27 October
COAPE Graduation Ceremony
Formally graduating with the Certificate and Diploma cohort. A lovely full-circle moment, and a chance to say thank you to the people who've supported this along the way.
About The PAWS Approach
Understanding should feel like a conversation.
The person behind The PAWS Approach is Leigh: a lifelong animal observer, educator and cat behaviour consultant who believes cats make more sense when we take the time to see the whole picture.
Meet Leigh
A lifetime of learning to read animals.
Growing up around dogs and horses on regional NSW hobby farms, Leigh developed an instinct for noticing what animals were saying long before behaviour became her profession. Cats became the particular fascination — and eventually, the calling.
She holds the COAPE International Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour and Training (DipCABT-C), graduating with a 94% average, and is a COAPE Certified Animal Behaviourist (C.C.A.B.). She has volunteered with shelters and rescues, working with cats of many temperaments and histories. That hands-on experience matters when a cat is not yet sure they trust you.
Her background in education shapes the way she shares information: clear, useful and made for the person receiving it. The best plan in the world only helps when it can actually land in daily life.
Keeping knowledge moving
Education & professional development
I hold the COAPE International Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour and Training (DipCABT-C), graduating with a 94% average, and I'm a COAPE Certified Animal Behaviourist (C.C.A.B.). COAPE's approach is welfare-led and science-based, which is exactly how I work: every plan is built around the cat in front of me, using positive, fear-free methods.
Upcoming on my calendar
3 October
Online Cat Behaviour Conference
An international lineup of feline behaviourists and vets. The talks most looked forward to cover chronic pain and how it can masquerade as "bad" behaviour, why cats stop using the litter tray, stress and cystitis, and making medicating your cat less stressful.
12–13 September
PPGA 2026 Conference
Pet Professional Guild Australia's annual gathering of trainers and behaviour consultants. Particularly keen on the talks about agency, giving animals real choice to ease anxiety and fear, and predation substitute training, which gives that hardwired hunting drive a healthy outlet (your sofa will thank me).
2026
Cat Behaviour at Bark Fest 2026
A panel with Sarah Brown, Caroline Clark, and veterinary behaviourists Dr Meghan Herron and Dr Carlo Siracusa. Couldn't catch it live, working through the recording now — a panel mixing behaviour consultants and board-certified vet behaviourists is exactly the kind of cross-disciplinary thinking that matters, because so much of what looks like "behaviour" turns out to have a medical thread running through it.
Webinar
Creating Harmony in Multi-Cat Households
A webinar from Meowtel with Tabitha Kucera, RVT and Veterinary Technician Specialist in Behavior, covering how cats form relationships and share a home, the subtle signs of tension that are easy to miss, setting up space to support peaceful coexistence, introductions (including fresh starts for cats who've fallen out), and when to call in professional help. Multi-cat homes are some of the most common situations asked about, and the quiet signs like blocking, staring and guarding resources are so often missed until things escalate.
I’ll keep this page updated as new events land on my calendar.
A Feline Training Provisional Member of the Pet Professional Guild Australia. I'll always tell you what I don't know, and bring in a vet or specialist when a case needs one.
How I work
Empathy.
Respect.
Excellence.
Empathy
Your frustration and your love for your cat can both be true. There is room for both here.
Respect
Every cat and household is different. Fear-free support means choice, patience and no punishment.
Excellence
Knowledge should stay current. Advice is based on research and honest about where a vet should lead.
A small household case study
Kai and Apollo taught me that progress is rarely a straight line.
One shy, one spirited. With enrichment, choice and ongoing attention to the home dynamic, they became genuine companions. That is the kind of quiet, meaningful progress Leigh loves to track.
If you want to see more of Apollo and Kai, their personal Instagram can be found here: PawsandReflection