WHOO! April:
I'M ADDICTED TO VENTRILOQUISM. YOU'RE WHAT? I'M A FAIRY GODMOTHER!
I'M THE TOOTH FAIRY! April: I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYTHING
THAT WOULD EVER STOP ME. [ HISSES ] CAN I TALK TO YOU,
NOT THE PUPPET? YES, I CAN. NO, YOU CAN'T. IS THERE, LIKE, SOME ROOM
FOR SOMETHING ELSE? NO. SO, I'M JUST
A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED THAT YOU LEAN ON THEM
A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH. THREE WORDS -- LEAVE ME ALONE. [ CATS MEOWING ] I'M ADDICTED TO CATS. KITTY, KITTY, KITTY, KITTY! CATS ARE THE PRIORITY. DEBBIE PUTS EVERYTHING ELSE
IN HER LIFE ON HOLD. Susan: SO, IS 22 ENOUGH, OR IS THERE NO NUMBER
THAT'S ENOUGH? Debbie: I'VE TAKEN ON MUCH MORE
THAN I CAN HANDLE, ABSOLUTELY. Susan:
SHE WANTS TO TAKE CARE OF THEM MORE THAN SHE WANTS
TO TAKE CARE OF HERSELF. DO YOU THINK TO HAVE A
RELATIONSHIP WITH A CAT IS
BETTER THAN WITH A PERSON? THEY WON'T LET YOU DOWN
LIKE PEOPLE WILL. --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF">
www.vitac.com</font> CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS [ HORN HONKS ] April: MY NAME IS APRIL. I LIVE IN NEW YORK. I'M ADDICTED TO VENTRILOQUISM. HELLO! WHAT'S UP? TIMES SQUARE, WHOO! YEAH! WHETHER I'M GOING TO GET COFFEE
AT THE CORNER STORE, WHETHER I'M GOING TO THE DINER, WHETHER I'M CHILLING WITH
MY BOYS AT THE BEAUTY SALON, OR JUST GOING TO THE SUBWAY, I ALWAYS HAVE MY PUPPETS
WITH ME. ♪ TWINKLE, TWINKLE,
LITTLE STAR ♪ I TAKE THEM TO THE COMEDY CLUBS,
OF COURSE. I TAKE THEM TO PRIVATE EVENTS
TO PERFORM BECAUSE THESE PUPPETS --
THEY'RE WORKING. EVERYBODY'S GOT TO PAY RENT
AROUND HERE. IT FRIGHTENS PEOPLE,
I'LL BE HONEST. THEY THINK THAT I'M ONE STEP
AWAY FROM SPOOKY. THIS IS MAY. NICE TO MEET YOU. OH, MY GOD, MAY.
YOU ARE SCARING CHILDREN NOW. I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYTHING
THAT WOULD EVER STOP ME FROM BEING A VENTRILOQUIST. COME ON.
STRAIGHTEN UP, CHILDREN. CHOP, CHOP! AND I HAVE EIGHT
PUPPETS/CHILDREN. THIS IS MAY WILSON. AND TELL THEM A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT YOURSELF, MAY. WELL, I'M 17 YEARS OLD.
I WANT MY OWN REALITY SHOW. WHOO! THIS IS CHEF CINNAMON TOAST. I'M TRYING OUT
FOR "AMERICAN IDOL." WHOO! MY ADDICTION IS VERY EXPENSIVE. IT'S BUYING THEM CLOTHES,
IT'S TRANSPORTING THEM, AND I'M TRYING TO GET THEM BEDS. I DON'T LIKE THEM SLEEPING
IN THE TRUNK. I'M A SINGING TELEGRAM
MESSENGER. WELL, I DON'T WORK
A 9:00-TO-5:00 BECAUSE I HAVE TO THEN DO STUFF
WITH THESE GUYS OR GIRLS. YOU KNOW, WE'RE GENDER-INCLUSIVE
IN THIS FAMILY. WHEN APRIL STARTED
WITH VENTRILOQUISM, SHE WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH. I WAS HORRIFIED. AS A YOUNGER SISTER, I THOUGHT
IT WOULD MAKE ME REALLY UNCOOL. SEVENTH GRADE
WAS PARTICULARLY ROUGH BECAUSE I WAS FAT,
I HAD BRACES, AND ACNE. I WAS A REALLY DEPRESSED KID, AND SINCE THEN, THIS HAS BEEN
A PART OF MY LIFE. OFFICER "E,"
HOW ARE YOU DOING? I FEEL LIKE I HAVE THESE FRIENDS AND I CAN TELL THEM
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH ME AND I CAN TELL THEM WHO'S
IRKING ME IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD. DRUNK AND MISERABLE, UGH! BROKE,
MORE BILLS COMING IN. I CAN TALK TO THEM,
AND THEY'RE LIKE A THERAPY. Brenna: IT'S HARD TALKING
TO APRIL AND HER DOLLS BECAUSE INSTEAD OF HAVING
A ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATION, IT'S -- BAM! --
THERE'S A THIRD PERSON. OH, HELLO, MR. MAN AND
A BACKPACK, HOW ARE YOU? WHEN MY EX-FIANCé MADE ME CHOOSE
HIM OR THE PUPPETS, UM... ...IT WAS PRETTY PAINFUL. I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE PROBLEMS
THE PUPPET WILL CAUSE FOR HER. I'M WORRIED PEOPLE
WILL STAY AWAY FROM HER 'CAUSE SHE'S JUST THIS GIRL
WITH A PUPPET. AAH! April:
I'M NOT HURTING ANYBODY. SO TO THE PEOPLE WHO THINK
IT'S OUT OF CONTROL, THREE WORDS -- LEAVE ME ALONE. [ CAT MEOWS ] MY NAME IS DEBBIE, AND I LIVE ON LONG ISLAND,
NEW YORK. COME ON, GUYS.
WHO WANTS TO EAT? WHO'S HUNGRY? I'M ADDICTED TO CATS. EVERYTHING IS CATS. THERE WE GO.
COME ON, NEXT. RIGHT NOW, THE TOTAL NUMBER --
I CAN'T EVEN COUNT. IT'S GOT TO BE OVER 20. WHEN I WAS GROWING UP,
WE HAD A COUPLE OF CATS. BEING AN ONLY CHILD,
THEY BROUGHT ME COMFORT, AND I PLAYED WITH THEM. I GUESS THEY WERE KIND OF LIKE
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS. GOOD BABIES. [ CATS MEOWS ] THERE WAS A TIME,
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WHEN I DIDN'T HAVE ANY CATS. THAT'S WHEN I WAS FIRST MARRIED. WHEN MY HUSBAND PASSED AWAY,
MY LIFE TOTALLY CHANGED. EVERYTHING CHANGED. AND BRINGING THE CATS IN
DEFINITELY GIVES ME A PURPOSE. I'VE TAKEN ON MUCH MORE
THAN I CAN HANDLE, ABSOLUTELY. IT'S THE CYCLE -- FEEDING AND
CLEANING, FEEDING AND CLEANING. AND I SPEND FIVE OR SIX HOURS
A DAY CARING FOR THE CATS. KITTY, KITTY, KITTY, KITTY! I'M DEFINITELY WORRIED ABOUT
THE STATE OF MY HOUSE. YOU JUST CAN'T KEEP UP
WITH THE LITTER BOXES. WHAT'D YOU GUYS DO? IT'S A LOT OF WORK,
AND I'M TIRED. [ CHUCKLES ]
AND I'M ALLERGIC. [ SNIFFLING ] HAVING ALL OF THOSE CATS
AROUND HER ALL THE TIME ACTUALLY MAKES HER SICK. I ABSOLUTELY CONSIDER
NOT HAVING CATS, ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTERTIME
WHEN I GET SICK BECAUSE I HAVE ASTHMA
AND WHEN I GET SICK, MY SYMPTOMS ARE MORE SEVERE. FOR PEOPLE WITH CAT ALLERGIES,
THEY ALWAYS RUN THE RISK OF HAVING A SEVERE
ANAPHYLACTIC REACTION, WHICH CAN BE POTENTIALLY FATAL. AND THE MORE THAT THEY'RE
EXPOSED TO THE ALLERGENS, THE GREATER THE LIKELIHOOD IS
FOR HAVING A BAD REACTION. EVEN IF SHE'S SICK, DEBBIE IS LEAVING THE HOUSE
AND SHE'S GOING SHOPPING. THESE CATS WILL TAKE PRIORITY
OVER EVERYTHING, EVEN HER OWN HEALTH. WHEN I GO TO THE PET STORE,
IT'S AN EVENT. AND I USUALLY GET THERE
MAYBE EVERY TWO WEEKS, AND I FILL
THAT SHOPPING CART UP. I NEED LITTER.
TWO OF THESE. I DEFINITELY NEED A BAG OF THAT. I NEED TO GET SOME TOYS. A CAN OF FOOD.
LET ME GET TWO OF THOSE. HAVE YOU EVEN GONE
GROCERY SHOPPING YET? NO, NOT THIS WEEK. HONESTLY, I THINK THAT DEBBIE WOULD PROBABLY PUT FOOD
ON THE PLATES OF ALL OF HER CATS BEFORE SHE'D PUT FOOD
ON HER OWN PLATE. THAT COMES TO $231.93. OH, MY GOODNESS. Debbie: REALLY. THANK GOODNESS
FOR CREDIT CARDS. Debbie: I WOULD SAY
I SPEND ABOUT $500 A MONTH CARING FOR THE CATS. IT IS ABSOLUTELY
A FINANCIAL BURDEN ON ME. I'M TENDING BAR AT TWO DIFFERENT
RESTAURANTS, PLUS REAL ESTATE. Bari: BECAUSE SO MUCH
OF DEBBIE'S TIME AND FINANCES GO INTO CARING
FOR ALL OF HER CATS, IT DOES PUT A DAMPER
ON HER SOCIAL LIFE. DEBBIE DOESN'T GET OUT
AS MUCH AS SHE SHOULD. HAVING ALL THESE CATS IN MY LIFE DEFINITELY AFFECTS
MY ROMANTIC LIFE. FIRST OF ALL,
NOT TOO MANY MEN LIKE CATS, NEVER MIND DATING
THE CRAZY CAT LADY. MAYBE THINGS
WOULD BE EASIER IF YOU, YOU KNOW, DIDN'T HAVE
TO ALWAYS CARRY AROUND, LIKE, A HEAVY PUPPET. YOU KNOW WHAT, BRENNA?
NO, NO, NO! COME ON, KITTIES!
[ SMOOCHING ] Susan:
HOW MANY YOU UP TO? 22. SO IF SOMEBODY CAME HERE
RIGHT NOW WITH ANOTHER ONE, YOU WOULD TURN THEM AWAY? NO. MY NAME IS APRIL, AND
I'M ADDICTED TO VENTRILOQUISM. WHOO! YEAH! I'M ALWAYS PERFECTING MY VOICES, AND I ALWAYS HAVE TO REHEARSE. SHE ALWAYS HAS THE DOLL
WITH HER. IT'S JUST RIDICULOUS. IT WOULD BE NICE
TO SPEND TIME WITH JUST APRIL AND HAVE HER LEAVE THE DOLL
AT HOME. WHICH OF YOUR BABIES
IS IN THE SUITCASE NOW? AS A MATTER OF FACT, MAY.
SHE WANTED TO SAY HI. LIKE, HELLO.
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? I-I'VE BEEN GOOD. MAY THINKS THAT MY SISTER'S
INTIMIDATED BY HER LOOKS. I JUST THINK SHE FEELS
THAT SHE'S BEING REPLACED, AND THAT'S REALLY HARD FOR HER. PUT YOUR HAND IN MY MOUTH.
COME ON. I DON'T KNOW
IF I WANT TO. COME ON.
PUT YOUR HAND IN MY MOUTH. I DON'T WANT TO. PUT YOUR HAND IN MY MOUTH.
DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! HOW DOES THAT WORK
WITH DATING? LIKE, 'CAUSE YOU HAVE YOUR
PUPPETS WITH YOU ALL THE TIME, LIKE, IF YOU TAKE THEM
ON YOUR FIRST DATE -- YOU'RE NOT BARBARA WALTERS,
SO JUST, LIKE, SHUT IT. LIKE, DO YOU GO -- MAY, YOU CAN'T TALK LIKE THAT
TO MY SISTER. YES, I CAN. NO, YOU CAN'T. YES, I CAN. CAN I TALK TO YOU,
NOT THE PUPPET? I'M SORRY.
SHE'S JUST HAVING A DAY. Brenna: I WORRY ABOUT
APRIL AND RELATIONSHIPS BECAUSE TO, YOU KNOW,
WHIP OUT A PUPPET AND -- IT SEEMS LIKE
A MODERATELY AWKWARD DYNAMIC. MAYBE THINGS
WOULD BE EASIER IF YOU, YOU KNOW, DIDN'T HAVE
TO ALWAYS CARRY AROUND, LIKE, A HEAVY PUPPET. YOU KNOW WHAT, BRENNA?
NO, NO, NO! COME ON. SERIOUSLY, BYE. NO. I'M JUST TRYING TO BE
A GOOD SISTER. NO!
NO, APOLOGIZE TO MAY! I'M SORRY, MAY. I KNOW THAT IN ORDER
TO STAY CLOSE TO HER, I CAN'T TELL HER
NEAR THE PUPPETS. COME, LITTLE ONES.
[ SMOOCHES ] HERE WE GO.
WHOOPSIES! HERE THEY COME. MY NAME IS DEBBIE, AND I'M KNOWN
AS THE CRAZY CAT LADY BECAUSE I HAVE 22 CATS. THIS LITTLE SNOWBALL IS CALLIE. THIS IS ANGEL. THIS IS MAMA KITTY. COME ON, KITTIES!
[ SMOOCHING ] DEBBIE'S ALWAYS HAD
THIS AFFINITY TOWARDS CATS. WAY BACK WHEN SHE HAD A FEW, IT WAS TOLERABLE. NOW IT'S COME TO THE POINT THAT YOU'RE KIND OF SCARED
TO COME TO THE HOUSE. Debbie:
ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, SUSAN -- SHE'S REALLY CONCERNED
ABOUT ME TAKING ON SO MANY CATS. Susan:
HOW MANY YOU UP TO? UM, WITH THE NEWEST BATCH AND THE NEWEST ONE
I TOOK IN YESTERDAY, 22. HOW CAN YOU DO THAT? I NEVER THOUGHT
SHE WOULD GET TO THE POINT THAT SHE'D HAVE 22 CATS. I THINK SHE REALLY HAS GONE A LITTLE BIT TOO FAR
AT THIS POINT. YOU KNOW, I COULD PICTURE YOU
BEING LIKE THOSE OLD LADIES. THEY GET
THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK. THEY GO
TO THE CASH REGISTER. ALL YOU SEE IS A LITTLE THING
FOR THEM, AND THE REST IS CAT FOOD. HELLO, BABY. YOU SOUND CONGESTED TO ME,
MORE THAN USUAL. WELL, I HAVE A COLD.
[ LAUGHS ] OH, YEAH.
THAT'S ALWAYS THE EXCUSE. I DO TEND TO WORRY ABOUT
MY HEALTH AND THE ALLERGIES. I'M HOPING TO KEEP IT
UNDER CONTROL. OH, MWAH! SHE'S BEEN FORTUNATE
TO STAY OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. IT'S JUST NOT A GOOD THING
TO HAVE THAT MANY ANIMALS WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE
A COMPROMISED SYSTEM, BUT SHE WANTS
TO TAKE CARE OF THEM MORE THAN SHE WANTS TO TAKE CARE
OF HERSELF, I GUESS. SO, IS 22 ENOUGH, OR IS THERE
NO NUMBER THAT'S ENOUGH? DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN
YOUR HEAD WHERE YOU'LL STOP AT AND YOU'LL ABSOLUTELY SAY,
"NO, I WON'T TAKE ANY MORE"? I THINK I'M AT MY MAX RIGHT NOW,
TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. IT'S THE MOST
I'VE EVER HAD. SO, IF SOMEBODY CAME HERE
RIGHT NOW WITH ANOTHER ONE, YOU WOULD TURN THEM AWAY? NO. EVEN SHELTERS HAVE A LIMIT. "SORRY, NO ROOM AT THE INN.
CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE." IT CERTAINLY WOULDN'T BE
A BAD IDEA IF DEBBIE SAT DOWN WITH A THERAPIST WHO MIGHT
BE ABLE TO HELP HER FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S A REASON WHY
SHE'S FOCUSED SO MUCH ON THIS. Debbie: OH, I'M DEFINITELY OPEN
TO TALKING TO A THERAPIST TO SEE WHY I HAVE SO MANY CATS INSTEAD OF JUST THE NORMAL ONE
OR TWO OR THREE. HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT SPENDING
LESS TIME WITH THE PUPPETS? MOM, I THOUGHT
WE DISCUSSED THIS. YOU WEREN'T GONNA
AMBUSH ME. DOES IT STOP YOU
FROM DEVELOPING OTHER FRIENDSHIPS
IN OTHER AREAS? IT'S POSSIBLE. DO YOU EVER BRING MEN HOME
FOR DATES? NO. MY NAME IS APRIL,
AND WHEREVER I GO IN NEW YORK, I HAVE MY PUPPETS WITH ME. NICE TO MEET YOU. HEY, WHAT'S UP?
HOW YOU DOING? WHAT'S UP? April:
I COULD DO NINE HOURS ON END. MY DEDICATION TO THIS
HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR OTHER TYPES OF CAREERS. BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST
CAN'T STOP DOING SOMETHING THAT YOU LOVE. WANT TO SEE ME FLY?
AAH! Anne:
YOU KNOW, I WORRY AS A MOM. I WORRY ABOUT HER
NOT HAVING HEALTH INSURANCE, AND I WORRY ABOUT HER
HAVING ENOUGH MONEY AND NOT TAKING CARE OF HERSELF. I WORRY LIKE 24 HOURS A DAY. April: I'M GONNA TAKE MY MOM
TO A THEATER WHERE SHE'S GONNA SEE ME
REHEARSE. MAY, I'M SO GLAD THAT
YOU'RE STANDING NEXT TO ME. DON'T I LOOK SKINNER
ALREADY? WELL, MAY,
YOU CAN GO TO HELL. SORRY, WOULDN'T WANT TO SIT
IN YOUR AUDIENCE. OH! YOU LIKE THE FLOW OF THOSE,
MOM? PRETTY GOOD, PRETTY GOOD. I WANT FOR MY DAUGHTER
WHAT EVERY MOTHER WANTS. I WANT HER TO HAVE 2.5 KIDS
AND A GOOD HUSBAND. YOU KNOW, I WANT HER TO HAVE
THAT FULL LIFE. HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT SPENDING
LESS TIME WITH THE PUPPETS? MOM, I THOUGHT
WE DISCUSSED THIS. YOU WEREN'T GONNA AMBUSH ME
ON THIS VISIT. AT SOME POINT IN TIME, I'M THINKING YOU MIGHT BE
TIRED OF THIS. I'M NEVER GONNA GET TIRED
OF MY PUPPETS, MOM. EVER. WHEN MOM BRINGS UP SPENDING
LESS TIME WITH THE PUPPETS, I FEEL LIKE
IT'S HER WAY OF SAYING, "YOU'RE NOT THE DAUGHTER
I WANTED." I'M VERY PROUD OF YOU.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT. YOU'RE AN AMAZING PERSON. PLEASE, MOM, STOP CRYING. IT'S GONNA MESS UP
YOUR EYE MAKEUP, AND IT'S GONNA MESS UP MINE,
TOO. [ CHUCKLES ] I KEEP SAYING,
"WHERE IS PLAN 'B'?" AND SHE SAYS,
"THERE IS NO PLAN 'B,' MOM." IT'S A LITTLE UPSETTING. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT I'M SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME
WITH THE PUPPETS. I'M WALKING
THROUGH THE PARK. I THINK IT WOULD BE
KIND OF A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE SOMEONE
LOOK AT ALL OF YOU AND MAKE
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS. MAYBE I'LL SEE,
YOU KNOW, A THERAPIST, AND IF I AM BECOMING LIKE
THAT CREEPY VENTRILOQUIST WOMAN, I DON'T WANT THAT, EITHER. KITTY, KITTY, KITTY, KITTY! MY NAME IS DEBBIE, AND I'M ALSO
KNOWN AS THE CRAZY CAT LADY. I DO TRAP CATS
ON A SELECTIVE BASIS IF SOMEBODY NEEDS A CAT
IN THEIR BACKYARD TRAPPED. OH, GEEZ. THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!
ALL RIGHT. WE NEED TO SOCIALIZE THEM
AND GET THEM USED TO HUMANS AND THEN FIND THEM HOMES. AFTER TALKING WITH MY FRIENDS AND LISTENING TO ALL
THEIR CONCERNS THAT THEY HAVE ABOUT THE CATS AND HOW
THEY'RE AFFECTING MY LIFE, I AM HERE TODAY
TO TALK TO A THERAPIST AND TO SEE WHAT SHE THINKS. SO, HOW DID THIS START?
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. WELL, I ALWAYS HAD CATS
GROWING UP. WERE YOU THE ONLY CHILD? YES. WHAT WERE THE CATS TO YOU
AT THAT TIME? WELL, YOU KNOW,
THEY WERE, UM, COMPANY. COMPANY. YEAH. ARE THEY STILL COMPANY? OH, ABSOLUTELY.
YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. DO YOU LIVE ALONE? YES, I DO. OKAY. MM-HMM. WERE YOU EVER MARRIED? I WAS MARRIED
FOR 17 YEARS. MY HUSBAND PASSED AWAY. OH. HE HAD A HEART ATTACK. SO, HOW DID YOU WORK
THROUGH THE DEATH? I DON'T THINK
IT EVER ACTUALLY HEALED. UH-HUH. Hyde: THE CATS PROVIDE COMFORT
FOR HER. IT'S A SAFETY ZONE FOR HER 'CAUSE SHE CAN KIND OF RELY ON
WHAT THEY'LL DO. DO YOU EVER BRING MEN HOME
FOR DATES? NO. NO? [ LAUGHS ] WHY? I DON'T WANT THEM TO THINK
I'M THE CRAZY CAT LADY. UH-HUH. SO THIS KIND OF
PREVENTS YOU FROM HAVING
A NORMAL SOCIAL LIFE. UM, YEAH, I GUESS. MM-HMM. I GUESS. DO YOU THINK TO HAVE
A RELATIONSHIP WITH A CAT IS BETTER
THAN WITH A PERSON? WELL, THEY WON'T LET YOU DOWN
LIKE PEOPLE WILL. I'M HERE TODAY
BECAUSE APRIL IS CRAZY. CAN WE PUT MAY AWAY AND JUST TALK
BETWEEN THE TWO OF US? Hyde: SO,
THE CATS ARE SO IMPORTANT THAT THEY'RE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
THAN YOUR HEALTH SOMETIMES. THEY'RE MORE IMPORTANT
THAN YOU. YES. MY NAME IS APRIL, AND I CARRY
A PUPPET EVERYWHERE I GO. APRIL'S GOING TO SEE
A THERAPIST TODAY, AND I'M KIND OF CURIOUS
TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY, SEEING THAT APRIL TAKES ME
EVERYWHERE SHE GOES. I MEAN, GRANTED,
APRIL IS A LITTLE CRAZY. I KNOW THAT
BECAUSE I LIVE WITH HER. SO, HOW MUCH TIME WOULD YOU SAY
YOU SPEND WITH THEM? I SPEND A LOT OF TIME
WITH THEM. I TAKE THEM OUT IN PUBLIC
WITH ME. WE SIT IN TIMES SQUARE.
PEOPLE TAKE PHOTOS WITH US. I'M BRINGING THESE GUYS
TO PLACES TO PERFORM. I ACTUALLY MAKE MY LIVING
SINGING TELEGRAMS. UH-HUH. BUT I MIGHT GET FIRED
IF I BRING THEM TO THOSE JOBS. SO YOU SEEM
VERY ATTACHED TO THEM. YEAH. THIS IS MAY WILSON. MM-HMM. HOW ARE YOU DOING? HI, MAY. I'M HERE TODAY
BECAUSE APRIL IS CRAZY. I'M WITH HER
BECAUSE I FEEL BAD FOR HER. SO SHE -- MAY -- LOOKS
A LOT LIKE YOU, I NOTICE. YEAH, UH, SHE'S SORT OF
THE BAD GIRL OF THE GROUP. MM-HMM. CAN WE PUT MAY AWAY AND JUST
TALK BETWEEN THE TWO OF US? OKAY, BYE, MAY. NICE TO MEET YOU, MAY. SO, WHEN YOU'RE OUT
IN PUBLIC, ARE THERE ANY NEGATIVE REACTIONS
TOWARDS MAY? ONE TIME I WAS DOING
A TRADE SHOW PERFORMANCE AND A GUY TRIED
TO HAVE ME ARRESTED. MM-HMM. AND I ACTUALLY REALLY
GOT INTO IT WITH HIM. SOMETIMES IT'S LIKE I ALWAYS
JUST WANT TO TELL THEM HOW I REALLY THINK
AND FEEL ABOUT THEM. BUT I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT ALWAYS
THE MOST KIND APPROACH. BUT WHEN MAY SAYS IT,
THOUGH, IT'S LIKE -- IT'S JUST LIKE -- YOU KNOW,
IT'S OKAY FOR HER TO BE MEAN. SHE CAN BE AS BAD
AS SHE WANTS TO BE, AND THAT'S SORT OF COOL. RIGHT, RIGHT
'CAUSE THERE'S NO... THERE'S NO REPERCUSSION,
YEAH. RIGHT, EXACTLY. THESE DIFFERENT PUPPETS AND
THESE DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES CONTAIN HER EMOTION. THEY POSSIBLY ARE CONTAINING
HER ANGER, SADNESS. SO I'M JUST
A BIT CONCERNED THAT MAYBE YOU LEAN ON THEM
A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH. MAYBE WE CAN LOOK AT
AND EXPLORE OTHER WAYS
TO EXPRESS YOURSELF -- YOGA, MUSIC, YOU KNOW,
SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I LOVE TO RUN. MM-HMM, MM-HMM. IT CALMS ME DOWN.
IT CLEARS MY HEAD. SO, MY RECOMMENDATION
WOULD BE TO EXPLORE, YOU KNOW, THESE ISSUES
WITH ANGER OR INTOLERANCE SO YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE
TO EXPRESS YOURSELF THROUGH THE PUPPETS. I DEFINITELY THINK APRIL HAS A
LOT OF WORK TO DO IN THE FUTURE, AND IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT
FOR APRIL TO TRY TO FIND HER OWN VOICE. [ CATS MEOWING ] Debbie:
I THINK MY CATS ARE DEFINITELY
A LARGE PART OF MY IDENTITY. WHEN I THINK ABOUT A LIFE
WITHOUT MY CATS, IT'S VERY EMPTY AND BORING. OBVIOUSLY, THE CATS ARE
INTERFERING WITH DEBBIE'S LIFE. SHE SEEMED TO FEEL
THAT THE SITUATION WITH THE CATS WAS ALL POSITIVE. AND THAT'S JUST NOT TRUE. YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO CATS. I'M ALLERGIC TO CATS,
YES. HAVE YOU EVER HAD
AN ASTHMA ATTACK? YES, I HAVE. SO,
THE CATS ARE SO IMPORTANT THAT THEY'RE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
THAN YOUR HEALTH SOMETIMES. THEY'RE MORE IMPORTANT
THAN YOU. YES. WHEN DOTTIE SAID I WAS PUTTING THE CATS
ABOVE MY OWN HEALTH, IT MADE ME THINK IT WOULD BE
WISE TO CUT DOWN A BIT. IF YOU WANTED TO DECREASE
THE AMOUNT OF CATS, HOW WOULD YOU DO THAT? I GUESS THE BEST THING
TO DECREASE WOULD NOT TO BE
TAKING IN AS MANY, AND THAT WOULD BE HARD
FOR ME. THAT WOULD BE HARD FOR YOU. THAT WOULD BE HARD. DEBBIE'S IDENTITY
IS INTEGRATED WITH THE CATS SO THAT FOR HER TO GIVE UP
THE CATS WOULD BE TO GIVE UP
A PART OF HERSELF. AND THAT'S WHY,
WORKING WITH HER IN THERAPY, IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT
TO GO SLOWLY AND BUILD DEBBIE UP
AND SLOWLY DECREASE THE CATS. IT MIGHT NOT BE IN YOUR
BEST INTEREST TO HAVE 23 CATS. I HAVE TO AGREE THERE,
YEAH. YES. Debbie: TAKING CARE OF THESE
CATS IS A BIT OF A CHALLENGE, AND IT COULD BE INTERFERING WITH SOME OTHER THINGS
IN MY LIFE, AND THERE'S SOME THINGS
I NEED TO WORK. GONNA TRY AND KEEP IT
AT A MORE MANAGEABLE NUMBER, HELP THE KITTENS
AND TRY AND HELP ME, TOO. I FEEL THE THERAPY SESSION
WENT WELL. I LEARNED SOME THINGS
ABOUT MYSELF. I DON'T SEE ANY REASON
TO PUT THE PUPPETS ASIDE OR TO SPEND ANY LESS TIME
WITH THEM. IF ANYTHING, I'M SPENDING
AS MUCH TIME WITH MY CHILDREN AS POSSIBLE. Anne: SO,
HOW DID EVERYTHING GO TODAY? April: IT WENT WELL. AND DID SHE MAKE ANY SUGGESTIONS
OR ANYTHING? WELL, YOU KNOW, SHE THOUGHT MAYBE I WAS TRYING TO ESCAPE
THROUGH THE PUPPETS OR MAYBE I WAS TRYING
TO AVOID SOCIAL SITUATIONS. SHE JUST, YOU KNOW,
WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I WASN'T GETTING
TOO CARRIED AWAY AND WASN'T USING THESE
AS AN ESCAPE AND SUGGESTED THAT MAYBE
WHEN I GO OUT WITH BRENNA, I LEAVE THE PUPPETS
AT HOME SOMETIMES. WELL, I MEAN, I THINK
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA. I THINK THAT SOUNDS LIKE
A TERRIBLE IDEA.
