Introducing CATS! Conference Presenters
Laura Cassiday
Laura Cassiday is a certified cat behavior consultant (CCBC) through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and a Fear Free certified animal trainer. Prior to working as a cat behavior consultant, she worked as a professional copywriter and editor, holding a Master’s degree in Professional Writing from Towson University. In 2017, she decided to leave that career behind and pursue her childhood dream of working with animals.
After several years of volunteering and fostering with cat rescues, it was time to make cats a career. Laura began working at Maryland SPCA, shifting her time between the intake department and the kennel. She quickly realized that cats in shelters were treated as second-class citizens to dogs, receiving less enrichment and attention. There was also a more limited understanding of cat behavior and body language among shelter staff.
Before long, Laura became the shelter’s cat behavior coordinator. During her time at the shelter, she launched a cat enrichment program, a protocol for working with fearful and shy cats, and a working cat program to improve the lives of shelter cats and create more positive outcomes. She served as Team Leader for Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Pawsitive Pro program in 2020 and earned her CCBC designation in 2021.
Although she had gained plenty of experience counseling pet parents and deferring cats from being surrendered to the shelter, Laura wanted to do more. She launched Pawsitive Vibes Cat Behavior and Training in 2021, eventually leaving the shelter behind to pursue working with cats with behavior problems in private homes full time. The ultimate goal of the business was to keep cats in their homes with their families and avoid cats entering shelters in the first place.
To date, Laura has worked with hundreds of cats, successfully resolving behavior concerns such as aggression, destructive behavior, and litter box issues, and helping their caregivers to understand their feline friends better than they did before. Laura recently published her first book, The Complete Guide to Cat Adoption, and delivered an expert testimony with the House and the Senate for the Maryland Anti-Declaw Bill, which becomes law in fall 2022. She serves on the Feline Committee of the Pet Professional Guild and is a professional member of the Cat Writers’ Association.
Today, Laura works with cat guardians remotely from all over the world, as well as in-person in her local area of Baltimore, Maryland. For more information, visit Pawsitive Vibes Cat Behavior and Training.
Katenna Jones
Through Jones Animal Behavior, Katenna Jones provides in-person and virtual behavior consultations as well as educational seminars to pet owners, rescues, and other pet professionals. She speaks at international events, contributes to a wide variety of publications, and is author of Fetching the Perfect Dog Trainer: Getting the Best for You and Your Dog. Katenna began her career as a shelter volunteer in 1999 and went on to earn her Master’s Degree from Brown University where she studied animal behavior, learning and cognition. Eventually, she became a cruelty investigator, worked for American Humane Association and also for the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. Katenna is an Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Certified Cat and Dog Behavior Consultant, and a Certified Fear Free Trainer. She shares her RI home with one dog, two cats, seven chickens, three ducks, and several thousand bees.
Tabitha Kucera
Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, VTS (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She is the owner of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training in Cleveland, Ohio. Her teaching credentials include lecturing on the regional and national levels and lecturing at multiple veterinary technology programs. She enjoys helping people better understand and relate to their animal companions which leads to a stronger bond and a more gratifying relationship between animal and human. She is a Fear Free certified speaker and coach, a Fear Free Practice Certification Consultant, and serves on the board of Pet Professional Guild’s cat committee. Tabitha has helped to develop training and behavior programs for various veterinary hospitals and shelters and works as a consultant for many shelters and private veterinary practices.
Tabitha is the host of the podcast, Tails from a Vet Tech which is a podcast dedicated to highlighting, educating, and advocating for veterinary, shelter, and behavior animal pros. We also highlight mental health, self-help and empower everyone around us.
Joey Lusvardi
Joey Lusvardi is an IAABC certified cat behavior consultant with an extensive background in psychology and behavioral sciences. He holds a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota and master of science in physician assistant studies from Concordia University Wisconsin.
Joey became interested in cat behavior following his cat developing issues with aggression and he began clicker training him at the suggestion of his veterinarian. Following a discussion with a veterinarian friend who introduced him to the concept of behavior consulting, Joey decided to shift career paths toward helping animals, in particular cats. He took the IAABC’s Principles and Practice course and signed up for individual courses from the Pet Professional Guild, Humane Society, IAABC, and Karen Pryor Academy. He started his cat behavior consultation and training business, Class Act Cats, and has been working to help cats and humans understand each other better.
In addition to being a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, Joey has a certificate in feline inappropriate elimination through Hippocampus Online, is Low Stress Handling Certified – Silver Level, is a Fear Free Certified Professional, and a Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional. He has a particular interest in enrichment, improving the human-feline bond, and is on a one man campaign to end the use of squirt bottles with cats. He lives with his best friend and feline overlord, Zoloft, in Minneapolis, MN.