An exclusive West London cat sitting service
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Widely acclaimed author of “Know Your Cat’ and ‘What If My Cat’. Francesca is one of the UK’s top companion animal behaviourist counsellors and a qualified veterinary surgeon.
She has kindly submitted a specially written piece exclusively for Catnips.............
“At nine I decided I simply had to be a vet. So it was fortunate I eventually made it. In fact it was only after many happy years in general practice caring for various companion animal species, that I was bitten by the ‘behaviour bug’ – a passion that now absorbs all my professional and a good part of my personal time.
Like many of my clients who were brought up in dog owning homes, my now profound love of cats emerged quite slowly and it wasn’t long before I took home two delightful black kittens, brought into the clinic as ‘surplus to requirements’. Well someone else’s rejects were certainly my gain and Porgy, Bess and all the other cats I have had the privilege to live with, care for and treat have taught me so much. The rest I’ve gained by hard work and study and I have indeed been fortunate in learning from some fantastically well informed, enthusiastic and compassionate people. Of course the process continues.
Never have we known so much about felines and the cats that share our homes can now benefit from our much greater understanding of where they came from, how all the skills that kept their original ancestors alive and allowed them to thrive are still there underpinning the behaviour of the rewarding companions that mean so much to us.
But what happens when things go awry? When for example despite our best efforts to provide a comfortable home with everything our pet cat could need, he or she starts spraying urine on our most treasured possessions, ripping our wallpaper, attacking our feet or ruining our carpets by using them as a loo. This is where as a certified clinical animal behaviourist I come in!
Observing cats in their home environment, seeing what they see out of their windows, meeting their human carers and all the other household pets, trying to view everything that happens to them on a daily or occasional basis then relating it to what we know about the natural behaviour of our domestic cats is by far the best way to work out why they are troubled and what we can do to help.
That’s why I spend two or three hours with my behaviour clients and only do home visits. This way we create the conditions to get the best out of a behaviour consultation by taking the time to work out all the motivations that cause our cats to behave the way they do, what they need from us, what changes are required and what is practical within the confines of that particular home and its location.
We can’t always get things right – there’s never a magic wand, either in the behaviour world or the veterinary clinic – but it’s surprising how often we can make a difference to pet-owner relationships that are strained to breaking point. After all, no one likes living with a ticking feline time bomb they struggle to understand and help, no matter how much they love their pet.
As a veterinarian I work only on referral from a client’s general practitioner, which is important because that way any contributing medical condition has already been ruled out or treated, and working as a team – general practice, behaviourist and owners – we have the best chance of resolving the problem behaviour and making an distressed pet happier – which of course is what we all want.
Personal contact, however, is not the only way that I try to spread the word and make a contribution to the emotional wellbeing of our most popular pet species. I have also discovered a love of writing and lecturing – in fact I’m willing to grab any opportunity that let’s me share my knowledge of the elegant, entertaining, exquisite little companions that share our homes. So I was thrilled last year to have two books published, which I hope will add to the happiness of cats and the enjoyment of their owners”
To contact Francesca please telephone 020 8891 1724
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CLIENT CASE STUDIES: Click to read about real problems my clients have encountered and the advice I have been able to give.
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A dog walking and pet sitting service in Notting Hill, covering Notting Hill, Holland Park, Kensington and Westbourne Grove
Francesca D. Ricconimi
CAT BEHAVIOURIST