Meowington Academy

11/08/2024

Peaches and Patches love to fight me for my food as I am preparing it so I decided to reward them for staying in their spots as I make my own meals.

08/08/2024

Happy International Cat Day 😻😻🥳🥳

07/08/2024

Don't use liners in the litter box. Shortcuts are never a good idea when it comes to keeping the litter box clean.

07/08/2024

Why don’t I offer longer sessions for trick training and cooperative care?
Cats have about 2-3 minutes worth of training in them! We don’t want to frustrate them or ourselves for asking for longer sessions, so I am offering express training!

You can choose which skills you want to work on and we can go from there!

Message me for more information.

Available online anywhere in Australia.

07/08/2024

Great tip!

Cat Training Tip!

If your kitten or cat uses its paws to grab food or treats during training, it’s a good idea to use a spoon or a popsicle stick to dispense them instead of your hands. This will help keep your hands safe from accidental swipes or bites.

Follow us for more tips at

06/08/2024

This took us 8 months!!

Before the kittens came, Natsu was the only one who jumped onto the counter when I was preparing food and I didn’t mind because she would wait until trying to eat anything.

Then the kittens came and they just tried to eat everything everywhere and it was chaos! So for my own mental health and stress levels, I knew things had to change.

Step One
Management
Kittens go into their carriers and doors closed while I prepare the food. I made sure they were fed in the same place every mealtime.

Step Two
Let them out but give them snacks for staying on the ground and not on the counter.
Then when it was time, asked them to go to their spots.

Step Three
Was today. There were no snacks, and they stayed on the ground and went to their spots when I asked them to.

I was honestly going to stop at just management but I decided to test my skills as a trainer and their skills as super smart cats! It took us 8 whole months but it was definitely worth it!!

Behaviour change takes time and dedication but it is so worth it when you see the results.

So proud of especially Patches who is so food obsessed, that this really is a miracle!

12/06/2024

This may be controversial but I think it is perfectly fine to put medication in food for some cats.

Beans needed a tablet every second day for almost a year and I put it in her food no issues.

Now Aki needs daily gabapentin capsules for his arthritis and he eats it in his food with no problems.

However, this doesn’t apply to every cat so if you just go in understanding what may happen then you can be prepared.

1. Put the medication into a gel capsule. Some tablets can be bitter or some powders can be bitter, a gel capsule masks that taste. It is also good if you need to give multiple tablets.

2. Be aware that some cats can go off their food if they don’t like the medication in their food. Have back up food ready.
Aki gets his wet food twice a day which might help as he has one meal with the capsule and one without. You could try this with your cat.

3. Don’t hide it. The texture will be different from their wet food and they need to see it so they can prepare themselves.

However, it is good to teach every cat to take medication voluntarily if there is a time you can’t feed them with food.
and are both great people to follow on this topic! They have great resources and you can book in with them if you want personalised help!

02/06/2024

Top opening carriers make vet visits much easier and less stressful for cats.

Currently Aki is needing weekly injections for arthritis and it has been so easy with the top opening carrier. He just sits in the carrier in his blanket, he gets the injection, and we go home. No stress, no fuss.

I highly recommend the Kmart Pet Stroller. Even if you don’t use the stroller part, just use the carrier. It has one clip and it’s open. Easy!

31/05/2024

Just because a cat was using something up until now, doesn’t mean they liked it.
This can go for food bowls that are split with water dishes. Cats hate these bowls but they will use them because they get food. Then they will just stop using them one day because they have had enough.

Just because a cat has used something until now, does not mean they were enjoying it.

11/05/2024

Aww look at what the cat’s made me…😂

Happy Mother’s Day to all the cat Mums out there!

11/05/2024

As a working cat behavior consultant, I repeat myself over and over again every day. I have compiled this list of some of the things I end up talking about the most.

1. If your cat is constantly begging for food, they’re hungry. Increase the frequency of meals to at least 4x a day and calculate how many calories they’re getting. An average 10 pound cat needs around 250 to maintain weight.

2. Don’t fall for the gimmicky litter or litter box. Your cat doesn’t want a Litter Robot or Pretty Litter or whatever. You do. 9/10 cats prefer a simple uncovered box with clay litter.

3. If you own multiple cats, your house needs to look like multiple cats live there. I know as soon as I enter a home if the cats are fighting or not based on the number of cat trees, beds, toys, feeding stations, litter boxes, etc.

4. I can tell you with 99% certainty that your cat is not displaying dominance with whatever behavior he is doing.

5. Play with your cat at least twice a day for at least five minutes. Even if your cat is just watching the toy, they’re playing. It counts.

6. The Jackson Galaxy cat introduction method does not work consistently enough to even be relevant. I could (and do with my clients) spend 90 minutes explaining exactly why and what to do instead.

7. Your cat can be trained to do anything using positive reinforcement. This includes cooperating for taking medication, having their nails trimmed, and going into a carrier. Punishment is primarily not effective because it doesn’t teach the cat good behavior. They don’t learn what they’re supposed to do instead.

8. The answer to your problems is ALMOST never to add another cat. It does help sometimes, sure. But often you just create more problems.

9. Cats thrive when given choices and they have a sense of control over their own lives. Use a consent test every time you interact with your cat (hold your hand out and wait for the cat to close the distance). Voila. You no longer get bitten during petting.

10. Learn body language, learn body language, learn body language. You’ll thank me.

Let me know if you have questions, and feel free to suggest your own!

(Reposted from Reddit)

09/05/2024

Patches showing off his cues from a distance. Smart boy.

03/05/2024

Another day, another cat introductions tip from Prozac!

👏🏻Do👏🏻not👏🏻put👏🏻your👏🏻cats👏🏻in👏🏻carriers👏🏻for👏🏻meetings👏🏻between👏🏻cats👏🏻

Do not put just one cat in a carrier for meetings. An entirely different topic, but also do not put your cat in a carrier to meet your dog. Do not do any variation of this!

Cats are a prey species and keeping them in a carrier near something that causes them stress or fear is going to cause them to be stressed and fearful. They will feel trapped which isn’t a good thing. You don’t want your cat to become stressed or fearful during this process.

That isn’t even getting into the issues that come from cats that don’t like their carrier.

A better method is to use a baby gate or screen because your cat can always choose to walk away. If your cat is a jumper, a tall pet gate is a great choice. I have some links to some of my favorites on my suggested products page of my website if you need ideas.

And if you’re still stuck, you should probably get in touch and we’ll figure out what to do. I can guarantee I won’t tell you to have your cats meet in carriers. 😬

02/05/2024

Starting off day two with “Using movement training to shape friendly behaviour in fearful cats” by Melissa Taylor. Excited!!

01/05/2024

Just dropping in with a cute photo of Patches. ❤️

01/05/2024

Excited to be joining the virtually from Australia!!
Who else is watching??

28/04/2024

Two of my cats looove to play with water. This isn't ideal when they are splashing water onto my very slippery tiles, so I put a very lightweight bowl into the shower and showed them this.

Now those two cats use the water bowls for drinking and go into the shower for water fun. They love spilling the water out and watching as it slowly makes its way to the drain.

They have an outlet for their water play and my tiles stay dry and not slippery!

23/04/2024

I will not be taking on clients and offering consultations anymore, however, I will keep this page running as I LOVE cat behaviour.

I will be showcasing my own training with my cats and providing cat behaviour information.

I will open up my training videos for everyone to watch and we can all train together, for fun!

17/04/2024

Carriers with removable tops are the best option for cats.
I highly recommend the $99 Kmart pet stroller, even if you just use the detachable carrier! It’s a great design and cheaper than most carriers where you have to fiddle around with a lot of pieces.

Cat carriers should have a removable top, because then you can take it off at the vet and the cat can stay in the bottom of the carrier to be examined. When scientists tested the effects of training cats to go in their carrier they found that it reduced stress, and during the vet exam, cats seem to feel safe in the bottom of their carrier. You can read more about that study on my blog, and you'll find a plan to teach your cat to go in their carrier at the end of my book Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy.
Learn more about the study: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2019/02/cats-trained-to-use-their-carriers-find.html
Get Purr: https://amzn.to/3xzZrGD

16/04/2024

Exciting news!!
From May 5th I will be doing animal training full time!

Unfortunately the vet clinic I am working at will close, but it opens up more time for me to focus on my businesses!

I will also be doing dog training in Townsville, but cat training can be done anywhere in Australia!

I am extremely excited and a little bit scared to be taking this big step but I want to dedicate all my time and effort to helping cats and their owners live their best lives!

If you book an initial consultation before May 5th, any training sessions (even if after May 5th) will be charged at the $50 price!
(Initial is still $150).

If you have been wondering whether to book in or not, now is the time! Send a message if you have any questions at all!
I look forward to working with everyone!

16/04/2024

If you have a cat-watch this webinar!!!

Join me and Every Dog Behavior and Training this Thursday for this awesome free event!

Register below 👇

https://www.everydogaustin.org/event-details/feline-communication-how-to-speak-cat

14/04/2024

I am SO excited to be able to attend the IAABC Foundation Animal Conference this year!
There are so many amazing speakers and it is going to be extremely informative.

I highly recommend any animal professionals join along with me!

14/04/2024

Great tips for vet visits.

Trips to the vet don't need to be stressful. Setting yourself, your cat, and the environment up for success is easy!! Here are a few tips to help reduce that stress.

11/04/2024

Resources and lack thereof can create tension in a multi-cat household.

Cats generally have little territories within the home and it is best to set up resources for each cat in those territories.
Resources such as litter boxes, food bowls, water bowls and beds.

There will be places which are shared territories (my office is one for my cats), and I noticed they loved sleeping by the windows. That is why I put multiple beds/resting spots near the windows and the louvres also became a resting spot for them as well!

10/04/2024

Peaches had her first outing to Anderson Gardens. Anderson Gardens is a beautiful park located in . It is so big that I can desensitise her to the world from a space where she is feeling comfortable.

I have a free harness training video on my YouTube channel (link in bio) and if you wanted help with park walks, it's $290 for three sessions. One at your home then two at Anderson Gardens!

I use the Kmart $99 stroller and the harness from

09/04/2024

Yes yes yes! Read this great post!

Are you trying to get your cat used to something like a harness, cat carrier, or even a new cat? Be careful how you do it or you may end up with a bigger problem on your hands.

Many ways we try to get cats used to something stressful involve desensitization. Desensitization means you expose them to something stressful or scary at a low level so they don’t become stressed by it. You gradually increase the intensity of the scary thing while keeping the cat from becoming anxious until the cat is cool with it at full intensity.

If you aren’t careful, you may end up doing the opposite and sensitizing your cat to the scary thing so they have a stronger reaction to it. How might one accidentally sensitize their cat to something? Usually it’s attempting to go too fast and repeatedly exposing the cat to something at a level that still causes anxiety.

If you notice your cat is getting worse, chances are they’re being sensitized rather than getting used to the scary thing. It’s very important that you’re careful when you attempt to get a cat used to something and if you aren’t sure what to do, work with a professional to guide you through the process.

03/04/2024

Now offering Kitten Kinder via Microsoft Teams.

You will learn cues such as sit, touch, off, come. You will also learn harness training and there will be information to set up your home environment to ensure your cat lives their best nine lives.

Only available in Australia.

Contact me for more information!

02/04/2024

Today is National Walking Day! When you take your cat out for a walk, you also get the benefit of moving and walking with them.
You both get mental stimulation and physical exercise.

Harness and lead training is great and I love going with the stroller as if there is anything scary, the cat has a safe space to retreat.

I have a harness training video for free on my YouTube channel which can be found in the links in my bio!

Let's go out and walk with our cats!

02/04/2024

I made a video to introduce myself and my services.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaZYsDIyDZA

Feel free to reach out at any time to book in or enquire about specific services.

This is a video on me and my services. Have a look and see if I am the right cat behaviourist for you!