I feel compelled to write a review to balance out the unanimity of 5-star reviews here. After reading other reviewers calling Cristin a "cat whisperer," a "cat genius," and an "expert's expert," I was really hoping she would solve our cat's behavioral issues. After two sessions with Cristin and following every recommendation from her personalized behavioral plan, I'm disappointed to say that our cat's behavior has not improved, and I feel a bit misled by the other reviews. Perhaps it is partly my fault for having lofty expectations, but I want other potential clients to have a more balanced picture and to consider her services with more tempered expectations than I had. Let me start with the positives. Cristin is very friendly, and she definitely knows cats. She understands their body language and behavioral tendencies. She offered sound advice and happily answered all of our questions. There was hardly a topic she didn't have at least a general understanding of. Having said that, I was expecting more from someone being hailed as a "cat whisperer." Before our first session with Cristin, my partner filled out an extensive questionnaire detailing our cat's history and behavioral issues (our cat's a biter, and an unpredictable one at that). For our first session, I was expecting Cristin to hit the ground running with a detailed gameplan. Instead, she spent the majority of time going over the questionnaire we had already filled out and having us confirm or elaborate on our answers (which was fine, I was just expecting more structure or proactivity). Meanwhile, she gave our cat catnip and toys to play with, so of course our cat was on her best behavior. The whole session felt like it could've been a video call. After the first session, Cristin sent us a personalized behavior plan, and my partner and I spent the next two months following Cristin's recommendations with little to no improvement in our cat's behavior. When we sent Cristin emails/texts detailing what we'd tried and how it didn't work, she didn't really have any good answers as to why or provide alternative steps to take. Our second session was pretty much just a follow-up Q&A. Cristin didn't have any more answers for us beyond "some cats' temperaments can't be changed," which is definitely true but disappointing to hear. She suggested seeing a veterinary behaviorist, which we were already planning to do. Now "fine" would've been fine had it not been so expensive, but two visits and a behavioral plan cost upwards of $800. I'm still in disbelief that we paid that much, and the only reason we did is because we were expecting a "cat whisperer" who was going to solve our cat's problems. Instead, what I feel we got was some knowledgeable advice with disappointing results. read more

I have an 11 year old Tortoise shell cat named Lola. She's totally an indoor cat, pretty chill and mostly well behaved, and one day she started peeing on furniture which was really unlike her. She seemed physically well, eating as usual, etc... so I blamed it on my being out of town 3 weeks out of 4 that month. She was left with only a daily visit from a cat sitter during that time. I decided to take her to the vet's and discovered that she had a uti, probably because of cat's low interest in drinking water, and her diet was mostly dry food as well. Dehydration can cause a uti. Well we remedied that with antibiotics, but after the course ended, she would continue to go to the bathroom wherever she wanted. This was especially odd because since she was 4 1/2 months old, Lola was trained to use a human toilet for all of her business! And, for 11 years, she used it religiously! After the uti was cleared, and she continued to have accidents everywhere I decided to get a litter box to see if I could curb the issue with that. I bought the rolled paper clumping little because my concern was to keep the mess factor down. I was less that happy to have a litter box after 11 years of just flushing the toilet, but I love my Lola and just wanted her to get back on track with a normal situation. I was really at my wits end when she only used that litter box once in 2 weeks. I would put her on the toilet to prompt her to use it, but I think that was stressing her out even more. I didn't want to find a new home for her, but I simply couldn't keep going on with potty accidents on a daily basis either. I had a recommendation for a cat psychic, but when she promoted that she could work over the phone or on skype, I was a bit leary. She wasn't cheap either. So enter a friends recommendation of "The Cat Counselor"! Her website and creds certainly looked impressive, and her rate also seemed fair. She had realistic outcomes also noted, so I reached out to her for an appt. asap. She fit me in rather quickly even though it clearly states that you might have to wait a few - 3 weeks to get an in person appointment with her. She was very thorough with her pre-visit questionnaire, and pre appointment preparations. The day of the appointment went very well, I had a friend here with me to help with taking notes and bringing up anything I may have forgotten to mention, as he had heard the whole story more than once already! We discussed everything in detail, and she spent some one on one time with Lola, well, as much as Lola would allow. Lol! She got back with me by the end of the day with a whole breakdown on the issues and how she felt they might be rectified. Cristin should be called The Cat Genius" not The Cat Counselor" because almost immediately after I began implementing her recommendations with Lola, she got back on track. She is no longer using the toilet, but I think she has some arthritis in her legs, and jumping up and down was probably causing her pain. But with a new litter type and brand that Cristin recommended, she is 100% using only that for her potty needs. Second issue, scratching on, and ruining upholstered furniture. I wont go as into detail on this one, but the type of scratching material that was recommended started working right away. So hopefully she finds it more exciting that the furniture! I can not recommend Cristin - The Cat Counselor"/Genius, enough! To anyone out there having issues with their feline friends, contact Cristin Coll right away! Bravo Cristin, I am eternally grateful for your help! read more

The Cat Counselor - Pet Training Near Me

Cristin is a great professional who knows her stuff and it's obvious that she really cares about cats! Cristin's schedule is pretty busy, but that's probably because she's in high demand. read more

Cristin is wonderful! I have two cats and one has hyperesthesia and a few months after that started he was diagnosed with lymphoma. We've had such a tough year. Cristin stayed at my house for a few hours really trying to understand my cats and their behaviors. She gave me so much information and came up with a plan to help me and my cats. We've been in contacted even after the initial appointment and she's has helped me have a break through with my cat. My cats are doing amazing and so am I. Cristin saved our family! read more

The Cat Counselor - Pet Training Near Me

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Cristin is truly a cat whisperer! She writes up personalized behavioral plans that really work; and are tailer fit to your cats individual needs. Her suggestions and recommendations are worth every penny and will help address whatever issues you are in need of improving. Highly recommend! read more

I meet 100s of cats annually through my company Custom Catios which builds outdoor cat enclosures ("cat patios"). Through interaction, reading scores of cat books, and ultimately solving some behavioral problems via catios, most people would consider me a cat expert. That said, my feline knowledge pales in comparison to Cristin (The Cat Counselor) who could teach a master class on our furry friends. As such, Cristin is my first and only recommendation to clients experiencing cat issues. She is an expert's expert who has a sixth sense about cats and a true knack for figuring out and solving cat issues. Having worked with Jackson Galaxy, I can honestly say Cristin is his equal. While their methods are different, both have an uncanny way of relating to cats, understanding their issues, and communicating simple solutions to cat parents. If you are experiencing any type of behavioral issue - litter box problems, bullying, fighting/aggression, crying, hiding, lack of appetite, scratching furniture, etc. - do yourself (and your cat family) a favor and contact Cristin. read more

The Cat Counselor - Cristin solved all of Summer's kitten issues and she grew up to be one happy cat! - Pet Training Near Me

Cristin is a miracle! I just adopted two kittens from separate litters, and Cristin has been an absolute blessing; a literal godsend. I'm a somewhat skittish new kitten dad and the anxiety I've had has been (for my roommates) pretty comical. I text and reach out at crazy times ( sorry Cristin)!, but I always get a response, and whatever my concerns are, become resolved. I can't wait to recommend The Cat Counselor to any of my cat loving friends! Do yourself a favor- reach out to Cristin! read more

Cristin is a very perceptive and caring cat behaviorist - she was able to quickly suggest tactics to help with a conflict between my two adopted adult cats. I'm in the process of applying her recommendations and seeing improvement already. Cristin was recommended to me by an associate with Kitten Rescue. I highly recommend her as a resource. read more

Cristin is aMEOWzing! She works with our undersocialized cats at CatCafe Lounge and has made a huge difference in their adopt-ability. She's incredibly patient, caring, and vastly educated in all things cat behavior and cat well-being. This girl can't get enough cat behavior education - she is always looking for more resources to become well-rounded and multi-focused in helping cats and their owners. I highly recommend The Cat Counselor! read more

Patient, kind, informative, effective and realistic in goal setting - Cristin's approach to dealing with "problem" kitties is so refreshing and helpful. First, she does a great job of describing the behavior/body posture "tells" of a cat. She's also very no-nonsense about setting achievable goals in a realistic time frame. There are few "quick fixes" when it comes to behavior modification - but Cristin has a number of "creative fixes" that really do the trick in the short and long term. Cristin also helps to de-escalate the frustration levels for both people and cats - and helps to bring a more harmonious playing field to bear when working on behavior modification. My girl "Freya" is feisty - and we LOVE that about her - but wanted to see more self-control and less mouthy-ness. Cristin did great work with her - and we couldn't be happier. Highly recommended! read more

The Cat Counselor is hands down the best at dealing with feline issues. My cats were not getting along after living together over 5 years. I didn't know what to do because I love them both so much and couldn't bear to think of having to part with one of them. Cristin came to my home and gave me strategies to help them get along again. We are now a happy household again. Thank you and I will definitely recommend you!!! read more

Cristin is fantastic, compassionate, smart, a great listener and someone who really knows her stuff when it comes to feline behavior. Really, really happy we called her about our cat Freddy's incessant need to pee on the couch. read more

Cristin truly amazed me after our cat had me thoroughly frustrated. Nearly a year ago our male cat started peeing in front of his litter box. This seemed to happen more and more as time went on. I tried changing litter boxes, changing litter, and even leaving the laundry room light on, thinking maybe he was scared of the dark! Talk about the cat whisper! Cristin spent just a few short visits with Aristotle and determined that he needed more love. Needless to say I was more than just a bit skeptical that simply giving our cat more attention would stop this from happening! Turns out he was indeed acting out. It has been nearly 3 months and only one minor incident! Thank you Cristin for teaching us that cats have feelings too. If you are looking for someone to help out with anything cat related, I am petty confident that Cristin is one you need to reach out to! Thank You Cristin! Happy Cat Owner read more