Once I've taken my cat to the vet, so I know he's healthy, how would you recommend going about finding a cat behaviorist? (I'm guessing you've already answered this question, but I couldn't find it with the search function, so feel free to just link me to that post.) Thanks!
I really wish I had a better answer for you than “google”, because it depends ENTIRELY on where you live. While I do online consultations, language is my biggest barrier and I’m not a viable option for everyone.
For some people, their only option is a behavioral veterinarian. They cover both the physical and mental health of the animal, and are able to work with you. However, it’s less likely that these institutions may be able to send someone to your home. But I’m basing my knowledge solely on what I’ve seen in my area, so I have to admit it’s tough for me to say.
If you live, say, in New York City in the US, you can throw a rock and hit a behaviorist. Not a bad thing, mind you. It gives people a lot of options when it comes to behavioral issues. And honestly that can be said about a lot of big cities in the US.
A lot of your more popular behaviorists no longer accept clients, but Mieshelle Nagelshnieder’s program does, but her prices are understandably high, and she seems to only give phone or skype consultations running at about the $450 range (which is more than 4 times my rate, but she’s a published behaviorist who has more years in the field than me, and should understandably charge more for her consultations).
But for a lot of people, they really don’t have options. I once asked my shelter “How many dog trainer contacts do you have?” And the woman looked and said “About....a dozen?” And then I asked “How many cat trainer contacts?” (I legitimately wanted to know if anyone else was working in the area to try and work with them or at least work together so we weren’t fighting over territory or customers). She told me “Just yours. You’re the only one we’ve ever had.”It’s a fledgling field aside from your big names, and finding people can be really tough.
