Cat Behaviorist

What animal lover hasn't daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at a doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we'd introduce you to a few people who do.

Name: Mieshelle Nagelschneider
Age: 39
Job: Cat Behaviorist, The Cat Behavior Clinic

How did you decide to become a cat behaviorist?
It all started when I was about four and living on our Oregon farm. I wanted to be Snow White -- not because of the prince, but because she could talk to animals! Throughout my childhood I surrounded myself with animals of every kind. By the time I graduated from high school I was a vet tech, and I began to realize that I understood animals' motivations and feelings almost instinctively. Before long, I was doing house calls for clients, solving behavioral problems and quickly becoming referred by vets all across the United States.

What is your training/educational background?
Close observation and self-study all my life, combined with coursework in psychology in Oregon and animal cognition at Harvard.

How long have you been working with cats?
About 20 years. I've helped literally thousands of cats.

Do you need to see a cat in person to treat it?
No. The cat owner can schedule a phone consultation online, and is then sent a feline behavior questionnaire to complete. During the phone consultation, I evaluate in depth the cat's history, current environment, and the nature of the behavior issue. Once the behavior issue is identified, I develop a customized three-part C.A.T. Plan, which the owner follows for 4 - 6 weeks. They then have a free follow-up with me. The behavioral methods are humane, drug-free, and lasting in their results. That's key. We have a very, very high rate of success.



About how many cats do you treat in a week (or month)?
I treat 12-25 cats a week directly through phone consultations. When you count the other cats that live in those households and might benefit from my recommendations, the number climbs to 50.

What are the most common problems you see?
The top five problems are elimination, spraying, inter-cat tension and aggression, destructive behaviors and compulsive behaviors [such as chewing wool or licking household objects].

Are there some cats that just can't be made to behave?
If a cat was poorly socialized (or not at all), or if it's had medical trauma to the body or brain, it's possible that it can't be reformed. But that's rare. I don't even run into a handful of those cases in a year.

Before anyone takes their cat to a shelter or throws their cat out of the house, they have an ethical responsibility to seek expert help from a cat behaviorist who is quite likely to be able to remedy most behavior issues in most cats.

What other projects are you working on?
I'm working on a book on cat behavior tentatively titled Through the Eyes of a Cat. It's due out in late 2010 or early 2011. Second, along with my producer and Fox21, I'm pitching a show on cats and cat behavior to the networks.

What pets do you have at home?
I have a Teacup Chihuahua, Piccolo, who melts my heart every day; a bird, Pidgeoto, who can't carry a tune but can say "kitty kitty"; six Persian cats who have me; and a wonderful Merlequin Great Dane.

Are all your cats well behaved?
Absolutely!

Source

Tags: aggression, behavior, behaviorist, cat, cat behavior, CatBehavior, spraying