Luxury Cat Lodge, run by Jules de Santos in Australia, is a boutique cat hotel that offers beautiful rooms and professional care for feline friends while they are away from home.
Besides establishing a cat hotel, Jules qualified as a veterinary nurse and holds an advanced diploma in advanced feline behavior and cat psychology. We asked Jules to share her perspective on the unique psychological characteristics of cats and how understanding them can benefit potential cat adopters and current cat owners.
“Understanding cats and assisting owners and potential cat adopters to understand cats is 100% of what I do as a cat psychologist. I do not ‘train’ cats like a dog trainer would train a dog. Instead, I assist people in understanding their innate behaviors, both natural and nurtured traits. Once one understands ‘why’ cats do what they do, then a co-habit and behavior modification plan can be implemented. Sometimes, the modification plan is for the owner, not the cat! Once they change their behaviors, the cat changes theirs! It is critical to understand cat psychology.
My perspective on cats' characteristics is that they are grossly misunderstood. I marvel at their multifaceted, unique characteristics, and I continued to be saddened at how owners can not comprehend that they are not human babies, nor are they a dog,” wrote Jules.
Given Jules’s background as a cat psychologist, we wanted to know what are some common behavioral challenges that cat owners might face, and how adopting a cat addresses or mitigates these issues. Jules shared: “The most common behavioral problems are inappropriate elimination, e.g., urinating outside the litter tray, and aggression, both inter-cat aggression and towards owners. It is interesting that you ask this question as I also have founded a cat charity that rescued aged and high-care cats. I have found that most cats surrendered for inappropriate urination will not perform these behaviors in their new homes, proving my theory that this undesired behavior trait is nearly always (when it is not a medical cause) due to environmental factors.
Conversely, aggression is complicated and can take several hours or weeks to work through the underlying cause. Most often, the owner has failed to ‘understand’ the cat.”
With Jules's experience in rehabilitating cat behavior problems, we asked her to provide examples of successful cat-owner relationships that were improved through her intervention.
“I have some beautiful stories that make my job so worthwhile. One story I have lovely memories of is a bonded pair of Bengal siblings who acutely turned on each other. Bizarre is an understatement, and I never understood what caused the acute turmoil between the pair. They went from curled up together and grooming each other to quite literally wanting to kill each other. Thankfully, the owner was dedicated and determined to bring them back together. I tried for months before suggesting they come into my cat hotel for an extended boarding and slow re-introduction. It worked, and I have beautiful photos of them still today curled up together like the good old days!”
We also asked Jules to share why she thinks it's important for potential cat owners to be educated about feline behavior before adopting a cat, and how can this knowledge leads to more fulfilling relationships between cats and their owners. Jules wrote: “It is imperative that cat owners educate themselves for so many reasons, mainly that they understand that cats are not always the ‘easier’ pets. They require daily litter tray changes, for example. Moreover, they are not a dog and show affection differently from dogs; thus, understanding the differences between the species is just as important. Understanding cats and their behaviors will bring acceptance and awe for this beautiful creature and significantly enhance the bond between owner and pet.
Lastly, not only understanding the behaviors but also the differences in the breeds is equally essential. I see a common behavior problem with Bengals, essentially wild cats in a domestic home. Researching the different traits will help marry up perfect matches between owner and cat(s).”
As the former director of boarding and pet care services for the Pet Industry Association Australia, Jules also shared how she envisions the future of cat welfare and responsible cat ownership, and what role she sees herself playing in shaping that future.
“I am no longer the director of boarding and pet care services for the Pet Industry Association Australia. However, I am thrilled with the upward trend in cat welfare and responsible cat ownership. When I started my career as a veterinary nurse 25 years ago, cats were kept in the backyard and fed twice a day. Today, cats are valued family members who are owned and loved like family members. Their ‘welfare’ is being understood, and in turn, it has been considered in all aspects of the cohabiting lives between people and cats.”
And lastly, Jules added: “I am also seeing an upward trend in adoptions over the years, with fewer and fewer breeds of cats in my hotels and more rescued cats. The word is getting out there that the former disturbingly high euthanization rates were unacceptably high, and people are realizing that change needed to occur. I believe this is thanks to the Animal Justice Party and Animals Australia, who have driven incredible changes to adoption and euthanasia rates in both dogs and cats.”
Jane Ehrlich, who has 40 years of experience and professional training with an academic, clinical, and shelter background, shared from her point of view on why someone should consider adopting a cat.
“Appreciate her general personality. General. Each cat truly has its own. And no, despite the very limited research on personality and breed, in 40 years as a cat behaviorist, I’ve found plenty of exceptions; not all calicos are sassy, and not all gingers are assertive. And ignore the myths, such as ‘Cats are easier to care for.’ Nope. They may be less obvious about showing their needs (remember, they’re nature’s survivors: display less, observe more), but they need good healthcare and nutrition, a stimulating environment, attention to their often subtle body language meaning, loving and 100% positive guidance, play… just for a few if you’re not naturally, instinctively drawn to cats, don’t get one! They’re not toys, fashion statements, dolls, or ‘to have something pretty and alive around the place’. (Yes, I’ve heard those reasons!)”
