The short answer? Because cats need help adjusting to our lives and we need help understanding their needs.

It is not common place, yet, for cats to receive outside help via an expert in feline behavior and training. Many currently see this as luxury and not a necessity. I was speaking with someone on the phone recently whom I told that I was putting myself forward as a cat behavior consultant and she chuckled and said, “I guess there are enough rich people with cats out there!”

You don’t need to be rich! With canines, even low-income families often figure out the $200 investment for a basic training course for their dog. Why do we still see cats as needing less support living with humans than dogs need? Let’s shift our mindset to include kitties in the basic care of training and behavior support.

I don’t think it is that cat behavior consultants are charging too much for services. It is just culturally we think “cats can’t be trained” or that “cats are so independent they just take care of themselves.” Neither of these assumptions are true for domesticated cats.

After working in animal rescue for a decade cats are discarded at a higher rate than dogs. Discarded via abandonment, surrendering to shelters or rescues, or by euthanizing them. The main reason for this abandonment is because the cat is a “problem.” The kitty likely displays some one or another behavioral concerns like house soiling, spraying, aggression, or extreme fearfulness. A small investment of a few hundred dollars on the part of the owners and following through with the plans given by a qualified expert almost always amends the cat’s behavior to more positive outcomes. Literally saving the cat’s life. 

If you rescued or adopted a cat, isn’t it worth a few hundred dollars investment to save them? If you purchased an expensive pure bred cat, surely it is worth protecting your emotional and financial investment? Do you love them enough to try this before giving up? Or do you plan to just “live with it” when it comes to cat behavioral issues because you think there is no other option? These services are not just for the privileged. You are here because you’re ready and able to find the way to help your feline pet get the support needed to live a loving, safe, peaceful life with your family. 

I am here to help you find unity, balance, and peace with your cat in your home. 

You should understand the differences between an animal behaviorist and an animal behavior consultant so you can choose the right option for your situation.

It’s important to be able to distinguish between these roles. Many animal training and behavior consultants call themselves “behaviorists” when they are not. It’s a term that has gotten a bit muddled. I, too, used the term incorrectly early on.

Only folks with extensive education like doctorate and master’s degrees should be labeling themselves as “behaviorists”. They may have a veterinarian (DVM) license and then add to their specialization by focusing on behavior. They may have a master’s or doctorate in Zoology with an emphasis in animal behavior. These people have done extensive study and research along a very scientific path. They often are experts in many types of species’ behavior. They may be able to prescribe medication—depending on their degrees. You may struggle to find a board-certified animal behaviorist willing to come to your home, though you may get a virtual appointment where they can get a glimpse into your home. They often have practices or offices and are part of a larger veterinarian team. You will make an appointment with them and will receive about 30-60 minutes of time. You may bring your animals of course, but cats often have an even harder time than dogs in these kinds of environments. You will often pay about $300-$600 for that visit and sometimes you may have to wait as much as six weeks for your appointment slot. There are times, seasons, and reasons to go this route.

Animal consultants or trainers typically have certifications which are vastly less expensive and time consuming to obtain than what a behaviorist has put into their education. However, these folks are often easier to find, certainly for dogs, have good know-how that will far surpass your own knowledge of the animal, and are generally more affordable. Cat Behavior and Training Consultants are harder to come by at this stage, but we are a growing force. Typically a behavior or training consultant is able and willing to come to your home and with felines, seeing the environments in person can be incredibly important in pinpointing the animal’s stressors. Pricing can range here of course, but while you may pay $175 – $250 for a two-hour private session these folks ultimately spend more like 4-6 hours of their time for that one rate.

Financially speaking your behaviorists should be making around $150-$200 for an hour of their time (the rate above factors in a lot of potential overhead costs you are paying for as well as their rate). Behavior consultants (that aren’t famous, mind you) make more like $30-$70 an hour and generally have lower overhead with home or mobile offices.

To be clear, I am a feline behavior consultant and not a “Behaviorist.”

There are so many supportive tools for kitty when we look beyond scientific protocols and training techniques. As a holistic feline behavior consultant, I look at the situation from as many angles as possible to see what other options might bring support to the overall journey of healing and balance.

Energy work is a great option to consider. It can often speed up the retraining or healing process. I have read studies that suggest that felines may have the widest range of emotions of all domesticated animals. Certainly, this can be witnessed as feelings move across their little furry faces. I find that my own cats are so expressive I can often tell what they are feeling in the moment.

Now, lest I get accused of anthropomorphism, I want to be clear that I am not projecting my feelings onto cats, but rather witnessing that they have feelings of their own and quite a variety of them. Felines can feel emotions like fear, contentment, anxiety, confusion, heartache, excitement, jealousy, love, and much more.  

With cats having numerous feelings, and feelings are energy with a vibrational frequency, they can be impacted by their emotions in long-lasting ways. Removing trapped energies that have low resonances, will often speed up the process of helping a cat (or you) heal, move forward, and change for the better. To be clear, energy work should be used in conjunction with other tools like veterinary care and behavioral advice.

Along with this important suggestion, I may offer nutritional advice, crystals to help, tapping by proxy, healing frequencies, supplements, aroma therapy, and more.

There are potential pluses and minuses to either option. In a virtual session some of the pluses are that it is a bit less expensive, it is more flexible in regard to scheduling, it is less stressful to you or kitty to not have a stranger in the home.

Virtual session minuses might include my missing out on seeing, smelling, sensing what the triggers might be in the problem behaviors kitty is displaying. We might have technical difficulties with connection, seeing, hearing.

With and In-Home visit pluses would be that I have a greater chance of pinpointing triggers to negative behaviors. We get a chance to see each other in person. If kitty isn’t scared or hiding, I have an opportunity to interact and potentially gauge trainability. I generally find there are clearer results after an in-person visit. 

A minus might be you feel pressured to clean things up before I arrive and then remove my chance at discovering potential triggers. There may be a bit more effort with scheduling a good time. It is a bit more expensive as it take more of my time.

Feline Training and Behavior Certification from Animal Behavior Institute

            Courses Completed:

            Animal Behavior, an Evolutionary Approach

            Feline Training

            Feline Behavior and Enrichment

Advanced Feline Training Certification from Animal Behavior Institute

            Additional Courses Completed:

            Feline Health and Nutrition

            Advanced Feline Training

Over 15,000 Hours Volunteering in Feline Rescue Work

Certified Fear Free Professional

Feline Elimination Expert Certification from Jones Animal Behavior

Feeding Felines: An Evidence-Based Cat Nutrition Course from The Science Dog

Cat Consulting Mentorship with Katenna Jones from International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

Member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

Certified Emotion Code Practitioner from Discover Healing

Certified Body Code Practitioner from Discover Healing

Certified Belief Code Practitioner from Discover Healing

Author of Neonatal Orphaned Kitten Care: Fostering the Most Fragile Felines a 30-page guidebook

Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from BYU

Coming Soon:

Author of Purrrfecting Your Bond: A Practical & Spiritual Guide to Create a Lasting, Loving Relationship with Your Kitty a self-help reference book releasing in Summer of 2024