In this great big world of ours, there are two categories of people: Those who like cats and those who don’t. Actually, maybe there’s a third category… those who LOVE cats.
Eliot Weisberg is definitely in that third category, which makes him a very special kind of person — he’s a cat guy! And we love cat guys, don’t we?
Eliot has two cats, Beef and Wellington, who he loves so much that he’s written songs for them, made videos of them, and even had one of their faces tattooed on his leg! Now, if that’s not the ultimate cat-guy thing to do, I don’t know what is!
I got to know Eliot a little bit and asked him some of the questions I know you all would by dying to ask a cat guy. So, without further ado, meet Eliot the cat guy!
Catster: When did you first realize you were a cat guy?
Eliot: Growing up, my parents always had dogs, terriers specifically. Cat ownership was never an option. Two trips to the allergist also cemented the fact that I, like my dad, was deadly allergic to feline dander. After college, I drove across the country with my girlfriend, Jill, and moved in to her parent’s house in San Francisco. They had two cats, Lulu and Maizey. At first, I instinctively shooed them away from me. I fed them, changed the litter box once, and kept my distance. We lived there for three months, and it was the first chunk of time I really spent observing cats, picking up on the personality traits and idiosyncrasies. It was when Lulu started sleeping in my bed that I realized I was a cat guy. It wasnt a good morning unless I woke up with her sprawled across my face. I never sneezed. Allergists are full of it.
Catster: Aw, so Lulu started it all! Now you have two other cats who sprawl in your bed…what are their names?
Eliot: My cats are Beef and Wellington. When we first planned to get a cat, the name Ickis was in our heads (my favorite character from a cartoon I watched as a kid). We found Wellington at the SFSPCA. They had given him the name Wellington, and it suited him perfectly; hes quite prim and proper. Changing it wasnt an option. Immediately we decided if we ever got another cat we had to name him Beef. We dont like the dish per se, but as a naming convention, it had to be Beef Wellington. A year later, when I convinced Jill that adopting a second cat was a smart decision, we went to the SFSPCA and found Sesame and promptly changed his name to Beef. It suits him well — he just looks and acts a lot like a cat named Beef should.
Catster: So with Beef and Wellington around, are you constantly covered in cat hair and do you wear it proud?
Eliot: Im always covered in cat hair. Our cats like to sleep together on the top of the cat tree. Theyre big cats, and its a small cat tree, so they entwine their bodies into the cutest feline yin yang. Every time they do this I have to bury my face between them. The hair is pretty much everywhere. I don’t know if it’s pride, its more of an oblivious, unavoidable thing.
Catster: Who wouldn’t bury their face in a cute pile of kitties? Seems pretty normal to me! So what’s the craziest cat guy thing you’ve ever done?
Eliot: Getting the cat tattoo was pretty crazy, mostly for its impulsiveness. Wed had Wellington for two months when I decided I wanted (maybe needed) to immortalize him via tattoo. I cant describe the impulse too well, you might have to spend time with Wellington to fully understand it. Hes such a big part of my life and the largest contributing force behind my happiness and positivity. The tattoo is way for me to display that. Its also symbol of change — a reminder that I didnt plan on being a cat guy. A lot of people see it and ask me if he passed away. One day it will serve that purpose. Right now, I want to make it OK to celebrate him while hes still alive.
Catster: We love that! And the tattoo is AMAZING. So, let’s just say we were lucky enough to meet Wellington and Beef, what are some of the favorite pet names you call them?
Eliot: My cats have 1,000 pet names. They all stem from two roots: Pooce and Joombie. I dont know the source of these words, I think they are just fun to say. Poocerson, Mr. Pooce, Joomerson, Joombiejee, Joombiejeejeeze, Poocington, Mr. Jeeze, Toonalities, Minkiejeebes, Poocerstein, Crimbus. Each one of these is associated with a song of some sort.
Catster: Do you have kitty-themed items in your wardrobe? A Pooci (like Gucci or Pucci, get it?) outfit seems like it might be kind of fancy to have.
Eliot: Not as much as Id like. I had plans to do a series of Beef & Wellington t-shirts, but they never panned out.
Catster: Have your feline friends ever gotten you in trouble?
Eliot: Wellington is very active in the morning. Tazmanian-devil-tornado-in-the-living-room active. One morning he lept from a bookshelf to his favorite chair a good 10 feet away. The chair knocked over into our French doors, shattering one of the glass panes and sending shards everywhere. We cleaned up as best we could and put the chair on the street with a note I have glass shards on me. Within an hour it was gone. I hope whoever took it could read, it was pretty bad.
Catster: So we’ve established that at least one of your cats is a crazy. Now about you… Do you think cat guys can be as crazy as cat ladies?
Eliot: Crazy is such a loose term. When I think of a crazy cat lady, I think of a woman sharing a crooked old house with 40 scrawny cats. I imagine them following her up and down the stairs, into the kitchen as she opens can after can of wet food, and piling on top of her when she falls asleep. That doesnt seem so crazy to me anymore. I kinda want that actually.
Catster: I think I’ve just seen a glimpse of my future, Eliot. Thanks for that, and for the fabulous interview! We love a good cat guy!
