THE JACKSON GALAXY PROJECT

THE JACKSON GALAXY PROJECT

Program Cat Pawsitive Resources
TheJacksonGalaxyProject Logo-1
Improving Cat Adoptability

The Jackson Galaxy Project is a program of Greater Good Charities that seeks to improve the lives of cats at risk and help the people who care for them through innovative initiatives that educate, inspire, and empower staff, rescuers, and adopters.

36,595
Training Sessions with Shelters
5,300
Hours of Cat Behavior Training
227
Shelters Trained
3,100+
Shelter Cats Helped
2,200+
Shelter Cats Adopted
234
Shelters Trained
Cat Pawsitive - Flickers High-Five
Who we are

The Jackson Galaxy Project (JGP) is a program of Greater Good Charities. The Jackson Galaxy Project was founded in 2014 by Jackson Galaxy, renowned cat behavior and wellness expert, host of Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell” and New York Times best-selling author.

Jackson Galaxy found his way into animal welfare the way that most people do: part chance, part fate, part destiny. During his journey from entry-level shelter worker to America’s Cat Daddy, Jackson questioned, observed and learned. He saw what worked, what wasn’t working, and created new solutions. He developed a vision to help animals through innovation and collaboration. Now that vision is a reality through The Jackson Galaxy Project.

Additionally, Jackson Amplifies the Good as a member of the Greater Good Charities Board.

Woodchuch, Walerby, Wiseguy playing Athens Area Humane Society ed
What we do

The Jackson Galaxy Project improves the lives of cats at risk and helps the people who care for them through innovative programs that educate, inspire and empower staff, rescuers and adopters. Cat Pawsitive is our life-saving initiative for homeless cats that aims to increase feline adoption rates by instructing shelter/rescue staff and volunteers how to implement positive reinforcement training for cats. To date, more than 2,200 homeless cats have been adopted during Cat Pawsitive semesters, with hundreds more cats benefitting and continuing their training on the road to adoption. 

The newly launched Operation Catification is another initiative that helps select animal shelters create environments that help transform “unadoptable” cats into confident cats to help find them forever homes. 

Read Our Blog

Check out the latest news, contest opportunities, and success stories from The Jackson Galaxy Project.

“I am thrilled to launch The Jackson Galaxy Project to improve the lives of sheltered animals and their dedicated advocates. As a long time rescue worker, my heart belongs to the welfare of all animals. I know that knowledge and innovation will save more lives. The pieces are in place, the technology is available, the passion is alive, and the time to act is now.”

– Jackson Galaxy, founder of The Jackson Galaxy Project, animal advocate, and host of Animal Planet’s hit show My Cat From Hell

Special Thanks to the sponsors who support The Jackson Galaxy Project:
Petco Love Logo
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High-Fives Save Lives

The Jackson Galaxy Project’s Cat Pawsitive is a life-saving initiative developed by Jackson Galaxy and a team of animal behavior experts. It is a positive-reinforcement clicker training initiative that enriches day-to-day life for cats in shelters, builds new skills for cats as well as shelter staff and volunteers, promotes the human-cat bond, and helps improve adoptability.

What is Cat Pawsitive?

Cat Pawsitive utilizes positive, reward-based Cat Pawsitive training. A Shelter volunteer or staff member can reduce the stresses that might keep a cat from connecting with an adopter. Using clicker training reinforces good behaviors, helps shy cats feel more comfortable in certain scenarios, helps feisty cats learn to play nice, and allows for outgoing cats to give “high-fives” to visitors! It helps cats gain confidence and get mental and physical stimulation through their clicker training sessions, and soon they are building connections with staff, volunteers and potential adopters.

See the Program In Action

Torque arrived at the Animal Rescue League of Berks County and wouldn’t come out of hiding for anyone. The shelter was determined to help her gain confidence and put her into Cat Pawsitive training. It took time, but she slowly started to trust shelter staff and was able to eat treats from their hands. As time went on, Torque was feeling more confident than ever and put trust in people to stay out of hiding and give more contact behaviors. As a result, Torque was ready for a new place to call home!

the cat pawsitive national high-five day contest

To celebrate the success of The Jackson Galaxy Project’s life-saving Cat Pawsitive initiative and its signature move (the high-five), Greater Good Charities and Jackson Galaxy host an annual challenge on National High-Five Day where shelters, rescues, adopters, and fosters can submit creative high-five video for a chance to win cash and other prizes for the shelter of their choice. In its 3rd year, the challenge has seen over 1,000 entries and been recognized in national media, including Conan O’Brien and even Jeopardy! 

YOU can train your cat to high-five with this step-by-step training guide too! Check out the video to see it in action.

View FAQ here.

Pawsitivity at Home

Check out our Cat Pawsitive At Home training videos! Create a special bond with your kitty by learning something new together.

Cat Behavior Tips

Having litter box issues? Problems with aggression? We have solutions.

CAT MOJO
What the heck is cat mojo and what makes a cat tick?

YOUR CAT'S DIET AND THE IMPACT OF FOOD ON HEALTH
(Always consult with your veterinarian before making any changes to your cat’s diet.)
Jackson talks about your cat's diet
Here's what Jackson thinks about free-feeding
One-Page Guides from Feline Nutrition Foundation
Need help managing my cat's diabetes? Check out: Diabetic Cats in Need (DCIN)

TRAINING YOUR CAT
Best and worst ways to train your cat (HINT: NO squirt gun!)
My cat won't let me sleep at night! What should I do?
Get the details on JGP's Cat Pawsitive initiative

SPAY/NEUTER
Importance of spay/neuter

ADOPTION
First time adoption
Before you get a kitten
Cat-to-dog introductions
Cat-to-cat introductions

DECLAWING AND DESTRUCTION CLAWING
Jackson does not support declawing. Jackson supports all of the humane ways you can allow a cat to be a cat without sacrificing his claws.
Learn more about declawing at The Paw Project
Help! My cat is ruining my furniture with his scratching!
Why do I need to trim my cat's claws?
How do I trim my cat's claws?

CAT AGGRESSION/BULLYING
Aggression in cats
Why is my cat randomly attacking me? (Pet-induced aggression)

PLAYING WITH YOUR CAT
The importance of playtime for cats
How to properly play with your cat

LITTER BOX ISSUES
Are my cats sending messages when they pee outside of the box?
Benefits of natural litter
Picking the right litter
Cat Attract Litter (useful for kittens learning to just use a litter box and for helping adult cats re-learn to use it)

COMPASSION FATIGUE
Information about compassion fatigue
Compassion fatigue in animal shelters
Help for compassion fatigue

CATIOS
What is a catio?
Building a catio

ALL SORTS OF JACKSON GALAXY VIDEOS ABOUT CAT BEHAVIOR
Do you find yourself saying "I want to watch tons of Jackson videos about cat behavior"?
Check out the Cat Mojo Channel!

My Cat From Hell

Before he was the Cat Daddy on Animal Planet’s hit show My Cat From Hell, Jackson Galaxy became aware of the harsh reality for homeless animals while working in an animal shelter. It was there he started the journey to cat behaviorist and animal advocate. Some of Jackson’s favorite episodes take him back into shelters to help rescue cats.

We want you to know:

  • The JGP is not able to respond to questions on animal behavior. We recommend that you go to the website for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and search for a qualified Behaviorist in your area to help: iaabc.org.
For Shelters: TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN (TNR) Tips

Learn about TNR and prepare for common issues that you might see while implementing a TNR program for your community cats. Whether you’re looking for a step-by- step guide to TNR or need some of field-tested tips and tricks, you'll find it here!