665: How to Work With (Not Against) Cats with Laura Cassiday
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What makes cats do what they do—and how can pet sitters respond? In this episode, Collin talks with certified cat behavior consultant Laura Cassiday of Positive Vibes Cat Behavior and Training about decoding feline body language, aggression, and litter box issues. Laura shares her process for understanding the “why” behind cat behavior and offers practical steps for sitters in fearful or aggressive cat situations. Together, they discuss the importance of setting client expectations, documenting visits, and advocating for enrichment. You’ll walk away with actionable insight to keep both you and your feline clients safe, happy, and understood.
Main topics:
Understanding cat body language and signals
Managing aggression and fearful cats
Litter box problems and environment setup
Communicating with clients about cat behavior
Enrichment for shy or stressed cats
Main takeaway: “Working with animals comes with a whole lot of people.”
Most of us got into pet care because we love animals—the quiet moments, the connection, the work itself. But every visit, every behavior concern, and every hard day comes with a human on the other end who’s worried, overwhelmed, or unsure what to do next. The job isn’t just reading body language or scooping litter; it’s translating what we’re seeing into clear, compassionate communication. When we do that well, we don’t just care for pets—we build trust, set expectations, and help families feel supported. Professional pet care is as much about people skills as it is animal skills.
About our guest: Laura Cassiday is a certified cat behavior consultant (IAABC) and founder of Positive Vibes Cat Behavior and Training, based in Baltimore, Maryland. She specializes in solving complex feline behavior challenges, from litter box avoidance to multi-cat aggression. With a background in shelter behavior and a master’s degree in professional writing, Laura combines science-based methods with compassionate communication to help cats and their people live harmoniously. She’s also pursuing a graduate degree in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare and works part-time with Forever Friends Cat Sitting.
Links:
Get 1 CEU for PSI and/or NAPPS: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdw4WzNXJnrBs3sAscn5onF-lU_Lw6-5ZwAsz6H9yGjUDkkUA/viewform?usp=header
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Pet Sitter Confessional, its hosts, or sponsors. We interview individuals based on their experience and expertise within the pet care industry. Any statements made outside of this platform, or unrelated to the topic discussed, are solely the responsibility of the guest.
A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Cat behavior, cat sitting, behavior consultant, cat aggression, litter box issues, cat training, cat enrichment, multi-cat households, cat fear, client communication, cat resources, cat behavior problems, cat behavior solutions, cat behavior certification, cat behavior scenarios
SPEAKERS
Collin Funkhouser, Laura Cassiday
Collin Funkhouser 00:00
Hey, welcome to pet sitter confessional, an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. Today, we're brought to you by our friends at time to pet and pet perennials. This episode is eligible for CEUs from both naps and psi. So listen, take the quiz and get that credit, cats continue to become a much larger and larger part of the pet sitting industry as cat owners look for more and more professional levels of care that they did not have previously, this comes with us needing to take on more knowledge and us to become aware of what we are working with. Many of us don't have backgrounds in cats, and so I'm really excited to have Laura Cassidy, owner of positive vibes cat behavior and training, on the show to talk about this, walk us through some scenarios and make sure that we are all on a good path and understand cats just a little bit better. Laura, I'm really excited to have you on the show and talk about this topic for those who aren't familiar with you, could you please just tell us a little bit more about yourself and what you do? Laura, and
Laura Cassiday 01:03
what you do. Yeah, hi, so I am currently a full time cat behavior consultant. I work primarily with cats in private homes, so your clients, I do all kinds of behavior issues from go peeing outside the litter box to aggression between cats, aggression towards people, scratching the furniture, jumping on counters, mostly serious things, but some of the the more small problem behaviors too. I am certified through IABC, which is the International Association of Animal Behavior consultants. It is a great organization to be a part of. If you're interested in learning more about cat behavior, they kind of prepare you to go up through the levels I am currently also a part time cat sitter. I work for a small cat sitting company here in Baltimore. It's called forever friends cat sitting. And I, yeah, I primarily do just fill in on the holidays and the busy times, but they also tend to give me the harder cats to handle as well.
Collin Funkhouser 02:21
So I wonder why. I wonder why, Laura, I do have to ask, Where did your interest in cats start?
Laura Cassiday 02:30
So I got my first like, degrees in English and writing, and I was working in an office, and I was absolutely miserable. I hated going to work every day, and one day I was just like, No, I can't do this anymore. And I took a massive pay cut and ended up working intake at an animal shelter, and it was an amazing job. I loved it, but it also made me cry like every single day. And as I like, grew and learned more about shelters and the way they work and how you know, animals move through the shelter, I started to, I mean, I've always loved cats like I've always had cats. I've always been obsessed with cats, but in particular, I moved into their behavior department in the shelter pretty quickly, because I was like, animal behavior is awesome. I want to learn more. But it was all dogs. Like nobody cared about the cats. They were getting very little enrichment. They were getting very little attention if they had behavior problems. A lot of people didn't really know what to do with them if they had behavior problems. So I was like, I'm going to do this. There are enough people working with dogs. So I got started in shelter behavior, and eventually decided to branch out and start my own business. And then my business got out of control, and I had to pick which one I was going to do, and now I just do this. I missed the shelter dearly, but that's kind of where I got started with working with cats professionally
Collin Funkhouser 04:13
Well, and that's just a whole other world of behavior too, I would imagine. And unfortunately, I feel like there's a lot of people who just kind of write things off as well. That's just an angry cat, or, oh yeah, that's the cat, like, and it just becomes part of their kind of, their ethos as a cat, of, oh, they just explain it away and don't end up addressing it, or think it's an issue.
Laura Cassiday 04:35
Yeah, I think it's definitely a double standard. Like, if you see a dog cowering in the corner of a kennel, you're gonna be like, Oh, look at the poor dog. Like, can we give him anything to make him feel better? And you see the cat cowering in the back of the kennel, and you just walk right past like, I don't know what it is like, even me. Like people who love cats, they they try to make themselves look invisible. I think, and we respond to that. So, yeah, I started trying to actively notice those cats and try to recognize how they were feeling beyond just labeling them as, you know, not social or whatever, you know, aggressive or fearful, whatever labels you want to give them to try to start seeing them as individuals. Because I don't know, I think it's really true, like we would definitely respond to the dog and feel bad for the dog, but something about cats, we don't always feel that way.
Collin Funkhouser 05:36
Well, I'm also thinking of in those outward aggressive moments too, of if you had a dog coming after your leg, like that, like that'd be a big thing some and if it's a cat, you kind of go, Oh my gosh, they just must not like me today, for some reason there's part of the the the mentality and culturally, how we view and how we think we understand cats, that it does just get pushed off to the side, right, but that it was, it was A pretty big step for you, then to go get do get certified through the iapc. And you are, you're a behavioral consultant. Behavior consultant. How is that different than like, a trainer or other things that people may have heard of
Laura Cassiday 06:16
so anyone can kind of call themselves anything. It's a totally unregulated industry. So we have a lot of trainers, mostly dog trainers, but you know that really don't know what they're doing and really shouldn't be doing it. But in by definition, a trainer is someone who trains an animal to do things. So it's more like if you were to take your dog to a basic manners class and they taught you like sit and down and stay. Behavior consultant goes beyond that too. We're going to look at the whole picture and ask why the cat is lunging. We're not just going to train the cat not to lunge at you, because that doesn't really work. You have to figure out what is going on, and maybe it's more in depth, like modifying the environment or gradually exposing the cat slowly through desensitization to something. So it's more about modifying behavior that already exists and less about training the animal to do something on cue.
Collin Funkhouser 07:36
Yeah. Well, can that sounds like a if? Unless you're paying close attention, it may sound like the same thing, but like you said, the underlying why? Like, it's not just doing this for no reason. It's not. There is something underneath this, and we have to take time to dig into that. I mean, when you work with, okay, so you get a call for a client and they say, My cat's peeing outside the litter box. Like, what's your process for, kind of getting into that situation, understand what's
Laura Cassiday 08:03
going on. So I usually get a history form that they fill out with just some basic information. And I ask for for all of my cases, I asked for a home tour. So I do all virtual Consulting at this stage, I used to go to people's houses in person, and I didn't really find it super beneficial most of the time, the cats were not interested in hanging out with me anyway. So I think I see a more accurate picture when people are sending me videos of the cat just doing what they do with no strangers in the house, so it's all virtual. So I asked for a home tour on video so I can see everything. And for litter box definitely, like the litter boxes themselves, where, you know, where the cats being outside in the home, all the different things. And then I just kind of like, mean, the first thing is, we have this saying in behavior. We say, WTF, which, in this case, stands for what's the function so? So if the cat is peeing on the couch, I want to know why, what's going through his brain to make him want to do that. Because using a litter box isn't innate behavior for cats, you don't have to train them to do it. It's not something they have to learn. So why would he do something that goes against his nature? So we try to break it down. And over time, I've figured out, you know, the the main reasons, and I can look at what, what they might be, what I know that they're not, and just kind of try to figure figure out the why. And once I figure out the why, like if I figure out, oh, the cat hates his litter box, which is what happens in maybe 80% of the situations. Hmm, then we try out different litter or different boxes or different location. So not actually training the cat to use the litter box. In this case, I'm figuring out what are the cat's preferences? What are we not offering him that he needs? And going from there?
Collin Funkhouser 10:20
Well, I know we have a lot of clients who said, who have a litter box. It's like, worked for them for the last 10 years, and then they get this little thing in their ear where they're like, I need to change everything about this. I want to get the litter robot. I want to do all this. I want to get this thing that I saw online and I saw an Instagram ad for this new kind of cat litter. I'm going to change it. And then they're kind of surprised that there's this issue on the back end. But how do those conversations go with the clients? Because, like, do you find people are mostly receptive to what you're telling them? Or do you get some pushback about things
Laura Cassiday 10:54
for letterboxes? Specifically, I do get pushback, and I usually will say something like, in a perfect world. What I would like to do is this, let me know if you're not comfortable with that, and we don't live in a perfect world today, and I will take it down a notch, and we'll find something that you are comfortable with. I have to explain, like, the further we go from the perfect world scenario, the less likely the changes are to work. But I have been able to come to some compromises with people that way. And it it really comes down to, I'm like, do you want the cat to use a litter box, or do you want the cat to destroy your home? Because these are your choices. And I know this is going to work, because people, obviously, they just spent $500 on a litter robot, and they don't want to be told that that wasn't a good idea. So, yeah, it is. It is sometimes a struggle, but we've always been able to find something, and I've like for I've only had it. I can remember once where they were just like, Absolutely not. We are not doing that. And I was like, Okay, well, that's gonna work. I can almost certainly guarantee it. Why don't we just sit on it for a couple of weeks and then we'll talk again? And of course, they did it, and they tried it, and we met again a couple weeks later, and they were like, Yeah, you were right. It fixed everything. Yeah, it's, it's as much like we, everybody has, you know, the saying of, we get we want to work with animals because we don't like people. And then I'm like, Well, I have news for you. Working with animals comes with a whole lot of people. I Okay,
Collin Funkhouser 13:03
yeah, I say, you know, I've been doing this for over coming on, 14 years, and I've never had a dog call me for a walk. I've never had a cat try and pay me for litter scoop. It's always a person at the end of the day who's making that call, who's got that concern, and when you say, like, you start that conversation, offer you give that recommendation. I love how you put that of, hey, in a perfect world, this is what I do, because you're framing it for the client. And I'm sure that that helps you understand a lot more when they respond kind of what their priorities are. Because obviously, in the beginning they're like, I need my cat to stop. And then you're like, Well, okay, like, in order to do that, here's the thing, and they're like, well, not that thing. Oh, okay, there's some more unspoken things here that maybe we need to work through now to figure out where these rank out in our list of the things that are important.
Laura Cassiday 13:53
Yeah, I think that's the only real situation where I do get pushback, though, I really try to make most of my plans, not all of my plans for people really realistic, like, if I'm not going to do it, then they're definitely not going to do it. So I base it on that, because I know there are other people who will put recommendations to, like, play with the cap for an hour a day. And I'm like, I'm not going to do that. So, like, why would I tell you to do it? So I tailor it to to realistic situations. Is what I really work on the best.
Collin Funkhouser 14:39
Yeah, because if it's not based in reality, it's not going to go through. They're not go through, they're not going to be consistent, they're not going to do it anyway, and then it's all kind of a waste in the end. Right now, when you're talking with with clients and maybe in your own work, and working with other pet sitters and things like that, what are some of the most common, misunderstood signals that cat. Give that. People go, oh, the cat's definitely and you're like, No, not, not at all.
Laura Cassiday 15:06
I think people tend to think or believe that the cat wants to be padded when they really do not. I think that's the most common situation that I run into where, I think as people, we have this, like, cute, fluffy animal syndrome, and we feel entitled, like or like, obligated, like we have to touch, touch it. And I, I think that is not always a good idea. You have to remember like these are, this is not your cat at home. Even, I wouldn't even say, do that to your cat at home. But I think people, the scenario I've run into a lot is they'll walk in the door, the cat will come up and rub on their legs and act interested and happy to see them, and then they'll bend down and pet the cat, and the cat will bite them or swat at them, or get, you know, aggressive and whatever way there. And I'm like, That cat just gave you a handshake and you went to give him a big hug, like that's that's what happened there. So I am a big advocate for consent testing for cats, so I'll put my hand out a few inches away from their head, and if they come and touch me with their head, then I will pet them, and I will usually only pet them for a few seconds. I'll take my hand away, and I'll let them reinitiate again. So I'm like constantly asking, do you still want to be petted? Do you still want to be petted? That has saved me and others from many swats and bites over time, because you're never letting it get to the point where they're like, Okay, I've had enough. They can just not reinitiate, and then they'll learn they won't be touched, and they have some autonomy, and they have some choice and control in their life, and everyone can go ahead and live in peace. So I think that one, I think it's really just touching cats when they don't want to be touched. And like fearful cats, I think we have the desire to, like, comfort them and pet them, and the cat will be like, smooshed down with their ears back and their whiskers back, and they're like, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. And you're still like, oh, the cat loves it. We're making friends because they're just not doing anything, but they're also giving you any positive signals back,
Collin Funkhouser 17:55
yeah, it's that meme, if not, friend. Why friend shaped? And I think many times you're right, especially us as pet sitters, as Cat sitters, we go, Oh, I love cats so much. I want to be around the cats. I want to be I want to hold the cat. That's why I got in. Says I'm so passionate about the cats. And we come in and the cat's a little like I'd rather not, and we can misjudge or misread, especially that signal of inaction on the cat's part as consent. I think that's that can be really dangerous. Have you heard of time to pet? Susan the pet gal, has this to say,
Susan M. 18:27
time to pet has helped us grow exponentially. We believe the platform's features make us by far more professional than other companies who use conventional dashboards. They are the software gurus constantly developing and improving the platform based on user feedback. This decision was a good one.
Collin Funkhouser 18:45
If you're looking for a new pet sitting software in the new year, give time to try listeners of our show will take three months.
Laura Cassiday 18:56
I think also, when you go in as a pet sitter, you feel obligated to spend time with the cat like, that's what you're there for and what you're being paid to do. And if you go in there and the cat doesn't want to hang out with you, then you just sit on the couch for 30 minutes and waste everyone's time. So it's hard to know like, and then this is a lot of what I talked about at the psi conference. Like, what can we do for those cats who don't want to be touched, who don't want to interact with you, to still give them a better time, even if we're just setting up the space for them to have a better time when we leave?
Collin Funkhouser 19:38
Yeah, yeah. And I think having some it sounds like having some conversations with the client ahead of time too, making sure that we understand their expectations. Because I know we have had clients who have, you know not, it's not they've been disappointed, but they've been a little like, Hey, did you play with my cat a lot? And we're like, no, a cat didn't really come out. And we tried to engage, but we didn't want to push. Them. And there's some confusion on the cats. Pet owner of like, oh, well, I hired a cat sitter, and why didn't you? You know, how do we navigate those conversations and make sure that the client is on board with us too?
Laura Cassiday 20:12
It's, it's been hard. I've had, like, I can think of one in particular where the cat was out for out for blood. He wouldn't let me up and down the stairs like I was just it was taking all, all that I could do to just scoop the box and put down food and water for the cat. And I'm like, this cat doesn't want me here, so I'm not going to stay the whole time, because it's a safety risk for both of us. And that was one where the client was like, I wanted you to stay there and bond with my cat and let teach him that you are like, have a better relationship and I'm like, the more time I am there, the more stressed he is getting. Yeah, so it is hard when the the expectations don't align with reality. I think taking pictures, so if you have a picture of a cat staring at you on the stairs, or you can even take a little video clip and be like, This is what your cat's doing without, you know, alarming them, or using, you know, scary language, like he's attacking me, or he's super aggressive, because clients don't like that either. I wouldn't like my sitter to tell me that my child is aggressive and hates them, even if it's true, right? I think documenting is something that I've learned over time doing it just being as thorough as possible. I tried this and it went this way. So I tried this and it went that way. And after I tried X, Y and Z, he was more stressed than he was when I first entered your house, so I decided to leave so that we wouldn't have any more issues.
Collin Funkhouser 22:06
Yeah, well, documenting is so helpful too, because, I mean, we kind of view it as a hey, in the event that I have to stop services or come to a hard conclusion, I need to be able to point back to things that I'm kind of building my case along the way, and it also just what you want to do. I know what we're always after is I want the client human to be part of this process. I want them to be partnered with us as we work towards a common solution or common goal with them. But again, it's still hard because that language, as you said, of sometimes I don't know how to communicate this without coming across as offensive to them or hurting their feelings when this is their because, you know, sometimes it's a cat that they've had. It's the cat that got them through college and through multiple breakups, and they've had it for 1617, years, and we're the ones who are coming wrong, saying I struggled to engage with the cat today because they were XYZ,
Laura Cassiday 23:03
yeah, and I think trying to frame it as positively as possible, like actively, I tried this toy, and I tried these treats, and we did this, and then maybe he did a slow blink at me today and he Didn't yesterday. So we try to put something in there because, like, they're away from home and they're worried about their cat, and they don't want to hear bad news and be sitting there worried about, you know, is their cat going to be okay? Are they scared? Are they upset? Are they stressed? So I always try to find something good to say and and try to end it. End My message with that well.
Collin Funkhouser 23:49
So I'd like to dive into a scenario or two, if that's okay with you. And I'm going to start with one from a very young and naive Pet Sitter me several years it's like 14 years ago was one of our we had been pets ing for just a couple months, and we got this cat client, and we did the meet and greet, and we didn't, it was one of those where you didn't see the cat at all, right. The cat wasn't in the around. They just kind of motioned to vaguely where they like to hide, and at the time, we're like, okay, cool, we'll be fine. I came in for the first visit, and the cat was at the top of the stairs, and kind of like the scenario that that cat came flying and howling down those stairs straight at me, and it was everything I could do with the help of a broom to create a barrier around me, again, not hitting the cat, but pushing and trying to create some space, to do the litter box and do the food bowls, and then run it back into the Garage and type up my report. You know that that's a pretty extreme, extreme example, but like, like, Laura, where would I? Where would I start? Or what kind of things would you want to know about in that scenario?
Laura Cassiday 24:51
So I think it's good practice in general, that every time you are sitting for a new cat, you. Even if they were totally fine during the meet and greet, in your scenario, you didn't see the cat, I think that's another mistake that you made, and not that you would have gotten this information from it, but you could have seen, like the cat was emaciated, or something weird, like, you know, like, I just, I want to know what the cat looks like, and then I want to know what the cat looks like so I know if the cat's hiding, if I'm looking for what kind of what I'm looking for. But I think it's a good idea to always come into a new house with treats in your pocket. And even if you want to be extreme, have a wand toy, or have some springs, or have something that you can throw, because for me, even if the cat's not going to eat the treats, you can bounce the treats off the wall to make a noise. You can bounce the springs, whatever. And you can get the cat's attention somewhere else for at least an instant. So you have a minute, not a minute, but you have a second to kind of regroup and come up with a plan. I have had cats, I think, where they just, yeah, they are waiting for me at the door, and they are ready to throw hands, so I literally have to crack the door open and start throwing to try to get them to create some distance. And then what I would try is throwing treats, making some noise elsewhere as you're moving around, if you can. Sometimes it's not going to work for every cat. If it doesn't work for the cat, there's not too much we can do. I think in that case, I would look for the closest blanket or broom or couch cushion or something where you can create that barrier. And I always try to in a super extreme situation where it's just a safety risk for for you, I try to use it to push them into a room where I can close the door, so then I can walk around, I can do the things, and then usually you can kind of push the door open and and kind of run when you're right about to leave. I've only had to do that maybe once or twice, because that's it isn't a really extreme scenario. And then I might talk to the the client for sure, like, hey, is this the first time you've left the house and left the cat alone? What did you do before this? We Yeah, what is the cat's history like we've we've tried to do, if it just went completely terrible the first time we did it, we've tried to come and do mock cat sits where the owner is home, and just kind of go about doing their meal time with them, or walking around scooping the litter box. Sometimes the cat will come out and behave themselves for the owner to try to just make them more comfortable. But my go to is always try to get the cat's attention away from you and just throw, throw food, throw whatever you have to make noise somewhere else, and then get that. Get those basics done. If you can push the cat into one room, then honestly, like I would, get the food, get the water, get the litter box and all put them in a close location where you can at least grab everything quickly if you need to. And it's all right there, and you don't have to move very much. Because what really becomes problematic is the stairs. Because I have said so many cats be like you are not trapped me upstairs. Trap me downstairs when the food is upstairs, or whatever the case may be. So I think if it's really, bad, push the cat into a room, get all the stuff in an easy, easily accessible location, and go from there for the rest of the time well.
Collin Funkhouser 29:32
And I really love how you mentioned talk to the client, because I know in this instance, we didn't. We just kind of sucked it up for a week, and we're like, Oh my gosh. At the end, we're like, thank goodness that's done, and hopefully we'll hopefully they'll contact us again. And yeah, instead of getting bringing them into the process, hey, is the first time this has happened. Have you had other pet sitters who are cancers, who have come in and not stayed around for more than a day? You know that that this the more information is the is better. And you mentioned about the. Barriers too. It got me thinking, like we wear these high vis vests that we, you know, with our names, they got pockets on them. You know, you could take one of those off and kind of use that as a light barrier in those instances too, just to create some space to get some work done. And then also, what you didn't mention was try and get the cat to like you, right? You know, right? You didn't say anything about that. I think that's really important. Of many times I can come in and be like, Oh, well, this is just a case where it doesn't know me. It doesn't love me yet, but we're going to be best friends by the end of this. And it's like, no, no, now's not the time for that, right? Like, slow and steady, get the work done to help the cat come back down from where they're at. Now, in those in those in those instances where the cats are acting like that, what? What is that reaction from the cat? What are some of the common triggers or cues that you see?
Laura Cassiday 30:49
It could be just a general distrust of strangers. It could be a disruption in their daily routine. They're like, Mom and Dad are gone, and I'm freaking out, and this stranger is in my house, and I don't know what to do it sometimes is underlying pain or illness. I see a lot of aggression caused by cats who hurt, and pain is really, really underdiagnosed in cats. I would always encourage of that visit to check for for pain, especially in older cats, if they're acting this way, what else just I think cats are very much creatures of habit and creatures of structure and routine, and they don't get out much. So this, this house, is their entire world. And if the their owners don't have company over, really a lot, like I rarely have people come to my house because I have so many animals in it, but they Yeah, if they're just, they're their owners have left. Things are weird. And then somebody that they've never seen before, it's, it could be all, all kinds of things, really. But I think in these we're talking about these really extreme situations where safety is a concern. That's the only time. No, I don't know if I want to say this, but I think that's it's maybe one of the only times where I wouldn't advocate for at least hang out on the couch and talk to the cat and be there, because if, if they're flying down the stairs, howling at you and stalking you around, then you're you're gonna get hurt at some point, yeah, and there's not much you can do at that stage,
Collin Funkhouser 32:57
yeah, and just be frank and open about that again to the client document and make sure that you've got those things taken care of. Because then there is the opposite side of this where you come in and you never see the cat, and you start to wonder, Am I just scooping litter that's being used by nobody? And you start to, you know, like, Okay, what's going on here? How do we Okay, so let's go to that example. Then, how do I start building that trust, or get to the point where maybe I could be playing with that cat, at least seeing them more in that home. Yeah.
Laura Cassiday 33:24
So if we have a less extreme example, you have like the cat under the bed, or the cat that's peeking around the corner, kind of stalking you, but not going any more than that. We have started with the company I work for, offering longer visits. So instead of overnights, which nobody really wants to do, we've offered five hour visits, and we've been really targeting them at those borderline kind of cats, cats that need a lot of attention and are really playful and active, but also the cats who are not having a great time. And we've had a couple of situations where the cat has, I mean, we had one case where this was, this was the owner's child, and we had been watching that cat for years, and the cat had never come out of the bed for anyone on the team ever. So we said, let's try this. Let's see if we just kind of hang out there and let her get used to the idea and spend some more time with her if she will warm up eventually. And we had different people stay that week, not all of the visits. We've alternated between five hour and one hour visits with like three different people coming, and by the end of the week, the cat was. Waiting at the door for people to come in. It was crazy, and I was a part of it. What all I did was I sat on the couch and worked on my laptop and watched TV, and every time I needed to get up, I walked into the bedroom and threw a couple treats under the bed and then went back to the couch, so she got curious eventually, and that was that. And now we don't have any problems with her, and that's one, one situation, but I think it's really tempting with those cats to do those short, 1015, minute sessions, because you're like, All right, I've put down food and I scoop the litter box, and the cat doesn't want to hang out with me, so it's time to go. But they can sometimes feel better with like you can make friends with them. It just takes longer. So we we always advocate for at least hour long visits with the under the bed caps, if we can, if the owners are okay with it, because then all we do is just sit on the floor in the bedroom and play on your phone or read a book and throw some treats from time to time where you're not like high pressure, sticking your hands under the bed, or, you know, putting your face up in the other in the cat's face, or trying to do more than that, you're just kind of chilling. And we've done like cat TV and music, and sometimes that's what they need. So I think in any case, where you're you're there and you're noticing that your presence is not making anything worse, it's just kind of staying the same. I think that is a appropriate time to try to make friends. And if you do that, even if they only the the owner only wants 30 minute visits, we don't offer anything less than 30 minutes. I don't I don't think anybody should. But then you have something positive you can say today. You know, fluffy ate the treat that I left yesterday. It was gone, you know, in between visits. But today, she ate it in front of me when I was still there. Like, you have something and something that I think a lot of people don't know is that if the cat is looking at a toy or looking at the laser pointer, you're doing something productive, they are getting something out of it. I think a lot of people are like, Oh, he's not chasing it or trying to pounce on it or whatever. He's not, you know, it's we're not going to play. But that it can be so reinforcing and so rewarding for fearful cats, who I mean they're they're under the bed. Who knows if they're under the bed the whole time the owner is gone? Maybe they come out to eat and use the bathroom and go back, I don't know, but it gives them something to do. It creates a positive association with your presence. And if they won't take food in front of you, but they'll at least track a toy with their eyes, then that's something that you guys are doing together. So that's a big thing that I think a lot of people are missing out on doing when they're working with these really scared cats. Just if they're not if looking at the toy, they're not looking at you, so they're not that terrified anymore, right? Like? So, yeah, that's a big, big trick that I use.
Collin Funkhouser 38:47
You can't automate compassion, but you can make it easier to deliver Pat perennials is built for that. Their sympathy and milestone gifts are designed for grieving pet parents, and they take care of the fulfillment from start to finish, so nothing falls through the cracks. As a busy pet business, it's a simple system to scale kindness, nurture long term client loyalty, and allows you to respond meaningfully in those difficult moments. Sign up for their free business account to receive discounted pricing with zero fees or minimum, Learn more at test perennials.com where they're picking kindness. Well, it's interesting, because I know we get a lot of client inquiries who say, Oh, you'll never see my cat. So can you do like, a 15 minute visit? Yeah. And I think a lot of times we may come in primed to go, Oh, yeah. The long visits are only for the high, active, you know, energetic, really playful cat. That's what I need the long visits for. But we also have to realize, like what you're saying here, Laura, there's a lot of benefit of just sitting and being quiet that can go a long way to building that relationship, and that is also also beneficial and useful and necessary. Scary, and that's a switch that we have to make in our own heads, especially if maybe we were previously very dog heavy of Oh, yeah, long visits, lots of play time. Get out your energy. Here we go. Let's do this versus long visit. Sit quietly with cat TV playing and toss a treat every 15 minutes, right? Like it's a different pace,
Laura Cassiday 40:20
isn't it? They're so easy too. Like, you're getting paid to sit there and play on your phone for an hour. Like, why wouldn't you want to, want to upsell that? And I, like, I don't want to, like, downplay the importance of it, but like, it's, it's still, like, it's not it's not that hard, especially like it's hard if the cat really wants to interact with you and play with you and do stuff, but you can be spending that time setting up food puzzles or setting up some scent enrichment for them to sniff while you're gone. I once worked with a cat who was really fearful, and I was just throwing stuff out there. Every time I visited, I would bring something else, like my egg cartons or my tissue paper, and she didn't touch any of it, but I left it there. When the owner came back, just I was like, maybe, maybe she'll get something out of it when she's more comfortable. He wrote back in the app after he got home, that as soon as he got home that day, she played with everything,
Collin Funkhouser 41:29
just biting her time, just waiting,
Laura Cassiday 41:31
yeah, so we got the information out of it. We knew she was she enjoyed that stuff, but she was too stressed to do it while her owner was gone, we still got buy in from the owner at that point, because when he got home, he got to watch her enjoy everything and see that we made a really good effort to bond with her. And like people who are hiring professional pet sitters, are generally really love their pets. And I mean, it makes so much of a difference to be that pet sitter that is like, Okay, I scooped the box and filled up the food, I think fluffy was under the bed today, and, like, I saw her, and we hung out, and she watched the laser pointer for a couple minutes, and I put on the classical music for her on the Alexa and I set up some catnip for her to go and explore later. Like, which one of those people would you hire? So yeah, we have to. We have to, like we talked about at the beginning, like we have to stop ignoring these cats who are just who are really scared, and we, we try, it's, it's that it's a double standard, like dogs, if it's dog, if the dog wouldn't go out for a walk because they were scared and they were like, hiding in the back of your crate, you wouldn't be like, Okay, never mind. I'm just going to put some food down and leave you. You're making a difference. And like, this is their their owner is going to go away again. So mate, over time. I mean, the cat, if the cat is that upset, that's that they're not coming out from under the bed, and they're kind of frozen in place. That's really bad. And I don't want to tell the owner of the cat that your cat is miserable the whole time you're gone. So, yeah, it's something that that needs to change, just across the board, and how we're looking at cats like
Collin Funkhouser 43:37
that, yeah, well, and it's especially important if we are taking care of homes with multiple cats, to be paying attention. I mean, we've had several instances over the last several years where, you know, somebody starts out as a one cat hassle household, and then they get now there are two cat and then there are three cat and four, you know, it kind of grows like, what are how? I mean, I mean, I don't even know where to start. Start with this. What are signs that we should look for of like, maybe like, you know, tension or uneasiness between especially multi cat households and and how best can we manage those kind of visits?
Laura Cassiday 44:13
Yeah, so in my business, I think about 80% of my clients are multi cat households that aren't getting along. So that is entirely how I make my money. Is multi cat households, because it is. It is very hard to maintain a household where you have I feel like three or four cats is even hard sometimes. But things that I look for are, are the cats, resources all clustered in one place, and maybe we can't, you know, make permanent changes. Maybe the client is not up. For doing this, but I see a lot of the times all the litter boxes are in the corner of the basement. All the food bowls are in line right next to each other. They might have a cat broom where they put all the scratching posts in that one room. And they people just, I mean, they just think this is the cat's stuff, so I'm going to put it all near each other. I don't know, but that's where the majority of fighting happens, is competition over resources. And you might see that if all the litter boxes are in a corner of the basement, one cat will sit on the basement stairs, or sit right in front of the basement stairs and be like, sorry, you're not using the litter box today. They might hog all the food, or they might chase the cat out of that corner where the food is kept. You don't always need to see active fighting for there to be a conflict. A lot of times, cats are I mean, we have the term catty for a reason. I think they are. They work through intimidation and bullying. So you'll see things like body blocking, standing in the way. One cat when you're feeding them, like one cat's dominating the whole kitchen and the other ones are just kind of hanging back to the side. So I think if you can't always tell the client, like, I need you to have a litter box on each floor of your house. That's not that's probably not your place, and it probably won't go over well. But what you can do, at least while you're there and there is more stress going on in their lives, is feed the cat separately. Like when I go into a house, I would just, I don't care if they tell me that the cat, one cat, eats here, and the other cat eats here. I always take the food bowl to the cat wherever they are. So that also goes for the fearful cats who won't come out. To the best of my ability, I will take that food bowl to where, near where they are. I'll close the door for them, if I can, so that I know at least while I'm there they have a opportunity to eat. Because you wonder, like, when you feed cats, how many of the cats who are scared in that multi cat household aren't eating? Or like, well, because the other cats just eat all the food. So I try to do things like that, really. I think, as a pet sitter, there's, it's such a complex problem that there's probably not much you can do to make a long term major difference. But things like I have suggested to clients, I think this comes off a lot better than just, you know, it would be better for the cats if you did this. Just say, Hey, have you considered like putting another litter box upstairs, just while you're gone? And I noticed that this cat is upstairs hiding under the bed the whole time, and I worry that he's not able to get down to the basement easily from upstairs. What needs to be siding under the bed. And just, you know, asks for permission to bring a litter box upstairs just for that time, and then they can always bring it back. So, I mean, I guess what I'm getting at is I like to bring the resources to the cat so if they don't want to go to a certain place, then I don't make them because I think that's just causing extra stress when it's already a stressful time.
Collin Funkhouser 48:58
Well, you mentioned that this starts to get a little bit of outside of maybe our purviews as Cat sitters and pet sitters. How do we start having that conversation with the owner of, hey, I know a wonderful behavior consultant. Let's start looping her in. I mean, how do we start that?
Laura Cassiday 49:17
Yeah, I think you you have hopefully documented very well throughout your visits. And you can say, Hey, I've noticed this problem. And you've mentioned, so, like, you know, let's say you're cleaning up a couple pee spots every time, every day when you come to visit. And they have mentioned, oh yeah, he just, he pees outside the box sometimes, and then you'll be like, you can say, hey, like, it must be frustrating for you to have to deal with this. Did you know that such a resource exists? Because some people don't even realize that it's a thing. Still, it's getting more popular, but most people have never heard of like. Cat behavior consultant still at this point, and I think we I'm trying to think how we do it, because I with the cat sitting business that I work for, we do so many mutual referrals. It's crazy, but it's, it's about gently bringing it up and bringing it back to, I think this is not something that I'm struggling with. It's something that you're struggling with because they don't care if it's happening to you. Yeah. And I mean, you, you can just bring it up, and if they're not interested, they're not interested.
Collin Funkhouser 50:47
Yeah, yeah. And that that's hard whenever there's not the buy in from the other person of No, because we can sit here and go, No, this is really, really, really important, and if they go, Well, I'm on vacation, they don't do this to me, so I'm okay. And I think when we've had those tough conversations, we try and also talk about, like, looking forward 10 years, 15 years, if it's especially young cat going we want to make sure that in 10 years, your cat is being set up for success, because, hey, they don't need medication today, but what if they do in 10 years? What if they need insulin? How are we getting to that point? And sometimes that little bit of forward thinking is just enough for them to start to go, Okay, no, I need to take this seriously, and I want to start helping my cat be set up for success, for for whatever they need.
Laura Cassiday 51:39
We've also done. I don't want to call it an ultimatum, because that sounds really, really not great, but for situations where it's becoming a lot of extra work for the sitter. So there was one house where we were cleaning up about 10 accidents per visit twice a day, the cats were just pretty much not using a litter box at all. We said, Hey, this is a lot of work that we are not house cleaners. We are cat sitters, and we're either going to have to charge a significant extra fee or we are no longer going to be able to watch your cats, but have a pretty good idea that Laura would be able to help the problem and kind of give them a couple of options there, because, I mean their their lives were miserable. This was happening when the owners were home too. They just didn't know what to do, and they didn't want to get rid of the cats. So they did end up working with me, and we did make it. We weren't able to completely resolve it, but we were able to make it significantly better. And the problem was, one of the cats was in was had terminal cancer, and no matter what we did, she wasn't going to pee in the litter box at that stage. But the rest the other cats we got, we got back in the box. So we got it back to a point where, you know, we could, we could send people to that house again because they weren't able. And we framed it, I think, as like, we're not able to spend any time with your cats because we're spending the whole time cleaning up Pete. So they were really open to it, and they obviously did work with me and we made it better. But, yeah, it's sometimes it does become the difference between like, I can't We can't do this anymore. And if you can't do it anymore, and you're listening to this podcast, then probably no one's going to be able to do it, or no one's going to accept that client. So so that puts them between a rock and a hard place sometimes,
Collin Funkhouser 54:02
and we just have to be honest with them, what are, what are our limitations? I love how you brought up like, Hey, I'm not a cleaning service and I'm not spending time with your cats. I'm actually not doing the job that you paid me or want You want me to be doing with your cats. And so because of that, I need to XYZ. You need to XYZ. And that's all about what this is. It's coming alongside our clients, guiding them, pointing them to resources and encouraging them, and knowing that at the end of the day, we may have to take our hands off and just say, I can't move forward with this. And but that's part of being that professional, of having resources, having recommendations, working with them to the best that we're able to, and then, you know, ultimately, trying to build that trust with them and their pets and their cats. Laura, I want to thank you so much for coming on the show today and walking through these these scenarios that I know a lot of us face and encounter, and your encouragement to dig into those resources get connected with people. For those who are listening and want to connect with you, I. Maybe pick your brain, because I know we just kind of went very surface level to a lot of this stuff, and there's a lot of other scenarios and things that come up. Just how can people get in touch with you and get connected?
Laura Cassiday 55:12
The best way to get in touch with me is through my website. It's positive vibes, cats.com positive with a PA W and I have a contact form, and my email is listed on there, but, yeah, that's the easiest way to get in touch, perfect.
Collin Funkhouser 55:28
I'll make sure and have that in our show notes and on our website so people can get connected and click through to you. Laura, again, this has just been an immense pleasure, and I'm so thankful for you taking some time to talk with us today. Thank you for coming
Laura Cassiday 55:40
on the show. Yeah, thanks for having me. It was fun.
Collin Funkhouser 55:43
I love when Laura said that cat just gave you a handshake and you wanted to give him a hug. So many cat bites or scratches come from well meaning people I'm guilty here, right? Who misread a cat's cues. When a cat rubs against your legs or approaches you. It's not always an invitation for petting. It might just be a greeting. It's a fantastic reminder that consent matters, even with animals, let cats come to you test their comfort and respect their boundaries. Building trust takes time and every slow blink or soft paw step closer to you is progress. As sitters, we honor that space. That's how we create that true connection and that trust with that client. Don't forget to check the show notes for the link to take the quiz to get the CEU credit for either naps or psi. We want to thank today's sponsors tying to pet and pet perennials for making the show possible, and we really want to thank you so much for listening. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your week, and we'll be back again soon. You
