UNDERSTANDING YOUR FELINE COMPANION
Lucia Fernandes, Feline Behavior and Environmental Enrichment Specialist (CoE, Oplex Certified)
About Better Cat Behavior
Understanding cats means understanding context not correcting behavior.
Better Cat Behavior exists to change the way we interpret feline behavior.
Most cats are not “difficult,” “aloof,” or “misbehaving.”
They are responding often quietly to emotional, environmental, and sensory contexts that don’t feel safe, predictable, or readable to them.
This site was created to help guardians move beyond surface-level fixes and begin understanding what their cats are actually communicating.
Because when behavior is understood as information, everything changes.
A Different Way of Looking at Cat Behavior
Cat behavior is often framed around control:
• How do I stop this?
• How do I fix this behavior?
• How do I train my cat out of it?
At Better Cat Behavior, we start from a different place.
Behavior is not defiance.It is adaptation.
Scratching, avoidance, aggression, withdrawal, inappropriate elimination, hypervigilance, these are not random acts. They are coping strategies shaped by emotion, environment, routine, and perceived safety.
My approach focuses on:
• Emotional regulation, not suppression
• Environmental clarity, not constant stimulation
• Predictability and choice, not force
This philosophy runs through every educational page, case study, and resource on this site from foundational guides like Cat Behavior 101 to real-life behavior transformations documented in Behavior Stories.
What Better Cat Behavior Focuses On
Better Cat Behavior provides science-based, compassionate guidance for some of the most misunderstood feline challenges, including:
• Chronic anxiety and stress patterns
• Litter box avoidance and elimination issues
• Aggression rooted in fear, frustration, or overstimulation
• Sensory overload in indoor environments
• Behavioral changes misread as “shyness” or “independence”
Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, each topic is explored within a broader framework that considers:
• Emotional thresholds
• Routine and predictability
• Human–cat communication
You can explore these themes in depth throughout the Cat Behavior 101 section, where foundational concepts are broken down clearly and clinically.
Why This Site Exists
Many cats live for years in a state of quiet distress.
They eat.
They sleep.
They don’t “cause problems.”
And yet they are constantly managing environments that feel overwhelming, inconsistent, or emotionally unsafe.
These cats are often labeled as:
• Easy
• Low-maintenance
• Independent
In reality, many are simply contained rather than relaxed.
Better Cat Behavior exists to give language to these silent experiences and to help guardians recognize early signs of stress before they escalate into visible behavior problems.
Education is prevention.
Understanding is intervention.
A Holistic, Evidence-Based Approach
The guidance on this site integrates:
• Feline behavioral science
• Stress and anxiety research
• Environmental enrichment principles
• Sensory and routine-based regulation
There are no quick fixes here and no one-size-fits-all solutions.
Every cat responds to context differently. What matters is learning how to read those responses and adjust the environment, expectations, and interactions accordingly.
This is why many of the most effective changes described in Behavior Stories are subtle:
• A shift in routine
• A change in sensory exposure
• A new form of predictability
Small changes, when well-informed, can dramatically alter how safe a cat feels in their world.
About the Specialist Behind Better Cat Behavior
Better Cat Behavior is guided by Lucia Fernandes, a Feline Behavior and Environmental Enrichment Specialist dedicated to helping families understand their cats through science-based and compassionate guidance.
Lucia’s work combines clinical observation, structured behavior analysis, and a deep respect for the emotional lives of cats. Her approach is holistic, precise, and always centered on the cat’s lived experience.
In addition to her professional certifications in feline behavior, nutrition, stress management, and environmental enrichment, Lucia brings a unique background in sound and acoustic environments exploring how sensory input, including sound, can influence emotional regulation in indoor cats.
You can learn more about her background, credentials, and hands-on experience on the Meet Lucia and My Credentials pages.
Where to Go Next
If you’re new to understanding cat behavior through this lens, start with:
•Cat Behavior 101 to learn how behavior functions as communication
•Anxiety in Cats to recognize subtle stress patterns early
Behavior Stories to see how real cats changed when their context changed
If your cat’s behavior feels confusing, quiet, or emotionally distant, you’re not imagining it.
Subtle anxiety often goes unnoticed for years but with understanding and the right support, it can be gently resolved.
If you’d like to get in touch, you can do so here.