Testimonials

“We contacted Kate because my 12-year-old calico was not able to get along with a new young female cat to our household, even after a year of trying everything I'd learned in a lifetime of cat ownership. Kate was able to help us from the first consultation, helping me to understand what was happening was fear (not rebellion), adding a litter box which immediately solved the problem of the older cat using inappropriate locations, and helping both cats to get to a calmer state. We learned new skills that made both cats happier and healthier. In our case, we decided to re-home the younger cat with a family member, and the training Kate helped us with made that a very smooth process! Kate listens carefully, sends detailed summaries and gives actionable recommendations, modifying them if needed for your lifestyle or budget. I would absolutely call Kate again for any behavioral needs and recommend her without hesitation.“

“Kate Luse is nothing short of a cat whisperer. She took in a once feral and aggressive cat that feared and distrusted people, and through patience, skill, and a deep understanding of animal behavior and training, transformed my adopted cat into a well-mannered, playful, and loving companion. The change is truly amazing, as is Kate’s dedication to helping animals--and their humans. If you need help addressing your cat’s behavior problems, I can’t recommend Kate more highly.“

“We loved Athena at first sight, but she hadn’t been fully socialized as a kitten.  Adopting her meant lots of know-how that we did not have. Fortunately, Kate had the gentle touch and patience to explain Athena's needs, her personality, and how to interpret her behavior. Most of all, she taught us the rewards of letting Athena lead the way.  Every day she led us step by step to the point where trust is being built between Athena and us and Athena is starting to feel loved in our home. Athena went from fearful to playful and bonded to us with the skillful advice of Kate.“

“Kate is amazing! She has worked miracles with several undersocialized rescue cats. One cat in particular was with our organization, Frederick Friends of Our County Animal Shelter. This cat had lived, starting at 6 weeks of age, with one man who rarely had visitors. She was confident and loving with him but fearful with anyone else and, if pushed, was ready to defend herself. When her owner suffered a major stroke, his family knew he would not be able to care for his beloved cat any more but they couldn't bring themselves to surrender her to the shelter. We took her in and placed her with an experienced (and brave) foster. Reports from this foster described this cat as "sassy" at best and, at worst, just plain "mean." The foster would attempt to pet her and would be rewarded with a swift swat to the arm. This was very discouraging. We knew that barn cat placement might not be safe for a cat who'd been indoor-only since early kittenhood. But who would ever adopt this cat? We were so relieved when Kate agreed to foster her and of course she knew exactly what this cat needed! She gave this kitty a quiet room with places to hide and a predictable routine. Within two weeks, she started sending photos and videos showing this cat very relaxed-looking, rolling around, soliciting affection, and even allowing herself to be petted. You could even see the change in her facial expression. Whereas previously, this kitty had stared into the camera like she was facing a challenger in a boxing match, now she had squinty "soft" eyes that said, "well hello there, why are you not petting me?"“

“I am so glad I was able to get expert help from Kate. I am the proud guardian of two under-socialized cats, Patsy Cline and Hank "Bubba" Williams, and two adorable kittens, Opie and Maggie. The two pairs of cats have been kept apart for over a year, with my house divided by baby gates. That's where Kate came in. Through video chats, tons of emails, and shared videos, she has given me hope and excellent advice. Her responses and follow-up questions come quickly and are filled with pertinent observations, insightful questions, clever solutions, and lots of encouragement. I'm always impressed with what she observes in the videos I send. In addition to my main issue, she has coached me on how to help Bubba, my older undersocialized male cat. After a year and a half in my house, I still can't touch him. Kate has given me sound advice, and we're getting there. I know it will take time, but Kate has helped convince me we're on the right track. If that wasn't enough, I now have a super friendly neighborhood stray visiting me twice a day. We're working together to get him into a better, safer situation. Kate truly cares about cats. She is available and responsive. I have truly enjoyed working with her. Once my current issues are behind me, I have every intention of consulting Kate anytime I make any major changes, like moving or introducing new animals. I think I could have saved myself a lot of stress if I'd found Kate sooner.“

“We adopted Jimmy from PetConnect Rescue. Though sweet, energetic and playful, the PetConnect folks warned me he also had some behavior problems--growling, hissing, swiping, hiding and being hostile with strangers. PetConnect offered to pay cat behavior consultant Kate Luse so we could get some help. Kate made valuable suggestions about preparing a space for Jimmy and easing him into life at his new home. From the start, he was good with me and with our kitten, Lynxy, but he growled, hissed, and clawed at the men and dog in the house. Kate came over, respectfully looked around the house, met Jimmy, asked questions, and made suggestions. Kate speaks Cat and loves them. Jimmy made amazing progress! Kate's suggestions were easily doable, and we're all animal lovers in my home so we were happy to follow them. I have not regretted taking on an animal with some baggage, and watching him bloom has been wonderful. Kate has provided follow up and has given us simple tips that made huge differences in relations between Jimmy and the men and dog. Now he rubs against my boyfriend Mike's legs and loves playing with him. He's taken longer to allow Mike to pet him but he's coming along, building trust every day. I'm so grateful for Kate Luse's insights and gentleness with both Jimmy and us humans.“

“Our cats, Juno and Sylvie, used to jump up on the kitchen counter and get into any food that was sitting out. It drove us nuts! Kate helped us understand that they were doing this because they were bored and because the people food they got every time they jumped on the counter kept them coming back. She showed us how to train our cats to do other things, like go to a food puzzle, instead of counter surfing. She also helped us figure out that we just couldn’t leave food out if we ever wanted to teach them that the food puzzles are where the pay-off is. She was patient and thorough in teaching us how to use only positive reinforcement methods to address our cats’ problem behavior.“

“I adopted my cat Seba, short for Sebastian, about a year ago. After me, my cat’s next favorite person is Kate. She knows that my cat had been abandoned in an apartment when his previous owners moved, and she knows that he needs lots of love and gentle handling. In fact, she’s so good with him that he even lets her clean his ears and clip his nails.“