SpringfieldNewsSun.com

SPRINGFIELD — Somewhere out there, someone is trying to get inside the mind of a cat as the Cat Whisperer — and going completely and utterly bonkers in the process.

After all, despite his professed ability to connect with all species, there's a reason Cesar Millan became the Dog Whisperer.

"It's just not my preference to be around cats," said Millan, who speaks in Kuss Auditorium on Thursday, March 27. "First, they don't follow. You don't see a lot of people walking cats."

Millan, the dog psychologist whose Emmy-nominated show has become a phenomenon in its four seasons on cable, is all about restoring law and order to the animal kingdom.

Actually, he's out to tame just one species in particular — Canis familiaris.

Equal parts Doctor Dolittle and Supernanny, Millan enters homes and puts the smack down on out-of-control dogs (and their owners).

His Dog Psychology Center in Los Angeles gets upwards of 300 calls for help every day.

The owners might get starstruck, but the dogs never do.

"They don't know me as Cesar Millan," he said. "They know me as scent energy."

For Millan, who was given the nickname El Perrero — The Dogman — in his native Mexico, it's all about projecting the right kind of energy.

Calm, assertive energy is the trick.

"Screaming has levels. Low, medium and high," Millan said. "With animals, the whispering works best."

And the Dog Whisperer whispers with intensity.

"America has never seen dog psychology this way," he said.

No kidding — last fall, Millan followed his best-selling book "Cesar's Way" with "Be the Pack Leader."

His appearance Thursday is part of the Clark County Public Library's speaker series.

For a guy whose first job in the U.S. was as a dog groomer, Millan is trying his best to get people to rethink how they treat their dogs at a time when pampering is all the rage.

"Animals are wired to work for food and water," he said. "They want to work. Let them work for affection.

"You can throw a birthday party to a dog after a good walk."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0352 or amcginn@coxohio.com.

Who: Cesar Millan

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 27

Where: Kuss Auditorium (sorry, no dogs allowed)

Tickets: $10; $5 for students. Call (937) 328-3874 or go to pactkts.com