The Feline Consultant

11/06/2025

Human directed aggressive behavior is usually described as “out of the blue” or “suddenly my cat turned around and clawed me”.

In many cases the behavior stems from an external stimuli.

Did you pet your cat too long and not watch her body language?
Did you ask for consent before touching the cat?
Did you use your hands for playing?
What happened before the behavior occurred?

Details matter. Observe and watch body language.

09/06/2025

You will probably guess what predatory aggression is. This is not what we are going to talk about in the next couple of days. We will only talk about examples of non predatory aggressive behavior in cats.
This can be:
Human directed aggression.
Animal directed aggression. (Conspecifics or dogs)
Non recognition aggression.
Redirected aggression.
And the role fear, stress and trauma play.

expert

06/06/2025

✅ Positioned our full bellies in front of the screen during ALL Zoom calls.
✅ Unplugged the router and pushed it into the litter box.
✅ Made new frens with people in Canada and the UK.
✅ Splashed over the water bowl during meeting with important client.

05/06/2025

Any case of sudden onset of aggressive behavior requires a visit to the vet immediately.

Cats are masters at hiding pain. And aggressive behavior could be a way to communicate pain or feeling unwell.

If your cat displays a sudden onset of change in behavior, talk with your veterinarian to rule out underlying medical conditions.

02/06/2025

Aggression in cats can be a serious problem for owners or vet staff.
Overall, we distinguish between predatory and non-predatory aggression in cats. The two types of aggression have different pathways and motivations.

Aggressive behavior can cause serious injuries. If you have ever experienced a cat in full rage mode you know how critical it can be to manage the situation.

28/05/2025

😻 Meet Gertie and Finn. Both were born outside to community cats and are about 10-12 weeks old.

There is a lot of misinformation about kitten socialization on the internet. Some rescues only take in kittens under 7 weeks.

It is important to avoid flooding and forced interactions during socialization. Providing routine and a positive environment helps. And of course a new friend to „cat with“ makes all the difference.

Both kittens experienced trauma early in life. Gertie was found trapped in a broken rain barrel, Finn’s sister was hit by a car.

23/05/2025

I get this all the time:
- my cat does not like any of the foods I provide.
- I opened 10 different brands of canned food, my cat does not like one and it’s getting expensive.
- My cat loves her treats, but ignores the food.

There is no general suggestion to help but I usually tell clients the following:

✅ A cats food preference develops typically early in life.
✅ Who is driving the changes in food options? Is it driven by your cat or someone else?
✅ Are you trying to switch to a „healthy“ food despite your cat has eaten the „unhealthy“ food for 5 years?
✅ What do you hope to accomplish with the food change? Is it a medical condition or influenced by something else?
✅ How do you respond if your cat sniffs and walks away? Do you immediately open the next flavor? Did you accidentally reinforce your cats preference for treats?

Lots of food for thought!

21/05/2025

TNR works!
It‘s a beautiful morning to release the cats I trapped Monday night. I got soaking wet but finally caught that tom cat I have been after for a while.

Look at his face, and his eyes. He didn’t choose this life. But at least from now on he is no longer contributing to the cat overpopulation.

It will take a couple of weeks until the testosterone is out of his system. The level of testosterone will drop significantly within a week of neutering. Behavior’s influenced by testosterone, like mating, vocalizing, spraying and mounting will decrease as well over time.

18/05/2025

😻 THIS is my reinforcer why I decided to go down the path of helping cats and their owners.
Inter- cat aggression is stressful for everyone in the household. It’s nice to wake up to an email stating I saved their sanity..😊.

„Tulsi is a great cat who has taught Zelda how to respect boundaries and be a good cat. We’re thrilled.
Thank you again for everything. You saved my sanity quite a bit!!
Best,
S. „

17/05/2025

It’s 2025 and cats finally get the attention they deserve.
Thank you for the interview Pet Food Processing.

This feline behaviorist is leveraging her extensive experience to assist pet food companies, cat owners and veterinarians in supporting cats.

07/05/2025

Looking at the natural feeding habits of our house panthers it becomes apparent why feeding them only twice per day can put them in distress.

Out in the wild they hunt for 10-20 small meals per day. They prefer their prey fresh. And walk away from it once they have filled their small stomach.

Hydration and water intake are interesting topics and we often draw the wrong conclusions. Cats evolved from the desert, and are very good at concentrating their urine.
Typically they regulate water intake take with food. Meaning a cat that only eats kibbles will drink more water compared to a cat that prefers wet food.

03/05/2025

😻 I don’t know what Basil is doing, but it must be very important. He is been at it since 8am. 😹