If there’s any domestic animal in need of some good PR, it’s the cat. In the pet world, they are a much-maligned anomaly. While other animals are permitted depth of character, cats are often reduced to stereotypes. They’re aloof. They’re demanding. They think they’re better than you. Some of that might be true. But internationally renowned cat expert Dr Sarah Brown has made a career out of proving why it isn’t always the case.
Dr Brown began her studies more than 30 years ago, and has spent years analysing the minutiae of feline behaviour, highlighting all the quirks and complexities that motivate cats. Having done her PhD on feral cats, she also works as a cat behaviour counsellor, visiting owners in their homes to try and help solve their pets’ problems. Typical issues range from spraying around the house to attacking owners’ ankles. On one occasion, Dr Brown dealt with a cat who’d been chewing the television cables. “That was a pretty dangerous one,” she recalls.
