DON’T F**K WITH CATS: Twisted Yet Hard Not To Watch

There’s something truly fascinating about Netflix’s newest docuseries, the three part Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer, but it is also incredibly disturbing.

If you’re someone like me, a true crime fan, you’re probably thinking that you hope for this, driving to be shocked or intrigued. This will definitely do it. What I believe to be the main difference here is the facts and the details in combination with the potential of a question asked at the very end: are we complicit?

Do we feed the beast- so to say? Killers have existed long before the internet, but for a long-time killers have gotten media attention and thrived off it. Are we partially to blame for this cycle? In reality, whose to say, but it makes for an intriguing conversation.

A Different Sort Of Crime Story

This story centers around Luka Magnotta, and I won’t dig too deep into the details because the discovery is always the intrigue of a documentary like this, but it’s really about the facebook group and its participants involvement that make this unique. It all started with a video, a horrible-cruel act titled “1 boy, two kittens” where the young man seen on camera kills two kittens by vacuum sealing them into a bag. Of course, the documentary by Mark Lewis, doesn’t show the actual gruesome parts, just clips of the videos (this goes for all of them). It’s enough.

I have to reiterate, and if you feel like you may be made uncomfortable during this watch, don’t do it. However, it truly is a fascinating story of a truth narcissistic psychopath, and it’s another that had slipped by many over the years.

When this video is seen by Deanna Thompson and John Green (two of those involved most with the case) regular people just surfing the web, they feel determined to find out who could have done this hideous act. Maybe it’s the desensitization of our society and the fact that we know humans can be vicious creatures (such as displayed here) and that generally animals are innocent, that make this so true, as the title says: you don’t f*ck with kittens. There’s enough ruthlessness here of humans and animals alike, but it’s this initial horror that drives them into action.

Mostly, why? Which is always the question when anyone does something absolutely appalling. Along their discovery they get an anonymous tip, stating the name of the person they are looking for: Luka Magnotta, an aspiring Canadian model/actor. With that they are able to find loads of pictures online, blog posts, and other details. They even analyze the videos he releases for specific evidence that could lead them to the truth. Who is he? Is this the guy? Where were these made?

Justice Should Be Found

Soon, Luka becomes aware of their attention, and it becomes a sort of game. He produces new videos, leaves almost… clues for them, and continues to invoke their persistence. I’m not going to release all the instances where this is clear, but Luka is very smart, and he’s also a big pop culture fan. He knows how to maneuver the internet, manipulate people, and is quite savvy. The things that he does shows that he’s quite capable of executing plans, and what a plan it is. An at times jaw-droppingly shocking, gross pit in your stomach, hair raising, plan. It significantly unsettled me, but I still wanted to know what happened. He’s a fan of film and an aspiring actor, so his dramatics and showmanship, in a sense, are always in action.

The documentary features interviews with the two people in the Facebook groups, a collection of officers from Canada to Germany, as well as others involved, including Luka’s mother. It is a lot to take in, and yet, in only three hour-long episodes, there’s a lot unsaid. Worked in throughout, used to intriguing effect, are computer screens, showing different sites, typing, as if from the point of view of those discussing the events. It reminds us of the power of the internet and our obsession with technology.

Conclusion: Don’t F**k With Cats

While the series might be too much for some, with a level of grossness that’s hard to deny, there’s a seedy story that’s hard to ignore. It’s not just about the killer or even those obsessed with finding him, it’s about a tale that may have been prevented, a life of a young man saved instead of ended, wrapped in a package that’s almost too warped to believe is real. Watch Don’t F**k With Cats with caution, but watch it none the less.

What did you think? Were you haunted/engaged? Both? Let us know in the comments below!

Don’t F**k With Cats is currently streaming on Netflix.