The Feline Behavioralist (or Cat Behavioralist specialist) works with cat owners with the aim of re-establishing a harmonious relationship within the home.
Whether it involves intervening about so-called “annoying” behaviors for humans, disagreements between cats or with other animals, and/or quite simply to improve their well-being, the feline behaviorist does not act directly on the cat, but on its living environment in general.
Through its global approach, it takes into account various parameters such as the fundamental needs of the cat, its history, the organization of its living space, its relationships with others (humans, conspecifics, other species), but also the constraints of everyone (living space, time available, financial aspect, etc.).
Because in fact, if a cat expresses “annoying” behavior(s), this most likely indicates difficulty for the cat in adapting to its living environment. He tries to find a balance by externalizing his difficulty (stress, tensions, communication misunderstandings, frustration, boredom, etc.). His behavior is therefore completely legitimate! So there is no point into punish, on the contrary, it would be counterproductive!
From then on, the feline behaviorist acts as an intermediary between humans and animals.No ! He doesn’t “whisper” in the cat’s ear and is not his designated psychologist! It is based on scientific studies and the repertoire of feline behaviors, to observe and analyze the attitude of cats in their environment. So it constantly updates itself. He is specifically trained and therefore has solid foundations inethology, that is to say in the study of behavior and more specifically in the behavior of domestic cats. He also has a very good knowledge of mental processes.
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He intervenes inprevention to advise and avoid the development of behaviors impacting cohabitation between the cat and its human or animal roommates, but often whenthese behaviors have already developed, in order to avoid recurrences or the situation getting worse.
Duringthe interview, the behaviorist will try to understand the origin of the difficulties, explain the cat's needs and propose targeted solutions (because yes, each cat, each home and each relationship is unique) to restore good harmony. He must therefore also have skills such as empathy, adaptation and pedagogy. It will support the owner throughout a process of change and allow the situation to evolve in the best possible way.
But in the end, there is no secret, it is indeed the owner of the cat who is at the heart of the evolution of the situation! ;-)
The behaviorist systematically recommends that owners take their cat to a veterinarian to carry out a health check before any intervention on their part. Indeed, a medical pathology can also be the cause of a behavioral change.
