Cat girl Allison Hunter-Frederick switched careers for cats

Whispering candy secrets and techniques to her feline fur infants, she talks lovingly of their mild purr, their hypnotic kneading, the magic of a cat’s cuddle.

“Forget all the stereotypes,” she says. “Cats are smart and curious and complex and affectionate … Both independent and dependent, they’ll come and sit on your lap, then take a nap by themselves. They are OK if you’re not with them 24/7, but happy to sleep with you at night.”

And sure, she admits, they’re actually not purr-fect.

But it is a girl who is aware of how one can navigate the world of cat quirks and cat-astrophes – puzzling out why your candy little kitten pees exterior the litterbox, incessantly surfs your kitchen counter or has an unexplained worry of rustling leaves.

Stumped in your cat’s dangerous habits? Hunter-Frederick to the rescue.

Likely Lincoln’s solely licensed cat habits marketing consultant and coach, Hunter-Frederick desires your cats to dwell their highest lives.

She guides new pet house owners who’re bewildered by the riddle of their cat, gives post-adoption help, proffers individual consults for cats with habits points, holds kitten kindergarten lessons, shares her personal remedy cat with older residents in addition to with school seniors between last exams.

And she actually mirrors what she preaches, educating each obedience and agility to her personal 4 furry wards and tutoring them within the high quality artwork of excessive fives (palm to paw).

This appears, maybe, a stunning path for a lady who grew up in Newfoundland surrounded by dogs – and who landed in Nebraska drawn by love and net design work, however the truth is restricted her first pet ventures to 3 guinea pigs.

One magical, fortuitous day, nonetheless, a stray cat meandered via her neighborhood. After looking out her soul and looking for a doable proprietor, she allowed the cat to take refuge in her yard shed. Then her again porch. Then the confines of 1 room in her home.

Then she gave the cat a reputation.

The remainder of the story, in fact, was inevitable.

Lucy the cat was there to remain.

“She was already declawed, so I named her Lucy Claw-Less after Lucy Lawless, the actress who plays one of my favorite heroines, Xena, Warrior Princess.”

But this little four-legged warrior princess destroyed each false impression Hunter-Frederick had about cats. “She shadowed me around, sat on my stomach, purring. She was an affectionate companion for eight wonderful years.”

In the autumn of 2013, Lucy was recognized with a coronary heart murmur and continual kidney failure and died Dec. 20 after a full day of binge watching Xena films along with her mistress.

“She was absolutely my best friend – other than my husband – and she changed my life. Everything I do today, I do because of her. I believe God brought that cat to me … inspired me.”

Hunter-Frederick knew her home would by no means keep empty once more.

A month later, Hearts United for Animals introduced her Cinder. Bootsie got here subsequent when native floods swamped the feral cat’s home on the old state fairgrounds. “Feral cats won’t always acclimate to a house, but she has … She lets me pet her, feed her.”

Rainy was the subsequent gal to affix the crew, adopted by Hallow, who’s a long-term foster and can seemingly keep.

Ever so progressively, as cats joined her family, one thing extraordinary occurred. Hunter-Frederick’s life and profession paths started to alter.

She began writing articles for Lincoln Animal Ambassadors, took a self-directed course from the Capital Humane Society of the United States, launched a 4-H Wonder Cats Club and satisfied the Lincoln City Library Read-to-a-Dog program so as to add Read-to-a-Cat.

“For a long time, I thought advocacy through writing would be enough, but life has a funny way of leading us down unexpected roads,” she says. “The more I interacted with cat owners, the more I discovered how much I loved problem-solving their cats’ behavior issues.”

In 2018, Rainy and Hunter-Frederick grew to become the primary licensed cat remedy group within the space. And someplace alongside the way in which, she left behind her profession in interactive media design and have become an authorized cat habits marketing consultant and coach via the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

“Cats are such fascinating creatures … I will live my entire life and, until the day I die, will not figure out everything about cats.”

Currently she volunteers and works with the Cat House and the Capital Humane Society, serving to them develop post-adoption and enrichment packages. In addition, she hosts workshops, kitten kindergarten lessons and personal consults.

What’s an important tip she would give pet dad and mom? “Socialization, a healthy environment and enrichment are keys to providing your cat with a healthy life.”

And the commonest cat questions?

• How do you get a cat to start out utilizing the litterbox once more? (“Make sure it’s not a medical problem, then look at your litterbox arrangement.”)

• How do you tenderly add a second cat to your home? (“Introduce the two cats slowly and gradually, as the most common error is trying to go too fast.”)

Hunter-Frederick finds the subject of “non-recognition aggression” one of the difficult cat points – apparently distinctive to felines – when two cats have been companions, however out of the blue get aggressive with each other after a visit to the vet or groomer. “Researchers are pretty sure it relates to scent, but there’s still not a lot of good, solid information on how to fix it.”

Someday, maybe, she hopes to determine it out.

Meantime, she desires to do way more: Help the Humane Society additional develop a cat volunteer enrichment program. Create a one-hour on-line class for brand spanking new cat adopters. Establish a full post-adoption help system.

“I dream of the day we stop comparing dogs and cats, and understand that these critters are as individual as people – and are all capable of bringing us joy.”