UNDERSTANDING YOUR FELINE COMPANION
Lucia Fernandes, Feline Behavior and Environmental Enrichment Specialist (CoE, Oplex Certified)
Understanding Cat Behavior Through Science, Emotion, and Environment
Because behavior isn’t defiance, it’s communication shaped by stress, instinct, and environment.
Your cat isn’t being difficult, stubborn, or defiant.Behavior is communication, a response to stress, unmet needs, emotional overload, or an environment that no longer feels safe.
At Better Cat Behavior, we help families understand why cats do what they do, and how small, science-based changes can transform life at home, gently, sustainably, and without punishment, fear, or quick fixes.
Before behavior can change, it has to be understood.
Why Understanding Cat Behavior Changes Everything
Many of the most common “behavior problems” in cats aren’t problems at all.
They’re signals.
Scratching, litter box avoidance, withdrawal, aggression, excessive vocalization, these are not acts of defiance. They are signals.
Cats don’t escalate loudly.
They adapt quietly.
When behavior is treated as information, everything shifts.
When behavior is treated as something to correct, the underlying cause is missed.
When behavior is treated as information, everything shifts.
In Cat Behavior 101, we explain how feline behavior is shaped by instinct, emotion, environment and why understanding these forces is the foundation of meaningful, lasting change.
A Science-Based, Compassionate Approach
I’m Lucia Fernandes, Feline Behavior and Environmental Enrichment Specialist, working at the intersection of feline psychology, sensory environments, and emotional regulation dedicated to helping families understand their cats through science-based, compassionate guidance.
My work is grounded in feline psychology, stress physiology, nutrition, multi-cat dynamics, and environmental enrichment. I approach behavior clinically, but never mechanically — always through the lens of the cat’s emotional experience. Because behavior is not random, and it is never meaningless.
Alongside my professional practice, I have spent the past 15 years rescuing and supporting vulnerable cats, having personally helped over 100 cats transition out of unsafe or unstable situations. Many of these cats arrived fearful, shut down, or labeled as “difficult.” What they needed was not correction, but safety, predictability, and time.
I also continue to work with community and feral cats through TNR (Trap–Neuter–Return) programs, where reading subtle stress signals, respecting thresholds, and minimizing sensory overload is essential.
This hands-on experience deeply informs the way I understand feline behavior not just in homes, but across environments where survival depends on emotional regulation.
Before specializing in feline behavior, I spent five years studying music production in London.
That background continues to shape the way I observe cats and the environments they live in.
Sound, rhythm, predictability, and sensory balance play a far greater role in emotional regulation than most people realize especially for indoor cats navigating overstimulating or unpredictable homes.
This intersection between behavior science and sensory environments has led me to explore how acoustic spaces and species-appropriate sound can support emotional safety in cats.
I am currently developing sound compositions designed specifically for feline nervous systems, with the goal of reducing stress, supporting rest, and creating calmer home environments
.At the heart of my work is a simple principle:
Cats don’t misbehave, they communicate.
My mission is to bridge the gap between human intention and feline communication, so cats can feel safe, confident, and emotionally fulfilled in the homes we share.
Learn more about my background and approach.
Common Cat Behavior Challenges (and What They’re Really About)
Many of the most common “problem behaviors” share the same roots: stress, confusion, lack of control, or unmet needs.
If you’re navigating any of these, you’re not alone:
Scratching Behavior — often about territory, tension, or lack of physical outlets
Litter Box Problems — frequently linked to stress, safety, or environmental mismatch
Aggression in Cats — commonly driven by fear, frustration, or overstimulation
Separation Anxiety — emotional insecurity, not independence
Communication — subtle signals that go unnoticed until behavior escalates
Each section explores not just what the behavior looks like but why it exists.
Visit Cat Behavior 101 to understand how these behaviors develop and connect.
Environmental Enrichment: Where Behavior Truly Changes
Many behavior issues don’t require training at all they require environmental change.
Cats need more than food and safety. They need movement, choice, predictability, vertical space, sensory balance, and emotional security. When the environment shifts, behavior often follows.
This is why environmental enrichment is central to long-term behavior change not as stimulation, but as emotional regulation.
Learn how environment reshapes behavior naturally in
When scratching persists despite available solutions, the environment may not be meeting the cat’s emotional or physical needs.
Common Reasons Indoor Cats Struggle
Indoor life keeps cats safe but safety alone doesn’t guarantee wellbeing.
Cats evolved to move, climb, observe from above, hunt, retreat, and control distance. When these needs are unmet, behavior shifts in ways that can feel confusing or even distressing for families.
On this site, we explore challenges such as anxiety and emotional withdrawal, litter box issues with no medical cause, destructive scratching, aggression rooted in fear or frustration, and stress linked to routine or environmental change.
Each topic is approached through science, lived experience, and emotional context not one-size-fits-all advice.
Real Behavior Stories, Real Transformation
Behavior doesn’t change because it’s corrected.
It changes because it’s understood.
In Behavior Stories, we share real-life case studies of cats whose behavior shifted once their emotional and environmental needs were finally met.
Stories like Boris, who stopped urinating outside the litter box when loneliness was addressed.
Luna, whose destructive scratching disappeared when her world expanded vertically.
And Milo, whose “shyness” turned out to be chronic anxiety shaped by scent and routine.
These are not stories of control.
They are stories of clarity.
Explore real-life behavior transformations in Behavior Stories.
When It’s Time to Seek Support
If your cat’s behavior feels confusing, quiet, or emotionally distant, you’re not imagining it.
Subtle stress often hides in plain sight. With the right understanding and guidance, it can be addressed gently before it escalates.
You don’t need harsher rules.
You need clearer signals.
Get in touch to talk about what your cat may be experiencing.