Ro and their emotional support cat, Ralphie
Before I decided to become a cat behavior consultant I struggled to find my purpose. Back in 2001, I went to college for a master’s in computer science but quickly found that traditional teaching methods and computer programming just couldn’t hold my interest. I spent the next 10 years or so hopping from job to job. I tried restaurants, retail, management, used car sales (yuck), and finally, IT.
In my last job as an IT consultant, I managed the backup and recovery of data for a portfolio of high-profile law firms and banks. My career was primarily comprised of difficult, stressful, and thankless work, and I knew it wasn’t right for me. For years I had dreamed of owning my own business, something meaningful to me and to others, something that would make a positive impact on the world.
So why did I decide to work with cats? First, let’s talk about how my passion began!
I grew up on a small, family farm in Illinois alongside 20-30 cats, a few were indoor but most were outdoor and many were feral. Being autistic and highly empathetic along with a touch of synesthesia has given me the ability to actually feel the emotions of humans and animals alike (whether I want to or not). Though I am a natural at understanding all animals I meet, I especially shine with cats. Because of all the time spent with them as a child, I learned to read cat body language and vocal patterns at a very young age before I was even aware I was doing so. My sister and I put on little circus shows now and then for our family. We dressed like clowns and did silly tricks like lying on our backs and rolling a “barrel” with our feet or popping our thumbs out of the socket, (we are a hyper-mobile EDS family) but my favorite performance was when we taught a couple of our cats to jump through a hula hoop for lunch meat. I’m still training my cats to do silly tricks, but now I use healthier rewards! 😹
Back to the present and my dreams for the future
I’d been around cats for my entire life and felt like I understood them in a way no one else did, but hadn’t quite figured out what to do with that. I would volunteer at shelters now and then, I fostered a few cats, but I dreamed of doing something on a larger scale. In January of 2019, my determination to follow my dream was too strong to ignore, I decided to launch my consulting business, Feline Fab, and made it my full-time focus
How I run my business is important to me as well. I have 20+ years of experience in customer service and business management, and I thoroughly vet any contractors, vendors, or brands I partner with. My time working with IT clients remotely has given me a strong set of skills that enable me to provide the same or even better quality of service to folks anywhere around the world. I utilize the latest tech and conduct intensive research regarding every bit of advice I give and every product I recommend and I strive to always deliver the results I promise by the deadlines we set. My goal is to not only to fix your cat's behavioral problems but to help you see why those issues occurred and find the best ways to prevent them from happening again!
I work with several rescues and shelters in Chicago as a behavior consultant and have had great results in helping cats find their furever homes. I write blog articles on common behavioral issues and other cat-related topics, I’m working on a companion YouTube channel, and I have a children’s book in the works that I’m very excited to share!
If you’d like to get to know me better, you can schedule a consultation with me or come see me talk about cats at one of my events. I look forward to meeting you!
Oh and one more thing! I’m non-binary, specifically agender, so please try your best to refer to me using they/them pronouns.
Hugs and head bonks to ya!