Episode Guide
Cat Rappers Delight The Cat Show Must Go On Copycat Paws For The Cause God’s Little People Catwabunga! Cats are crazy creatures. Despite what many will lead you to believe, these lovable animals are not ferocious, feral, scratchy menaces. Instead, each feline has its own personality, quirks and traits that make them all unique. They’re also incredibly intelligent and independent creatures too. Thanks to shows like The Simpsons, craziness has oftentimes been synonymous with owning a plethora of cats and when it comes to Cat People, that stereotype is pretty much reinforced across tis run-time. Don’t get me wrong, the episodes are still wholesome but there’s also an intended desire to bring as many exaggerated, larger-than-life stories to the forefront too. It seems Netflix’s latest docu-series is on a mission to round up the craziest cat owners from across the globe. There’s a variety of different episodes honing on on different owners and their cats, although to be fair most are good fun to watch. The first episode tackles rapper Moshow and his auto-tuned songs about DJ Ravioli and his other four felines. It’s a quirky, suitably bonkers opener that feels completely at odds with the follow-up “The Cat Show Must Go On”. This is by far the worst episode of the entire series, showcasing felines turning into circus acts. While that in itself is subjectively fine, the fact that the show depicts most of these cats kept inside, bored, and even thrown into cages while other kitties perform leaves a bad taste in the mouth. That’s especially problematic when you see how massive the garden outside actually is. Sure, the cats get everything they want but a cage is still a cage – no matter how you pretty it up. The fact that Samantha and her group are quite happy to show cats galivanting about on skateboards while more than six cats are kept in cat cages by the wall is telling unto itself. It’s a real shame too because by comparison, “God’s Little People” is by far the best episode of the series. Here, all the gimmicks and quirky tropes are pulled back for a more humane and grounded chapter. And the cats aren’t kept in cages either. This episode follows a couple who move to the Greek Island of Syros to start a cat sanctuary. As someone who has been to cat sanctuaries across Europe, it’s really great to see this showcased on a large platform like Netflix. The episodes themselves are ultimately more about the owners than they are about the cats. Each chapter dives into the owner’s history and current plans. There’s a range of different influences here from a variety of walks of life, with varying degrees of craziness for good measure. There are some establishing shots of the kitties lounging about or playing with different toys but largely the focus is on the owners. It’s just a pity that the show doesn’t lean into the grounded nature of episodes like “God’s Little People” more, which would have made it a far more gripping and engrossing doc to rival that of fellow docu-series Dogs. Cat People is a pretty typical reality docu-series on Netflix; a wildly inconsistent mixed bag of the good and bad. While the good does just about outweigh the more questionable elements of this show, your mileage with this will undoubtedly vary.
