Problem Solving & Advice by Pam Johnson-Bennett Cat Behavior Expert & Best-selling Author
I am frequently asked how I got started in the field of cat behavior consulting. I get countless calls and emails from people wanting to know how to fast-track to this career or how to become a “cat whisperer.” There are no whisperers. Whispering implies some kind of magical or mystical ability to read animals and communicate with them. The legitimate field of cat behavior is based on sound science and logical, proven behavior techniques. Many people claim to be whisperers to just about every species since the popularity of a few TV shows about dog and cat behavior but true experts in the field of animal behavior rely on their knowledge, continuing education, vast experience with cats and science-based techniques.
I also get asked about who inspired or mentored me. I doubt anyone would want to take the route I took to be in the cat behavior profession. Nowadays, there are so many educational opportunities and the field is regarded with respect. When I began learning about cat behavior in the mid 1970s, there wasn’t a seminar to be found on the behavior of cats. I didn’t know anyone doing the job I was thinking of doing. The idea of going to someone’s house with my notebook (this was the pre-technology age) and bag of cat toys to try to figure out why the cat was not behaving as expected, was a ridiculous one in the eyes of most people. The bad part about not having a road paved for me was that I made many mistakes and felt very lonely. The good part was that I had no idea how difficult a road it was going to be so I wasn’t worried about failing. My career was driven by my passion for cats.
The Early Days of Cat Behavior Consulting
When I officially began my career in cat behavior consulting in New York in 1982, there was no such thing as a cat behavior consultant. You could find a dog trainer on just about every corner but the idea of anyone taking the time to go house to house and help people figure out the minds of their cats was laughed at. Very little literature was available on cat behavior and training and certainly no one was foolish enough to think they could actually earn a living counseling owners in their homes on how to change their cats’ behaviors. I was constantly advised to change my profession to cat sitting or cat grooming. During lean times, I did do quite a bit of that as well in order to keep the rent paid and the lights on.
The Road to Learning
When I first adopted cats in the mid 1970s, I knew absolutely nothing and there wasn’t much information out there to help me. I always tell my clients during consultations that I can relate to their frustration because I have been there.
My veterinarian at the time actually advised me to euthanize my cats and start over again with another cat. His reasoning was that there were so many cats in the world who needed homes so why waste my time with bad cats. I stared at him in shock and then went home and cried. I realized if my cats had all these behavior problems it was because of me. I had made mistakes and it was time to correct them. I didn’t know it then but I was about to begin a journey that would change my life. Although there was very little information on cat behavior, I figured if I read any book, magazine or published paper on psychology and behavior I could find (whether that be child psychology and behavior, marriage counseling, dog training, you name it) I would be better off than I was at that moment. This was before the internet so I actually had to physically go to libraries, veterinary universities and veterinary clinics. There was no such thing as sitting at your computer in your pajamas and surfing the internet. In those days, we had to actually brave the weather and trudge to a separate location to get a book or do research.
When I wasn’t working at my day job or researching, I could be found volunteering at every veterinary clinic, shelter and rescue facility within 40 miles of my apartment. I attended as many veterinary conferences as I could afford. I also did something that ended up being the greatest learning tool of all… I observed and learned from the cats themselves. I stopped looking at them as animals who were misbehaving and started looking at them as animals who were behaving normally. It was my job to figure out what they needed to encourage them to behave in a way that would make everyone happy. It became about what the cats needed rather than what I expected of them.
Starting a Business
As I began making progress with my cats, friends and neighbors started commenting on how well-behaved and happy they seemed. One day a friend asked me to work with his aggressive cat. As a favor to him, I agreed. The behavior work I did with his cat was successful and then other friends began asking me to help with their cats as well. I was delighted to share what I had learned and help my friends’ cats.
Ironically, when it was time to take my cats back to the veterinarian for their annual check-up, he was astounded at their behavior. He wasn’t sure what to make of their successful “transformation” so he asked me if I wanted to try working with some of his clients’ cats. I agreed. He was impressed with the results and called me one night to ask if I could do any behavior work with a troublesome cat he had just recently adopted. I jumped at the opportunity.
Even though I was finding myself keeping quite busy doing behavior work with the cats of friends and neighbors, I had never thought of this as a potential career. I had been living in New York and working as a singer/songwriter. I made my living at night as a musician but engaged in my passion of helping cats with behavior issues during the day. I thought I had an iron-clad plan. I was wrong.
Within a few months I started getting calls from all over town with cat behavior requests from total strangers. My veterinarian had started talking to other veterinarians and my friends were also spreading the word. I tried to squeeze in as many cat behavior sessions as possible while still working hard at music. Then one day, while rehearsing for a show, someone had tracked me down at the studio and stood in the doorway crying about a cat. She said her husband was about to have the cat put to sleep and would I please come over and help? I realized my music career didn’t mean as much to me as helping cat parents with their cats’ behavior problems. Without fully realizing what I was about to undertake, I started working with cats full-time. I had no idea what to charge because no one had done this before. If there was ever a person flying by the seat of their pants, it was me.
Getting Published
As my days were filling up with cat behavior consultation appointments, I happened to do one session with a friend of a book publisher. When that client told her publisher friend about this “cat lady” in New York, I was approached about writing a book about cat behavior based on my techniques.
For those of you who have only known computers, my first few books were written on a typewriter. Late at night my neighbors would hear that repeated “tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, DING” for hour after hour.
A local journalist found out about what I did for a living and wanted to write a story about me. He followed me around from apartment to apartment as I did my consultations. If he thought my career was weird he was at least polite enough to not let me know that day but the story written was less-than flattering. The tone focused on what a bizarre career choice I had made and why would anyone want to spend money trying to get inside their cat’s mind anyway? Well, I had heard that even bad publicity was publicity none-the-less because once that story was printed I started getting more calls from local media. I was booked on a local television show, followed by a number of radio shows and then more TV followed. I wasn’t sure if I was becoming a celebrity or an oddity. Regardless, my mission was to educate people about cat behavior and any way to spread the word was ok by me. I was willing to endure the ridicule and snickering if it meant more cats would benefit.
Spreading the Word about Cat Behavior
In addition to the work I had been doing as a consultant making in-home visits, I received a few requests to speak at veterinary conferences, animal welfare functions, shelters and veterinary clinics thanks to the handful of veterinarians who found value in what I was trying to do. Cat behavior had never been a major topic at any of these events before. Veterinarians were not learning much about behavior yet; veterinary conferences didn’t have behavior tracks. I was excited and scared to start presenting my information and demonstrating my techniques to veterinarians, technicians and other professionals in the animal care field.
Making a Move
Up until 1989 I was a die-hard New Yorker. I loved to travel but I could never imagine ever wanting to leave the excitement of living in New York City. While on tour for my first book, I stayed several nights in Nashville for book signings and fell in love with the city. Ironically, Nashville is “Music City” and I had given up my music career but I felt a tug on my heartstrings that this is where I needed to be. I had been starting to enjoy a steady business in New York but it seemed as if Tennessee and the rest of the southern states were still far from understanding cat behavior and training. I moved to Nashville. After hearing story upon story about how people were just tossing their misbehaving cats outdoors (or worse), I knew I had to do something. I set up camp in Nashville and began introducing myself to the locals.
One night, while driving to a client’s house, I heard a couple of local radio personalities talking about a “cat shrink” who had come to town. Unless there was a tremendous coincidence and another cat behavior consultant had moved to Nashville, I figured they were talking about me. Their discussion turned to mean-spirited mockery. I pulled over on the side of the road and sat in my car for a long time and felt sorry for myself. It was there that I made a decision. I could either let people get the better of me or I could do the job I came here to do. I chose the latter. I’d like to say that I never felt sorry for myself again when people made fun of my career, but that wouldn’t be honest. I had many down moments the first couple of years in Nashville but I stuck it ou
Things Start Looking Up
Despite what a couple of radio personalities joked about, Nashville opened its arms to me and my career was back on track. In addition to a busy consultation business, I began getting requests for endorsements from companies. I became the spokesperson for Febreze when it first launched. My job was to do national media interviews to talk about how the product could help with pet odors.
I was also asked to be the behavior expert for Friskies and did many national tours for them to talk about cat behavior. I was part of their original “Dream Team” when they wanted an ultimate cat habitat designed. Together with designer Frank Bielec (designer from the TV show “Trading Spaces”) and Lou Manfredini (the home repair expert from the “Today” show), we created a walk-in habitat that was the ultimate in environmental enrichment before anyone knew what environmental enrichment was. Friskies enlisted me to also be the spokesperson for their shelter grant program. They awarded grants to 10 in-need shelters around the country. We also created and unveiled a prototype cageless shelter in New York at Northshore Animal League. It was a wonderful opportunity to help shelters learn about creating cageless environments where groups of cats could co-exist and stand a better chance of being adopted out in pairs. The cageless environment also allowed the cats to play and interact so potential adopters could see more of their personalities. I was honored to be a part of that program.
One of the highlights of my association with Friskies was that I had the chance to do countless national media tours with those famous Friskies cats who appear on their commercials and also in movies. The tours centered around turning an ordinary room into a feline-friendly environment. Through an entertaining performance we were able to show audiences how easy it is to train cats, create more stimulation and strengthen the human/cat bond. What I loved most was that after the show, people would come up and ask if the cats in the show were “special show cats” that had been bred for training. People were amazed to learn that the cats were former shelter kitties.
My writing additionally involved being the behavior columnist for Cats Magazine, The Daily Cat and Catster. I also spent a number of years as the resident behavior expert at Yahoo, ivillage, Shine and Cat Fancy’s Cat Channel.
Many years ago I was also asked to join a fledgling organization called the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and to create and run a Cat Division for them. As founder of the Cat Division I also served as the chair for 8 years. I served on their Board of Directors for a time as well and became a VP of the IAABC.
One of the most meaningful aspects of having been fortunate enough to have a successful career is the ability to volunteer and dedicate time to incredible organizations that work so hard to improve the lives of animals. I have served on a number of advisory boards and lectured internationally at many conferences.
Psycho Kitty Television Series
I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to share my knowledge with so many more cat parents through the Animal Planet UK and Nat Geo Wild television series, Psycho Kitty. Working on a series was hard work but it was rewarding to share cat behavior with a wider audience.
Continuing Work
CatWise, was released a few years ago and we did a first-of-its-kind book tour to support the book. The CatWise Cat Cafe Tour presented by Wellness Natural Pet Food, launched with a national press conference at the 2017 Global Pet Expo. We then traveled around the country to meet cat lovers and sign books at some of the most popular cat cafes. Highlighting the cat cafes was a wonderful way to promote adoption and the shelters connected to the cafes. I’m proud to have teamed up with Wellness Natural Pet Food for this tour and to announce that Wellness donated 1000 meals to each of the shelters associated with the cat cafes at each stop.
In 2020, my best-selling book, Cat vs Cat, was released in a completely revised and updated edition. When it was first published, it was the first book dedicated exclusively to managing multicat households. The new edition is packed with the latest information on multicat behavior and has my best tips for keeping the peace when you live with more than one cat.
Highlighting Overlooked Cats
in 2020, I joined forces with Arm & Hammer Cat Litter as their cat behavior expert. I also serve as the spokesperson for their Purrfectly Impurrfect, Senior Tails and Unsung Heroes campaigns. These campaigns were created to highlight the cats often overlooked for adoption in shelters due to age, behavior issues, or physical appearance. I authored Arm & Hammer’s Guide to Cat Fostering and was the spokesperson for their Fabulous Fosters campaign with the ASPCA, to help raise awareness about the benefits of fostering cats.
Thank You to All the Cat Lovers
I’m very thankful to everyone who has supported my work along the way and trusted me with their precious cats. When I first wrote the book, Think Like a Cat, I was just writing from my heart and didn’t realize how the techniques I created would become the standard for so many other experts in the field and that “Think Like a Cat” behavior modification would garner such attention.
Although my road in the field of cat behavior consulting had more than its share of bumps, I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. My goal in counseling cat parents, writing books and doing media appearances has never been to become famous. My goal has been, and still is, to help people understand what goes on inside the furry little heads of those beautiful, intelligent, loving, loyal, graceful creatures known as cats.
My sincere thanks to all my clients and to everyone who has purchased a book, attended one of my lectures or watched me on television. My sincere hope is that it somehow made life better for your cats.
