Personalised cat behaviour support

Helping your cat to overcome their challenges and live a happier life, allowing you to stop worrying about their problem behaviour and have a feline companion who’s a joy to share your life and home with.

I’m here to help…

It can be upsetting, frustrating, stressful and even embarrassing when you live with a cat with behaviour problems. Has your cat’s behaviour changed or become challenging to live with? Are you concerned that their undesirable behaviour may be a sign of unhappiness or stress? Perhaps you’ve already tried various solutions without success and are now feeling at your wits’ end and uncertain about what to do next.

Whatever the problem, don’t worry – I’m here to help.  Imagine a future where your cat feels happy, confident, safe and secure, enabling you to get back on track and start enjoying life together.  With my personalised cat behaviour support package, that future is within reach.

Problem behaviours I can help with include:

  • Urine spray marking

  • Toileting outside the litter box/house soiling

  • Human-directed aggression

  • Aggression towards other cats

  • Aggression towards dogs or other pets

  • Pica (eating non-food items, e.g. plastic and fabric)

  • Overgrooming

  • Excessive vocalisation

  • Destructive behaviour, e.g. scratching furniture and carpets

  • Phobias and compulsive behaviours

  • Anxiety and fear-related problems, including those related to people or other animals, unfamiliar objects or scents, entering and travelling in the cat carrier, vet visits, etc.

  • Sound sensitivities, including fireworks, loud household noises e.g. vacuum cleaners, the doorbell, etc.

  • Separation-related behaviours

  • Alleviation of behavioural problems associated with underlying medical conditions, e.g. stress cystitis, osteoarthritis, and feline cognitive dysfunction*

    * Working in collaboration with your Veterinary Surgeon

Behaviour Support Package

Investment: £350

N.B. YOU MAY BE ABLE TO MAKE A CLAIM ON YOUR PET INSURANCE

  • Vet referral to ensure a multi-professional approach and rule out any underlying medical causes for your cat’s behaviour.

  • A detailed review of your pre-consultation client questionnaire,  your cat’s veterinary referral and clinical history, your house plan/video tour and any accompanying photos or video footage of the problem behaviour.

  • An initial 2-hour consultation, held online using Google Meet, including:

    • An in-depth discussion about your cat, their history, lifestyle and home environment, and your specific circumstances, concerns and goals to work out the way forward and start to put together a bespoke plan of action.

    • Feedback on real-time observations of your cat’s behaviour, home environment and the set-up of their resources.

    • Comprehensive assessment of your cat’s behaviour, emotional state, motivation and contributing factors, made by differential diagnosis.

    • Behavioural first aid advice to action immediately.

    • A recording of the session for your reference.

  • A comprehensive behaviour assessment report and personalised, step-by-step, multi-modal behaviour modification treatment plan with practical and pragmatic guidance to tackle your cat’s problem emailed to you within five working days of your initial consultation.

  • A summary sent directly to your vet with ongoing liaison to provide progress reports and, where necessary, discuss your cat’s case.

  • A 1-hour follow-up consultation, held online using Google Meet within 4 to 6 weeks of your initial consultation, including:

    • Supporting implementation of the behaviour modification treatment plan, troubleshooting any issues that arise and making necessary adjustments.

    • A written summary of what has been discussed and any recommendations for adjustments to the behaviour modification plan emailed to you and your vet.

    • A recording of the session for your reference.

  • 4 months of remote follow-up support via email, WhatsApp or phone to monitor your progress, provide timely reassurance and guidance, and celebrate your successes.

  • Access to exclusive resources and additional behavioural modification and training materials.

  • Completion of any relevant insurance claim paperwork.

  • The reassuring knowledge that you are doing everything you can to help your cat overcome their problems and enjoy life.

Additional Follow-up Consultations

Investment: £75

  • A 1-hour follow-up consultation, held online using Google Meet, including:

    • A written summary of what has been discussed during the consultation and any recommendations for adjustments to the behaviour modification plan emailed to you and your vet.

    • A recording of the session for your reference.

    Follow-up consultations can only be booked following an initial behaviour support package and must be booked within 6 months of the initial consultation, or further assessment may be required.

Take the first step towards transforming your cat's behaviour. 

Get in touch now to book your consultation.

“Effective action plan that saw noticable results in no time”

"Claire was amazing in helping us with Woody's toilet troubles. Swift and effective action plan that saw noticeable results in no time. Claire is warm and kind too, a joy to chat to and so, so helpful - would recommend to anyone!"

– Woody’s guardians

A Behaviour Support Consultation Package is perfect for:

  • Cat guardians who are concerned that their companion is unhappy and experiencing anxiety, fear or stress.

  • Cat guardians experiencing challenges such as their cat displaying aggression towards them or other pets, urine spraying or house soiling, or displaying phobic or compulsive behaviours.

  • Cats who are struggling with changes to their physical or social environment.

  • Cat guardians who have tried to resolve their cat’s undesirable behaviour but the problem(s) have continued.

Does this sound like you?

“I’m so grateful for your advice”

"Binks is doing really well. Her hair is growing back and she’s getting on well with the other animals, which I'm so happy about. I’m so grateful for your advice. Thank you so much."

– Binks’s guardian

Ready to get started?

Book your consultation

Tell me a bit about your cat and the issues you’d like help with. Click the button below and it’ll take you straight to the contact page.

01

I’ll send you the details

I’ll ask you to obtain a referral from your vet and to complete a pre-consultation questionnaire. Please ensure these are returned to me at least 48 hours before our appointment.

02

Let’s get started!

We’ll begin with an initial consultation, to unpick your cat’s issues and determine a way forward. I’ll send you a personalised behaviour modification plan and provide support and guidance every step of the way.

03

Ready to begin the journey towards a well-behaved and happy companion? Book your consultation now to get started!

 FAQs

  • I can provide support for a wide range of behavioural issues. Get in touch to discuss your cat’s needs and I’ll let you know whether I can help. If necessary, I can refer you on to another trusted colleague.

  • Cats are sentient beings with individual personalities and complex emotions, and problem behaviours are often multifactorial, requiring time, understanding and dedication to manage. While there are no magical fixes and I cannot guarantee specific results, my behaviour modification programmes are designed to achieve positive, lasting change. My role is to help you understand the underlying motivation(s) for your cat's behaviour and to provide you with the appropriate management and behaviour modification techniques to address these stressors. I can’t wait to give you the support and guidance you need to help you and your cat succeed.

  • Please be aware that behaviour change is affected by variables other than the ones that we manipulate or have any choice about, and changing a well-established behaviour takes time and commitment. I will provide you with my professional help and advice, but the success of the programme is dependent on you following my recommendations and, to a certain extent, upon how deep-rooted the behaviour problem is. The suggestion of a package does not, therefore, imply or guarantee a specific outcome during that time period. There are no quick fixes and in most cases, you should expect to see improvement in weeks to months rather than days.  Depending on progress and any obstacles to implementation or changes in circumstances, it may be necessary to adjust the behaviour modification plan to ensure it meets you and your cat's needs.  Making the recommended changes can sometimes be difficult for caregivers, and following the plan requires patience and commitment from everyone in the household. Changing well-established behaviour takes time, and unfortunately, on occasion, problem behaviours will persist, but we can work to manage and reduce the severity and impact of these.  In rare cases, I may feel that improvement is unlikely given the circumstances, and alternatives such as rehoming, may need to be considered.  A risk assessment will form part of the report that you receive.

  • Cat welfare is my priority. I use environmental management, enrichment and positive reinforcement training techniques, focusing on rewarding desired behaviours rather than punishing unwanted ones and giving your cat choice and control, to help them feel safer, more secure, relaxed and confident. This approach ensures a safe and enjoyable learning environment for your cat and promotes long-term behavioural changes.

  • Multi-cat households with interrelated behaviour or training concerns count as one case. Multi-cat households with non-interrelated behaviour or training concerns will be treated as separate cases, requiring individual consultations and treatment plans, and package/consultation fees will be charged per cat.

  • Many pet insurance companies will reimburse the fees for behaviour consultations if you have the right level of cover. Before booking, please check your policy and contact your insurance company to advise them that you have been referred to a behaviourist who is a Provisional Clinical Animal Behaviourist Member of the APBC and they will let you know what is covered.

  • Yes, in accordance with the Veterinary Surgeons Act and the APBC/ABTC Code of Conduct, which requires that all members work solely on veterinary referral, you will need to arrange a vet referral prior to your initial consultation with me. Behaviour and health are intrinsically linked and in a large proportion of behaviour cases pain/an underlying medical condition is found to be a contributing factor, so the first step in addressing any behavioural problem is to ensure that your cat undergoes a full health check by a Veterinary Surgeon to rule out any underlying medical condition. Any change in your cats normal behaviour needs to be discussed with your vet, even if it doesn't seen directly relevant to the problem behaviour. Veterinary referral also allows me to consider your cat's medical history and how pain or medical conditions may be influencing their behaviour.

  • Your initial consultation will be approximately two hours long. The first half will be an in-depth discussion about your cat, their background, behaviour and an exploration of the challenges you've been experiencing. I'll assess your cat's emotional state and motivation for the problem behaviour, identifying what initiated it and how it is being maintained. Understanding your cat is important for you to be able to embark on your behaviour modification journey as a team. We'll work out a way forward, taking into consideration your individual circumstance and I'll give you first aid advice to action immediately, then within 5 working days I'll email you a comprehensive report and bespoke behaviour modification plan tailored to meet your and your cat's specific needs. The plan typically involves a combination of environmental changes, management and enrichment to increase your cat's sense of safety, security and confidence, along with changes to their lifestyle to increase their sense of predictability, consistency, choice and control. Dependent on the problem, the plan may also include a desensitisation and counter-condition programme and/or training.

  • Absolutely, remote guidance and support provided via email/WhatsApp/phone is included, so you have swift access to advice should you have any questions or concerns. The Enhanced Behaviour Support Package includes a 30-minute follow-up consultation. Additional consultations are available at extra cost.

  • I know what you’re thinking; in person must be better, right? In fact, for most clients and circumstances, remote consultations are preferable to in-person consultations. There are several key advantages, including:

    • Your cat’s behaviour may be different if a behaviourist visits your home. Cats often hide or act more cautiously than usual if there’s an unfamiliar person in their territory. I will likely observe a more accurate representation of your cat’s behaviour if I’m not physically in your home, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment.

    • The presence of an unfamiliar person in your cat’s home environment may cause them to experience fear, anxiety and stress, negatively impacting their behaviour and emotional well-being.

    • A house/garden layout plan and video tour will allow me to evaluate your cat's home environment and identify any stressors which may not be evident during an in-person consultation.

    • I can demonstrate interventions and training techniques with my cats and then watch you implement the training/behaviour modification plan with your cat(s).

    • I can demonstrate cat toys and puzzle feeders, and show you optimum litter box and scratching post setups.

    • I can work with you wherever you live.

    • Online consultations do not incur mileage and travel time costs.

ready to help your CAT overcome their struggles?

Take the first step towards a happier cat and harmonious relationship with your furry friend.