Mikel Delgado is a certified cat behavior consultant at Feline Minds, offering on-site consultations for cat guardians, shelters, and pet-related businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is currently completing her PhD in Psychology at UC Berkeley, where she studies animal behavior and human-pet relationships. Mikel also blogs about animal behavior at catsandsquirrels.com. Mikel lives in Berkeley with her boyfriend, Scott, and their two rescue cats.
Why did you become a cat behaviorist?
I’ve been obsessed with cats for as long as I can remember! In 2000, shortly after one of my cats passed away, I started volunteering at the local animal shelter (the San Francisco/SPCA). I was particularly attracted to working with shy cats and cats who were having difficulty coping with the stress of being in a shelter. I couldn’t believe it when I found out that the SF/SPCA had a whole department dedicated to cat behavior!
I immediately signed up, borrowed all the behavior books in their library, and started volunteering there every free moment I had. I loved the experience of helping shelter cats become ready for adoption. I was also fascinated by the effects that pets have on humans – both good and bad – what broke that bond and led cats to end up in the shelter, and conversely, what attracted people to the cats they adopted.
I distinctly remember sitting at the dinner table one night after volunteering and telling my partner Scott, “I want to be a cat behaviorist.” He replied “You should go for it.”
About a year later, the SPCA had an opening for a cat behavior Specialist. I’d been volunteering so many hours that they offered me the job! I quit my other job (in Human resources at a health food co-op) to follow my passion to work with cats, and haven’t looked back since.
What kind of training did you go through to become a cat behaviorist?
When I started at the SF/SPCA, I was mentored closely by the other cat behavior staff. There was a lot of reading involved, and I attended seminars and conferences on animal behavior when I could. Our job description was pretty broad: the largest component was assessing shelter cats to identify whether they were ready for adoption or needed more experienced volunteers to work with them first (such as cats who were fearful or prone to biting). We had a free behavior helpline that received over 100 calls a month for help. We trained staff and volunteers on cat behavior basics, we counseled people adopting shelter cats with behavior issues, and we offered public classes and produced educational materials related to cat behavior. It was a good mix of hands-on work with challenging cats and challenging humans!
In 2008, my co-worker, Dilara Parry, and I left the SPCA and founded Feline Minds together so we could offer in-home consultations. two years later I started my PhD (and I’m finally almost finished!), so I’ve been balancing running a business with my academic work.
What are the most common problems cat guardians call you for help with?
Litter box avoidance and difficulties between cats are definitely tied for first place. keeping humans up at night and attention seeking behaviors, such as meowing or knocking things off shelves would be next. then we get a fair amount of calls for help with aggression toward humans, transitioning cats to indoors only, difficulties medicating, fearful behavior, and integrating cats with dogs.
You offer both in home consultations in the San Francisco/Berkeley area, and remote consultations. how do you approach an in home consultation?
The most important thing to me is building rapport with the client. I want them to be comfortable and honest with me as we discuss the situation. fixing the behavior problem is a team effort that involves me, the client, and the cat. clients fill out an intake questionnaire before the visit, so I come prepared with questions. We always start with just sitting and talking, I get more information about the situation, and start formulating a plan in my head.
I always let the cats come to me, so I interact with some cats more than others. I might observe where they are hiding and their body language, but it’s counter-productive to pull them out of hiding if they are fearful of strangers. It’s most important for me to see the environment, and what types of enrichment and resources the human has provided for their cat. The rest of the visit is spent going over specific recommendations, and I may demonstrate techniques (such as clicker training, how to get their cat to play, and managing introductions between cats). Every client gets a written summary and handouts, and I follow up with all of my clients to see how things are going (and to get their feedback).
How do you approach a remote consultation?
A remote consultation presents a few different challenges: there’s no face to face contact, and you’re either talking to only one person in the home, or you’renullnull