Cat Behaviourist and Groomer
Anita Kelsey is a nationally known cat behaviourist who has moved to Hastings. Ben Bruges thought it would be interesting to find out more.
Anita explains that she runs a vet referral service dedicated strictly to the diagnosis and treatment of behaviour problems in cats. Once a vet has ruled out any medical explanations for an issue, the cat may be referred to her for further explanation. She also grooms cats in their homes, as a mobile cat groomer.
She has always wanted to live by the sea, and her father-in-law was brought up here, so they have always felt the draw of the area. When she lived in West London, she would often jump on a train to walk in the country park over the Fire Hills.
CREDIT: Greg Heath
Change of life focus
Anita was a singer for 35 years. The suicide of a best friend led her to change careers. The next best thing she loved after music was cats. She first set up a cat sitting company in Notting Hill, studied cat grooming and
then studied feline psychology for five years.
She says: “I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now. I have found a friendly, open and extremely creative community where I have been able to find ‘my tribe’. Having the sea and nature on your doorstep has been incredible for my soul and I made many friends here as part of the all-year-round sea-swimming community. I don’t know why I left it so long to move here.”
As a cat groomer, her work is very hands on and she is trying to work with the cat to ensure their coat is kept in good condition, which may involve shaving out extreme matting. It’s also about showing owners how to groom their particular cat and what grooming tools to use.
With behaviour work, she says it’s more about trying to establish a diagnosis for any unwanted behaviours in the home and then working to fix the issues. Once she has a firm diagnosis she puts together a behaviour modification plan that the client follows to eventually stop the unwanted behaviours. These behaviours can be anything from aggression to extreme spraying to OCD type behaviours.
A cat whisperer?
I wondered if she thought of herself as a cat whisperer. She laughs and adds: “I have a good understanding of cats, but I wouldn’t call myself a cat whisperer. I am just good at my job and understand and have studied the behaviour of domestic cats.”
I wondered if she found a difference with cats down here. “Cats do not differ in their hardwired evolutionary behaviours depending on whether they live in the seaside or countryside. What differs, of course, is the environment, which can determine how a cat reacts to things around it. An example of this is inner city living whereby a cat may struggle being surrounded by many neighbouring cats.”
She explains that different breeds have different temp-eraments but that it very much depends on the personality of the individual cat.
She is full of friendly advice. For example, explaining that a long-haired cat should be groomed professionally every few months although cat owners can do a little bit every day to ensure no matting occurs.
I wondered about indoor cats. Is that ok for them? Anita’s preference would always be to try and offer a cat the choice of some form of outdoor living, but this very much depends on where the home is situated and whether it is safe to do so. For example, on a busy road she would advise not to allow free roaming but would try to offer plenty of compromises like cat proofing a garden, a stand-alone ‘catio’ in a garden or lead walking and window boxes.
Main feline issues
The main issues she is concerned about are whether a cat can be financially looked after, whether the home has plenty of space plus some form of outside access, whether a resident cat wants another cat (most do not), whether the human lifestyle can accommodate a cat, whether the cat has enough stimulation in the home and whether the cat’s needs are being met in view of their natural behaviours (like climbing, scratching, play, companionship).
I wondered if she’d ever met a cat she couldn’t deal with. Her answer was straightforward: “No. I have always left cats in a better state than when I first was called in to work with them.” And, while she has never met a cat she didn’t love, she has met the odd human owner she didn’t like!
I ventured that cats have slaves rather than owners, did she agree? “Very much so. Most of us will do anything for our cats! That does indeed make us slaves to them.”
Anita’s books
She has written two books about her work so far. Her first book is called Claws: Confessions Of A Cat Groomer and is a collection of true funny stories of cats she has groomed in the past.
For example, she met a fat cat called Tubbs. “He hated being groomed and I really had to think out of the box to get the groom done. He battled me from beginning to end until I had an idea for the last area – his nethers. His owner told me that he has to really wriggle to get out of the cat flap as he has put on so much weight. Actually, the flap was too small in general for a big fluff ball like him. Anyway, I decided to make him think the groom was over and he, as I suspected, ran straight for his cat flap. And what I thought would happen happened. He got stuck with his front paws out and his nethers my end. Bingo. I quickly got my clippers and shaved down the last bit of his back legs, with the background of him swearing like a trouper. It was so funny. I will never forget his cross face as I outwitted him.”
She had to deal with a very aggressive diva cat, a Himalayan Persian called Star. She ended up in the local papers and in the Metro after Anita issued the cat with an ASBO for her worst behaved cat during grooming!
• The follow up book is called Let’s Talk About Cats and is the first of its kind involving interviews with other cat professionals around the world, including US cat behaviourist Jackson Galaxy, and covers everything from nutrition to behaviour to feline diseases to palliative care in elderly cats. Anita has shop on Etsy shop called The Cat Bookshop and the books can be found in the usual places. She will be giving a talk on her book Claws as part of the Hastings Book Festival on 18 September at Kino-Teatr at 4.00pm.
Anita Kelsey’s top three tips
1. Lower expectation of how a domestic cat should be.
Not all cats like to be stroked!
2. Do what is right for your cat, as there are no blanket rules. Cats are individuals and should be treated that way.
3. Understand the natural needs and behaviours of a cat.
Cats are not there just for our pleasure but have specific requirements that need to be met.
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