Qualified Cat Behaviour Support, covering the Wirral, Liverpool and Cheshire for in-person support and other areas with online support
Sometimes overlooked or treated like mini-dogs, cats deserve to be listened to and understood.
Whatever your need, I can help.
We expect a lot from our cats.
Sometimes, they struggle to cope with our households and lifestyle and need a little extra help.
Issues frequently centre around others in the household - maybe other cats, a dog, a family member leaving or arriving. Cats are very sensitive and may need help adapting to our circumstances.
I provide a range of services, which can be tailored to your needs and preferences. My role is to advise you about how best to deal with unwanted behaviours and resolve the issues. Most problems can be modified or resolved with the correct methods using systems of rewards. Our aim is to help you to have a happy, well-behaved cat, acceptable to your family.
Behaviour Consultations
A behaviour consultation requires a referral from your vet, in order, to rule out any medical conditions that may be contributing to unwanted behaviour. The form can be downloaded here.
The service consists of:
An initial consultation (approximately 2 hours) online via Zoom
A full report, sent to you and your referring vet
Relevant handouts
Either two or four further Zoom calls, depending on which option you choose.
Follow up calls last approximately 30-45 mins each, and are arranged at suitable intervals according to your needs.
The consultations via Zoom provide time to really unpick the motivations behind your pet’s behaviour. Erica does not necessarily need to see the unwanted behaviour to know how to resolve it.
Zoom is more effective than an in-person consultation, at least as a first step, as there is no need to have a visitor in the home, which many cats find stressful and difficult to cope with. Erica can observe the natural behaviour of your cat (or cats), without them being distracted by her presence.
Suitable for behavioural issues such as anxiety, aggression, fearfulness, toileting issues and more. Please get in touch if you’re not sure whether we can help with your cat’s problem.
The packages are priced as follows:
Initial consultation + 4 follow up appointments: £340 (£370 after 5pm or weekends)
Initial consultation + 2 follow up appointments: £300 (£330 after 5pm or weekends)
For Pick and Mix optional extras, see here
Many insurance policies cover behavioural consultation fees, but we advise checking with your insurer for confirmation, prior to booking.
Please contact us for more information or to arrange a consultation.
One to One Sessions
(in person)
A home visit of one or two hours including a written summary and relevant handouts.
For Pick and Mix optional extras, see here
What it is good for – if you would prefer me to visit the home. Anything which is not deep rooted, severe or involving any aggression.
Cost - One hour - £90 plus travel
(£110 plus travel for sessions after 5pm on weekdays or at weekends)
Two hours - £130 plus travel
(£150 plus travel for sessions after 5pm on weekdays or at weekends)
One to One Sessions
(online)
This package offers:
1 hour Zoom session
a written summary and any relevant handouts
½ hour follow up Zoom session, to check all is going well
For Pick and Mix optional extras, see here
What it is good for – introducing a new kitten to the home, anything which is not deep rooted, severe or involving any aggression.
Cost - £100 (£120 for sessions after 5pm on weekdays or at weekends)
Pick and Mix - Optional extras
Because we understand that all pets, people and situations are unique and we want to provide the best to ensure success
After our initial consultation, these additional meetings can be arranged at any time* as we progress, depending upon what will be most beneficial
(*Within approximately three months of the previous contact with Erica)
Zoom follow up consultation
Up to an hour
£35
(£45 after 5pm or weekends)
Face to face home visit
One hour
£75 plus travel
(£100 plus travel after 5pm or weekends)
Face to face home visit
Two hours
£105 plus travel
(£130 plus travel after 5pm or weekends)
“Thanks so much for your help, encouragement and advice.”
"Erica helped us on line with introducing our shy existing cats to two new kittens. As it was on line it was so much more helpful as we could show via zoom exactly what was going on and the issues and send video updates. Erica worked through all of the issues we faced. Our cats would not have appeared if this was a home visit as they are very shy of new people and would have hidden. On line meant that the cats could be themselves and therefore Erica was able to see exactly what was going on and advise as to the best course of action.
A few months on all is well. We have also learned so much about our existing cats due to Erica’s input and support.
Thanks so much for your help, encouragement and advice. We are so grateful."
– M and M
How can I help?
I am a full Member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC). This means that I have reached the academic and professional requirements needed to meet the standard of a Clinical Animal Behaviourist set by the ABTC. I can help you with:
Introducing a cat or kitten into the household with minimal stress
Toileting issues - spraying, not using litter tray
Cats in the same household struggling to get on well
New dog being introduced to a cat household
Nervousness and anxiety
Aggression in any instances
Anything else
FAQs
If you have a different question, please contact me by clicking on the button below.
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It ensures that nothing medical is causing or contributing to the issue. This is especially important with cats, as pain often shows in changing behaviours and many of the physical issues often show themselves as behaviour issues.
Your veterinary surgeon is aware of the issues and I can discuss with them at any stage, for example if prescription medication is being considered.
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Many cats do not enjoy visitors coming to their home. Zoom allows me to see your cat showing their normal behaviours without the stress of an unknown person. In addition, you can show me the home environment. If you feel that a home visit would be useful, we can arrange this at any stage, meaning we get the best of both worlds.
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Dont worry, Jan will send instructions over. If there’s any difficulties on the day, we can always speak on the phone. Either I can talk you through the process or we can use a combination of zoom and phone.
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If you would like help accessing zoom, we can provide that.
If you are unable to use zoom, let us know and we can discuss face to face options.
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Behaviour consultations are best for anything involving aggression, deep rooted or long established issues.
One to one packages are best for issues more easily resolved, such as perhaps a new kitten coming into the family.
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Of course, cats wouldn’t be so successful as pets if they couldn’t learn and adapt. Behaviour issues are usually the cat’s way of telling us they are unable to cope with something, so they are must happier if we can help them to cope with the situation.
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No, the cost is for the consultation and time, regardless of how many animals.
For a behaviour consultation, however, I need to predominantly work with the pet(s) who have been referred by the veterinary surgeon.
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Yes please! It is helpful for as many of the family to be involved as possible, to whatever extent is appropriate. When a cat lives in a family, everyone is involved in his behaviour.
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There are many effective ways of helping cats feel more comfortable around each other. They may or may not ever be best friends, but we can usually get a big enough improvement to allow everyone to live together peacefully and happily.
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I have 35 years of experience of running my behaviour business.
I have worked with thousands of pets and their families.
I am a member of APBC and registered with the ABTC as a CAB and ATI.
I am lucky to share my life and my house with cats, dogs and other pets.
If you have any concerns or queries, contact us and we can have a chat.
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The costs of the packages reflect the time and expertise I invest in working with you.
I bring experience, current CPD, qualifications and practical solutions.
I will work with you, however you choose, until we have resolved the issues.
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Many insurance policies cover the behaviour consultations. However, we would advise that you check your own policy as there are many variations.
We are happy to liase with insurance companies at any stage.
Insurance companies will only cover the behaviour consultation packages, not the training sessions.
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First, ensure that your policy covers my fees.
Your vet would normally be required to fill in the form and this would be sent off with the receipt we will send to you.
Add any other receipts for anything else which is covered, for example Feliway products bought from your veterinary surgery. You may need to check with your insurance company if additional items are covered.
Your cats clinical may also be needed.
The insurance company may need me to fill out a form and/or send a copy of the report or additional notes.
Let me know how I can help
I look forward to working with you soon