RSPCA’s Million Purrs is coming to a close at the end of this month and I thought it would be nice to post an email interview with Wil Anderson (this year’s Million Purrs ambassador). I must admit, I didn’t expect Wil to reply with all his commitments, so it was a nice surprise in my inbox today.
For those of you who’ve never heard of Wil Anderson, he’s one of Australia’s most talented comedians. It seems you either love him, or love to hate him. Either way, he is pretty funny.
Photo from Wil Anderson’s website.
You have three cats at home – what are their names and are there any stories behind them?
The eldest is Tip. He is named that because we got him at a rescue that was at the rubbish tip near Bowrol. We wanted to remind him even though he was having a spoiled city life, he was still from the wrong side of the tracks. You know, like Ryan from The OC.
Then there is Diego, who is a Burmese who walks with a limp although he still can get up some speed when he gets going. Every time you watch him get up it is like the final scene of The Usual Suspects.
And finally Ziggy, who is white and just likes to eat. Everything. Esepcially if it is on our plate. He is the only cat who would go on Masterchef. He would only eat a mouse if he got to marinate, stuff and slow-roast it first.
What made you decide to become the RSPCA Million Purrs ambassador this year?
There are actually demonstrated links between kids who are violent to animals, and adults who are violent to humans.
So the message is if you want to stop your kids from being violent, you should get them a pet and teach them to treat it with respect and kindness. Or as the bumper stickers I am printing will put it: “Get Your Kid A Cat, And They Won’t Be Ivan Milat!”
I am a cat person. I wanted to deal with the whole men and cats issue. For some reason in this country if you are a man and you say “I like cats” what people actually hear is “I have my period, now get me a hot water bottle and a block of chocolate because I want to watch Grey’s Anatomy”.
Put it this way, there is no line in the VB ad that says: “You can get it stroking your cat’s tummy until he goes meow, matter of fact, I’ve got it now!”
Has anyone ever showed concern at the number of cats you own?
Yes, especially when I was a single guy with three cats. Apparently that is officially one cat away from a story on A Current Affair. (You know, the one they wedge in between “When Good Washing Machine Repairmen Go Bad” and their hard-hitting exclusive on how 9 out of 10 people with tastebuds can actually believe that “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” is not butter.)
Are your cats all from shelters? If not, where are they from?
They are all adopted cats. Well I say adopted, I think they realise that we are not their real parents. We are a little worried that if we take in too many more animals the neighbours will think we are building an ark in the backyard
Do your cats feature in many of your comedy routines?
Yes, lots of stories. (And when I am sitting in my office writing jokes they often sit in my lap so I can spin around stroking them and pretend I am a James Bond villain.)
My favourite story is the morning when getting out of bed early I left the light off and stepping out of bed accidentally stepped on the cat’s tail.
Immediately the cat screamed, as did my girlfriend who said: “You would be the worst father in the world… what if that had been our baby?”
I replied without thinking: “No you would be the worst mother in the world… because you left our baby on the floor!”
What do you think is the most important cat-related thing everyone should know?
Dogs are great. But dogs are easy. A cat on the other hand, when you get home from work, will simply look up from their armchair, put down their catnip martini and cigar, and look at you as if to say: “Oh, you’ve been out have you? I didn’t notice… now get me some food!” Put it this way, if a cat loves you, you feel like you have earned that love.
Basically the difference between cats and dogs is that while you own a dog, the cat owns you. If you throw a stick for a dog, the dog will go and fetch the stick, bring it back and be happy for you to throw it again. If you dared throw a stick for a cat, the cat would look at you and think: “Wow, I guess you really didn’t want that stick… now get me some food!”
—
Thanks to Wil for taking the time to respond to my email.
savvycat x
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Great interview!
Lis´s last blog post: Good kitten, bad kitten