by
I. TITLE SEQUENCE
Opening with the music and graphic style reminiscent of Alfred
Hitchcock's classic thriller "Psycho," bold two-dimensional gray
graphic lines jet across the screen and form words:
Colleen Stratton's
Psycho Kitties
Starring Pyewackett
Sho-Zen
Bakhu.
Housesoiling is the
most common behavioral problem
for which cat owners
seek help
Aggression is the
second.
Unresolved behavioral
problems
are one of the main
reasons pets are taken to the pound
II INTRODUCTION -
REENACTMENT
Our story begins five years ago in the spirit of
"Psycho" an aerial view of Los Angeles that dissolves lower and lower
until it zooms in through a window.
Superposed type reads:
Los Angeles, California
Friday, December the
Eleventh
Two Forty-Three P.M.
Continuing through the window a big Chocolate Brown Cat wakes from
a peaceful sleep. Hearing a noise, he leaps off the couch, bounds up the stairs
and into another room. He lifts a
framed vintage looking photograph of a family of cats wearing turn of the
century clothing off the wall and peers through a small hole. The look in the Chocolate Brown Kitty's
eye tells all. The Snow Bengal Cat
jumps into the shower, turns on the water and enjoys a warm shower. The Chocolate Brown Cat attacks him
with his teeth and claws.
III. BEHAVIORAL
PROBLEMS IN CATS: A PERSONAL VIEW
NARRATIVE ARC (Interviews about the following subject matter will complement
visuals)
The documentary explores my ten-year struggle to resolve the
hatred between two of my three beloved cats Pyewackett and Sho-zen. Pyewackett a chocolate brown Siamese
mix was rescued at nine months old.
After moving into a home with two other male cats he was determined to
establish himself as the alpha male.
After sustaining injuries, Sho-zen the gentle giant, an introverted
fourth-generation Bengal cat, reacted by perching himself in the corner of the
kitchen countertop. His safety
zone later became a popular place to urine mark territory by all cats,
including their housemate Bakhu, a gregarious Abyssinian.
Finding a new home for Pyewackett or Sho-zen felt like Sophie's
choice. Frustrated and hopeful the
problem could be resolved, I consulted a myriad of charlatans, professional
so-called experts and ultimately a few knowledgeable professionals.
VISUAL ELEMENTS
On stage in a club a poet recites:
Consider the tale of Pyewackett and
Sho -Zen
Locked in eternal struggle
Of light and dark.
Good verses evil.
Pyewackett was born a poor black
kitty
Street tough he survived the city.
Passed like a vagabond from home to
home
Hoping for a place to call his own
Sho-Zen a breed so pure and light.
Refined he shys from conflict and
strife.
His papers show breeding so rare
refined
Pyewackett lives anger
Sho-zen
is kind
Interviews with holistic veterinarian Dr. Megan Bamford, The Cat Doctor,
Dr. Tracy McFarland, animal communicator Joan Ranquet, rescue worker Mignonne
Almon, and Bob Ferber, prosecuting attorney for Los Angeles District attorneyıs
animal abuse department, shed
light on the mysterious mind of the cat.
Friends give their humorous and often surreal take on possible
solutions. Also included is
footage of the many unsuccessful and successful solutions I tried including
behavioral modification techniques, pharmaceutical anti-anxiety medications
such as Xanax and BuSpar, herbal anti-anxiety flower essences such as Bach
Flower Remedies and products such as Feliway and Soft Paws. Footage of the domestic cat's big cat
relatives in the wild visually links the feline's natural instincts with what
we humans consider "behavioral problems."
CONCLUSION
The
poet concludes his poem on stage.
Per
Friend Dan MacCannell's possible solution "I think it may be time for a
political solution. I do know some
people at the United Nations. They
could send a peace keeping force."
After calling the UN, Dan climbs out of a tank dressed in Army uniform. Six other uniformed "peace
keepers" follow. They enter
the apartment.
