Psychology is the study of mental processes and behaviour. By observing cats and their behaviour, we can discover a lot about our feline friends.

 

It may not seem like it at times, but cats that have behavioural issues are not acting out of spite. In their mind, there is a valid reason for their behaviour. Like humans, cats are complex emotional beings and may face different challenges and needs at different times of their lives and when they do, they need your love, understanding, and possibly your assistance. Luckily, in some instances, the cause of the issue may be easy for you to uncover and a solution easily found. At other times, it may take a bit more work to uncover the cause of the behaviour and then address it, which is where I can help.

 

Working exclusively with cats, I have been successfully working as a qualified cat behaviourist (also referred to informally by some as a cat psychologist) to help cats with behavioural issues since 2015. I have studied cat psychology and behaviour to obtain my qualifications - Advanced Diploma, Applied Animal Behaviour - specialising in feline behaviour and Advanced Feline Behaviour Diploma - both awarded with 'distinction' by the International Society of Animal Professionals. My initial study was a Certificate for Cat Training and Psychology and many other certificates on various specific cat-related topics. I also complete additional training each year in various cat behaviour topics to ensure I am up to date and using best practices and to obtain necessary Continued Education Units (CEU's) for my membership with reputable animal organisations. My experience conducting in-home consultations since 2015, where I have met and interacted with all kinds of cats directly in their own environment and successfully helped them with behavioural issues, has given me a wealth of knowledge that you can't necessarily get by only studying and reading books on cat behaviour. This first-hand experience has also helped me conduct remote consultations with a very high success rate.  

 

In my experience, the best way to help your cat is by using positive evidence-based, fear-free, force-free and emotionally intelligent techniques and strategies. Using physical punishment, fear or intimidation methods will only increase any anxiety your cat might be experiencing and can make the issue worse. It can also have a negative impact on your relationship with your cat, which I'm sure is the last thing you want!