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The film is available on VIMEO to purchase, worldwide, right now! You can either rent the docuseries or buy it furever!

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Interested purchasing the broadcasting rights to our documentary series about the fascinating world of cats ?

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Crew member
THE LION IN THE LIVING ROOM
EPISODE 1
Crew member
PRICELESS LOVE
EPISODE 2
Crew member
CAT-ASTROPHE
EPISODE 3
SYNOPSIS
DOCUMENTARY SERIES SUMMARY
With more than 200 million cat owners, the domestic cat is the most popular pet worldwide, and everything seems to indicate it has now entered its era of glory.

Cat videos are among the most-watched of all categories of videos on the web. The resources devoted to cats in our society are as innumerable as they are unlikely; luxury hotels and private chauffeurs, state-of-the-art hospitals, designer clothing, video games, paleo diets, film festivals, museums, cryptocurrency, music for cats, the list goes on. The rise of celebrity cats online has contributed to heightening the value of a colossal billion-dollar industry. Should we be surprised? After all, humankind has purposefully shaped domestic cats to become the objects of our affection.

This documentary traces the origins of domestication, from the ice age to the present day, unveiling the reasons of our mutual attachment, and dwells on the positive and negative impacts of cats in our lives and communities.

From Canada to France to London and Los Angeles, this film introduces us to cat lovers, enthusiasts, researchers, and detractors to help us to paint a portrait of an animal that, despite its enormous popularity, remains enigmatic and misunderstood in many ways.
EPISODE 1
THE LION IN THE LIVING ROOM
In this first episode, we explore the relationship and the science behind our love for cats. From Paris National Natural History Museum to the thousand-year-old Chauvet cave, we go back in time to learn about the origins of the domestic cat. Through genetic analysis of the cat's DNA and the latest scientific discoveries, we delve into the 20,000-year-old relationship that unites us.

We visit one of the world’s biggest cat shows in London to meet with passionate owners and we look at the evolution of domestic cat breeds from tiny Munchkins to 30-pound African wildcats crossbred with domestic cats. We explore the differences between cats and dogs and the reasons of our attachment to this seemingly useless animal. Guided by “cat therapists”, we deepen the analysis of the cat’s psychology and explore some of their less known, sometimes bizarre, behaviours.
EPISODE 2
PRICELESS LOVE
Whether it's because of the hormones induced by "purr therapy" sessions or because of our innate need to care for cute (and fluffy!) creatures, our love for cats seems to know no boundaries. In this Cat Empire documentary's episode, we dive deeper into the relationship uniting humans to cats.

We head over to cat-related festivals around the globe (Vancouver's Meowfest, L.A.'s Catfest) to meet cat people and talk about how we can make life better, for both our cats and for us, with catification expert Kate Benjamin.

Cat hotels, music designed for cats, home cooking for our pets, top of the line medical care, from Bordeau’s Cat Café to London’s Tanks for Cat, we meet with creators and business owners who brought their love for cats to the next level.

While visiting pet trade shows, we explore the multi-billion-dollar industry that has emerged in recent years and scout for the latest trends in cat care.



EPISODE 3
CAT-ASTROPHE
Our love for cats is not without consequences, and our meat-eating companion’s carbon footprint is enormous. In fact, the U.S. cat foot print is equivalent to that of the average African country! Even more alarming, the cat’s ability to reproduce quickly has led to a serious overpopulation problem. With dozens of millions of stray cats wandering the streets of U.S. cities, the issue has gotten so bad that according to researchers, it has become one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in the U.S., killing billions of animals each year. We meet scientists who try to prevent their proliferation and promote euthanasia, and we roam the shady streets of Los Angeles at night with volunteers and “cat activist” trying to save them.

Fortunately, killing and neutering cats are not the only solutions, and we spend a day exploring the world’s most massive no-cage private shelter, offering a home to more than 1,000 free-roaming cats in California.

Not content with having conquered the world, cats have expanded to and (according to many) taken over the internet. We look at the most popular trends, from “memes” and the “keyboard cat” to the uprising of millionaire celebrity cats and we try to understand the reason of their online fame. We meet with the founder of My Pet Agency, Paris’s first talent agency dedicated to influential animals and we cross the English Channel to enter the secret world of The Magnificats, England’s most famous cats, who stream their daily life to their million and a half Facebook followers., we end our journey by spending time with some of the internet most famous cats: Pudge, BenBen and Nala (Instagram’s most influential cat, with a staggering 4 million followers!), as they attend Vancouver’s Meowfest to meet with their fans.

“A happy arrangement: many people prefer cats to other people, and many cats prefer people to other cats.”
- Mason Cooley
groups Cat Empire Documentary about cats gif animation
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    DANIEL MILLS

    VETERINARIAN AND BIOLOGIST, PROFESSOR OF VETERINARY BEHAVIOURAL MEDICINE.

    Daniel Mills is a leading academic authority on companion animal behaviour and its management. He has published more than 100 scientific research papers and more than 50 books and chapters. In the documentary, he helps us understand the relationship between owners and their pets.

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    EVA MARIA GEIGL, PH.D

    PALEOGENETICIAN, CNRS RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT INSTITUT JACQUES MONOD

    In the documentary, she shows us how palaeogenetics have helped us understand cat dispersal in the ancient world.

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    PUDGE

    Celebrity cat

    Hipster cat Pudge is an internet celebrity cat known for her flat face and white mustache. With the help of her human, Kady Lone, this feline known affectionately has amassed over half a million followers on Instagram with his art and craft skills.

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    NALA

    CELEBRITY CAT

    Former shelter cat turned celebrity, Nala is the most famous cat on Instagram with more than 4.3 million followers. “Pookie” Methachittiphan, Shannon Ellis managed Nala Cat’s burgeoning business empire that includes merchandise (T-shirts, hats, onesies, scratcher, beds) and endorsement deals while also operating a full house of animal influencers.

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    JEAN-DENIS VIGNE

    ARCHAEOZOOLOGIST, CNRS RESEARCH DIRECTOR

    Archaeologists and biologist at the National Museum of Natural History, research director at CNRS. In the film, he explains how a recent discovery he made with his team is the oldest known evidence of the taming of cats.

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    KATE BENJAMIN

    DESIGNER, CAT STYLE EXPERT

    Kate Benjamin has been writing about feline design since 2007 and is co-author with Jackson Galaxy of two New York Times best-selling books, Catification and Catify to Satisfy. In the documentary series, she walks us with passion through the basics of Catification: the art of adjusting your home to meet the needs of both you and your cat.

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    DANIEL FILION

    Cat Behavior consultant @ Educhateur

    President of the most important Cat Behavior consultant Firm in Canada: Educator, Daniel help us deepen our understanding of cats psyche (and us)! A true cat lover!

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    BENBEN

    CELEBRITY CAT

    Dubbed the “saddest cat on the Internet” due to his worried look and down-turned eyes, BenBen was just one day from being euthanized when he was rescued. Today, the Vancouver-based cat is one of the biggest Canadian pet online with more than half a million followers on Instagram.


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    FRÉDÉRIC VITOUX

    WRITER - MEMBER OF THE ACADÉMIE FRANÇAISE

    Frederic Vitoux, elected at the prestigious Académie Française in 2001, is a novelist, essayist, and literary critic. His English titles include "CATS: an illustrated miscellany, Cats in the Louvre (Flammarion) and Living in Venice (Flammarion).

  • Britt Collins cat author docuseries

    BRITT COLLINS

    JOURNALIST, AUTHOR OF THE BOOK “STRAYS“

    Britt Collins is writter and English journalist who writes for the Guardian, the Sunday Times, the Independent, Harper's Bazaar, Condé Nast and many more. But first and foremost, she's a true animal lover and advocate of pet adoption.

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    DANIEL "DQ" QUAGLIOZZI

    CAT BEHAVIOR CONSULTANT AT GO, CAT, GO!

    Daniel “DQ” Quagliozzi is the cat Behavior Consultant behind Go, Cat, GoSan Francisco’s leading in-home resource for modern cat behavior advice and guidance. DQ is a member of the Pet Professional Guild and he definitely lives in the meow.

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    BERNARD VERCRUYCE

    ARTIST SPECIALIZING IN CATS"

    In 1994 he was appointed Academician of the Cat by the Accademia dei gatti magici in Rome for his body of work. Self-taught painter, in 1980 he began to paint mostly cats, thus becoming an animal artist. In the documentary, you can see in Bernie’s eye that he dearly love cats.

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    GRETCHEN LANHAM

    PHOTOGRAPHER, ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST"

    Gretchen was deeply troubled by cruelty to feral cats that she saw in the street of Los Angeles. That’s why she decided to do something about it. Now, like hundreds of other volunteers, she walks the streets of LA at night saving cats and kittens.

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    DR GARY WEITZMAN

    VETERINARIAN, PRESIDENT OF THE "SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY""

    Gary Weitzman joined San Diego Humane Society as its President and CEO in 2012. An Air Force veteran, he earned a double BA in Biology and English from Colby College. He was the former co-host of the nationally distributed radio program The Animal House and is the author of eight books published by National Geographic including « How to Speak Cat ».

  • Lattanzio cat house on the king docuseries Cat Empire

    LYNEA LATTANZIO

    FOUNDER OF THE NO-KILL CAT SANCTUARY "CAT HOUSE ON THE KING"

    Back in 1992, Lynea started turning her home and her property into a cat rescue. Nearly 30 years later, Cat House on the Kings is one of the largest no-cage, no kill cat rescue in the world with more than 1000 cats and kittens in residence.

  • Cook for your cats

    VÉRONIQUE AÏACHE

    JOURNALIST AND WRITER

    Véronique is the author of many books including « Le temps passé avec un chat n’est jamais perdu », « Les Pouvoirs des chats » and a cookbook for owners and their cats: « Recettes pour mon chat et moi ». She sees cats as therapist and think we should think again about feeding commercial food to our feline friends.

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    STEVEN et SASHA

    PET PARENTS OF "THE MAGNIFICATS "

    Managers and dedicated pet parents of Britain's Most Famous Internet Cats: The Magnificats. 4-nights-a-week Rocky, Prince, Junior, Ugs, Princess Pixie, Tom, Zeus and Norman. They host live webcasts for their 1.4 million Facebook fans every week.

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    BETTY ROSE

    TATTOO ARTIST

    Accomplished Tattoo artist specializing in cats, or as cat lovers call them « Cattoos ».

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    Becky Robinson

    Founder of Alley Cat Allies

    Becky Robinson, the president and founder of Alley Cat Allies, is a global leader in the movement to protect and improve the lives of all cats. Alley Cat Allies is working in communities to champion low-cost spay and neuter policies and programs, as well as lifesaving Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and Shelter-Neuter-Return (SNR).

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    DAVID TEIE

    MUSICIAN, COMPOSER AND INVENTOR OF "MUSIC FOR CAT"

    David Teie, a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, is on a mission to bring music to the animal kingdom, starting with cats! He recently teamed up with animal scientists to develop “Music for Cats,” a series scientifically crafted musical tracks designed for cats’ brains and ears.

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    PAULA FLORES

    GLOBAL HEAD OF PET CARE RESEARCH AT EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL

    Paula Flores, global head of pet care research for Euromonitor International, provides the latest sales data, projections and trends for the global and European pet food and pet care markets. She has published articles in magazines such as Petfood Industry, Pets International and Campaign Asia, and participated in the BBC Fast Track program.

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    Dr. JEREMY CAMPBELL

    CLINICAL DIRECTOR "LONDON CAT CLINIC"

    Director of state-of-the-art feline-only veterinary clinic in London. Founder member of the International Society of Feline Medicine, Academy of Feline Practitioners. BVSc MANZCVS (Feline Medicine) MRCVS RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Feline Medicine ISFM Academy of Feline Practitioners

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    PETER MARRA PH.D

    FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE SMITHSONIAN MIGRATORY BIRD CENTER

    Senior scientist emeritus, he has a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College and has authored over 225 papers published in journals such as Science, Nature and Conservation Biology. He wrote the book Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of Cuddly Killer where he exposes the danger of outdoor cat on wildlife.

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