga, just aligns so perfectly.
43:05Welcome to Kitty Yoga.
43:08I'm going to give them a real opportunity to get used to us.
43:11You can see some of them are really, really brave.
43:15I'm going to let my legs outstretched.
43:17Or bend your knees, if that feels better.
43:19I'm sure you can really start to slow down.
43:22Inhaling through the nose.
43:24Big exhale, sigh out.
43:31We softly surrender the chest towards the earth, coming into our puppy posture.
43:35So, before I started that, the yoga instructor said this thing that the yoga instructor said.
43:40She said, don't worry, there's no right or wrong way to do yoga.
43:43That's not true, is it?
43:45Yes.
43:46In your next breath, we'll take our right foot and left hand in the same direction.
43:50Oh.
43:52I don't understand what you're saying.
43:56I hardly know my left and my right.
44:01And you don't feel flicking your hands down.
44:04It's like a big sweep of that right arm.
44:06My baby looking up towards the ceiling and finding that spin.
44:09Two particularly complicated moments.
44:12One was when I could feel a kitten climbing up my crotch area as a little tickle.
44:16And I didn't know what the appropriate thing to do was.
44:19You know, I don't want to be cancelled.
44:20But it's complicated to know whether at that point you kick the kitten off or you let the kitten carry on.
44:26And both of those things might be inappropriate.
44:28And then the other thing was, there was a cat underneath me.
44:32And I thought, again, this feels wrong.
44:34It was like there was a little kitten turd right underneath me.
44:38Right underneath me.
44:39Up towards the ceiling, I'm furling through the chest as you exhale, threading the right arm underneath the left.
44:56As we exhale, bowing heads or hearts.
45:02Great.
45:05It is now playtime.
45:07I could just walk out with him on my shoulder and I think I can't get away with it.
45:21There was a saving grace.
45:23Kittens.
45:24Although, only half a saving grace in this case.
45:27Because I got really worried about crushing a kitten.
45:30But I feel good now that I'm not doing it.
45:32So the takeaway, I think, is that cats really do make everything better.
45:41Yoga, certainly.
45:43Social media.
45:45Even death.
45:46Because even the pain that comes with the absence of a much-loved cat can have the edge taken off it by the arrival of a new kitten.
45:55Or maybe just by watching a whole load of other cats on the TV.
45:59Which is good news.
46:00As really, there's a lot more to come.
46:03And by the way, cats do like bongos.
46:10Loving it.
46:11Loving it.
46:12Loving it.
46:13Love you.
46:14What's that?
46:15I just really would like to hold one of these cats.
46:18Whoa!
46:19Maybe not.
46:20We've got quite a few wobbly cats.
46:22I mean, that is a really twerky bum.
46:24At the end of a difficult day, they were just going to look at pictures of Wilfred.
46:28So Lucy, he's like the number one seed of Wimbledon.
46:31She is.
46:32Okay, wow.
46:36There's more of that same time next week.
46:39And it's a good night to be a comedy lover here on Channel 4.
46:42Jimmy Carr's not holding back as John Richardson, Julie Love, Rob Beckett and Katherine Parkinson bring us new 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
46:50Then a literal lesson in funny in Taskmaster Class with Greg Davis and Lil Alex starting tonight at 10.
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