Buddy Hackett and his furry friend, Charlie

I am one of those people who believe that comedy is the best medicine for any ailment of the body or spirit. I love to laugh and I love to make people laugh. Perhaps that's why comedians have always had a special spot in my heart.

Any devout reader of The Pet Tribune would realize that trend by taking a look at our covers and articles over the past few years. Joan Rivers, Betty White, Bob Hope, Vicki Lawrence, and Rhonda Shear appear, just to name a few. An interesting observation is noting the kinship between comedians and animals. Who could forget Bob Hope's golf game with Mildred the Chimp in "How to Commit Marriage," or Joan Rivers on stage with her beloved Spike tucked under her arm? Betty White's love of animals is well-known. I can't help but ask myself Why? What is the special relationship between these two worlds? (And yes, a comic lives in another world.) The answer is very obvious … animals are funny!

How many times has your pet done something that just cracks you up? Even something as simple as a look sometimes sets me off. To this day I will never forget the story of my brother and Max the Cat. Max was a temperamental seal-point Himalayan who just barely tolerated the antics of two crazy boys. Max rarely got along with anyone but me; nobody else could touch him, but he would let me comb him and take care of him.

Buddy Hackett plays "Artie," a pawnshop owner who is more aggravated than amazed by the verbal talents of "Paulie" (his parrot) in Dreamworks Pictures' family adventure-comedy, "Paulie."

One day, my younger brother went to the bathroom. Max was playing with a cat friend-actually, he was being chased. Just as he jumped over the toilet, my younger brother accidentally urinated him on. Max was not amused, to say the least. We attempted to bathe him, which did not help his mood any. The next day as my brother lay sleeping, Max sought his revenge and pooped on his leg. When my brother awoke screaming, I could not help but laugh at Max's eye-for-an-eye routine. To this day I still laugh at the memory.

When one thinks of a funnyman, Buddy Hackett's name is usually one of the first ones mentioned. Buddy is the epitome of the well-rounded comedian. He is comfortable with slapstick, farce, and standup; he can even make you laugh just by looking at you. If anyone has proved how funny animals can be, it has been Buddy Hackett. From his work as the voice of Scuttle the Seagull in the Disney classic "The Little Mermaid" to his role as pawn shop owner Artie in the film "Paulie," Buddy has proved how endearing and funny that combination can be. Buddy and his wife, Sherry, are both animal lovers. They share their Beverly Hills home with three cats. A fact that seems a bit odd to me is that after seeing the "The Little Mermaid," it is hard for me to disassociate Buddy Hackett from a seagull. He looks so much like the animated Scuttle that it almost seems natural that Buddy would own a bird.

Sherry and Buddy have recently gotten involved with an organization called CARE (Cat/Canine Assistance Referral & Education) which is dedicated to saving dogs and cats. CARE was founded when the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services took a group of 200 cats and more than a dozen dogs from a private shelter. There had been over twice as many cats, but hundreds of animals were euthanized before anyone stepped in. CARE is preparing to move into a new sanctuary in the Los Angeles countryside. The new shelter, the first built-to-code shelter to house over 300 animals in 20 years, lies in a canyon with a stream running through it. Buddy writes a column for the CARE newsletter, and he recently hosted a benefit for CARE at Jamie Masada's Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, which brought out some of Buddy's friends, including actor Jay Mohr and comics Paul Rodriguez and Dom Irrera.

He recently starred in the short-lived, critically acclaimed FOX series "Action" with Jay Mohr. He also costarred with Mohr in the Dreamworks SKG children's film, "Paulie." In "Paulie," Buddy plays Artie, a pawnshop owner who is more annoyed than amazed by a talking bird's antics. Buddy chatted with me from his Beverly Hills home.

Kareem Tabsch: How many pets do you have?
Buddy Hackett: I have three cats: Charlie, a black and white; Sgt. Maguire, a yellow cat; and Muffin, a fluffy tabby. When Sherry and I first married, we had a dog named Cupie who lived to be 18 and was very overprotective of us. We got Charlie in Palm Springs after a coyote ate our kitty and we needed a new life in the house. He was six hours away from being euthanized. I paid the sheriff $5.00 for him. I think he felt a bit embarrassed; a $5.00 cat isn't too impressive. He had a lump on his right leg, and we took him to the vet and he charged us $600 to operate. So now Charlie is a $605 Beverly Hills cat. Muffin is like a landmine. She looks at you affectionately. Then you begin to pet her and all of a sudden she bites you. Then she does something I've never seen a cat do: she laughs. Sgt. Maguire is a nice cat, just a bit confused. He is neutered. He spends the whole day walking around the house as if he were searching for something, I think he's looking for his balls.

KT: Do you have a favorite type of animal?
BH: Yes, the kind that asks to go out to the bathroom. And a houseguest.

KT: Are you afraid of any animals?
BH: Yes, any kind that considers me food. In all seriousness, I am against the killing of animals for trophy hunting.

KT: What have you learned from your cats?
BH: Nothing. I always knew how to squat over a box.

KT: If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why?
BH: I'd like to be a great big Grizzly bear as long as I wasn't anyone's carpet.

KT: Why do you think comedians use animal jokes so much in their routines?
BH: Because so many organizations exist to prohibit you from making jokes about people that you're only left with animals and palm trees … and animals are funnier.

-Kareem Tabsch is a freelance writer who specializes in celebrity interviews. He has interviewed celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Hope, Joan Rivers, Julio Iglesias, and Barbara Mandrell, among others. He writes frequently on animal-related issues as well as on the entertainment industry.