I must say that this documentary is a pretty interesting piece of work. At its center is a 2005 proposal in Wisconsin that sought to reclassify feral cats as an unprotected species, allowing them to be shot on sight. It is the sort of question that gets national attention due to its "what the heck?" logic, or lack thereof. Obviously, this subject brings out many opinions and discussion can get very heated on both sides. What makes this documentary work is the fact that it does not take the incendiary approach. It looks at both sides of the issue and the interesting characters that populate them.
When it comes to pets, I have to admit to being more of a cat person than anything else. I have had both dogs and cats in the house for most of my life, although it tended to be the cats that I preferred. However, when it comes right down to it, I would take no pets over pets. I have nothing against them, and they can be a real mood lifter and provide hours of entertainment. I just don't want to take care of them; yes, I am lazy. I would never neglect a pet, I just prefer not to have one. That said, the idea of hunting cats, or just taking shots at them when they appear on my property, makes me feel a little sick to the stomach. For that matter, the idea of shooting any living thing does not sit that well with me. Obviously, I am not a hunter.
Here, Kitty Kitty barely passes the hour mark in length. That may sound short, but it is not always the length that matters, it is how you use it. Director Andy Beversdorf does a fine job within that time, hitting all the major points while allowing humor to permeate the proceedings, making it an easy watch that will keep you involved to the end.
Something that I found particularly interesting is that the film does not really take sides here. Considering the thought of killing cats, I found it a logical assumption that the film would take a clear stance, letting the audience know exactly where the maker's allegiances lay. I was sure I was going to walk into a wall of pro-kitty propaganda, or at least find a filmmaker who is a fan of the felines. Not to say I expected the film to be one-sided, but surely it was going to take a stand. I was glad to be wrong on that count.
The film takes us inside the community hearings, where cat lovers said their piece, cat haters said their piece, wash, rinse, repeat. It was amusing to hear what they had to say, even when it had nothing to do with the matter at hand, introducing the idea of people torturing kittens, which is not exactly the issue.
Article comments
1 - Jen
Great review as usual, Chris... but yikes, that is scary indeed! You know, I vaguely remember hearing about this-- maybe in one of those "news of the weird" radio mentions but when you actually spell it all out, it seems quite insane that it's actually happening.