Big pussies and paranoia make this the cat’s whiskers
Tiger Kingnetflix, streaming now
Whether you prefer cats or dogs reveals something about your personality. Don’t take my word for it, take the word of science people. A study by the University of Texas revealed that if you like dogs then you’re perhaps more outdoorsy and sociable. Meanwhile, if you like cats then you tend to be more creative and unconventional.
If keeping a piddly wee house moggy makes you unconventional, what does that say about the personality of a big cat owner? You don’t have to imagine too hard, all you need to do is watch Netflix’s documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness. An unsubtle title, sure, but there’s nothing understated about this look at a group of rival big cat zoo owners in the United States. This is Donald Trump’s United States, with a bizarre cast of characters ranging from a zookeeper who returned to work just five days after having his arm bitten off to... Joe Exotic.
He’s the main subject of this journey into the weird, which charts the flamboyant Joe’s rise and, well.
To say more would spoil some of the twists which would make a Bengal’s fearsome jaw drop.
It’s a bit like the P.T. Barnum story but instead of a circus, the ringleader is a gold lame-clad redneck maniac with a penchant for paranoia, almost getting eaten by his own exhibits and who has a padlock fastened to a place I can’t mention in a family newspaper. One thing the documentary series seems to reveal is that big cat owners are all hyper-sexed and possibly murderous.
It’ll certainly make you look at Mrs Barratt, who lives up the road and keeps four cats, in a worrying new light.