Testimonials About Tabitha
I will forever exclaim how thankful I am for coming across Chirrups and Chatter! My fiancé and I took ownership of a five year old golden retriever with generalized anxiety. Charlie was extremely triggered by the outside environment, strangers, and other dogs. Trips to the dog park often ended in frustration and sadness- there was nothing I wanted more than to provide the highest quality of life in all dimensions for our boy!
After meeting with Tabitha, we immediately began to learn how to guide Charlie to optimal mental and physical health. Tabitha’s knowledge in this field seems endless. She has unveiled an array of factors that impact our dog’s behavior.
Her approach is empathetic with a focus on positive reinforcement. With her expertise, Charlie is beginning to enjoy the outside world and greet strangers with the same love and happiness he has for us!
If you are looking for a trainer who encompasses passion, resilience, and critical thinking skills- reach out to Tabitha- you won’t regret it!”
Tabitha was professional and informative. We gained so much incredible information and can’t wait to implement what we learned about fear free handling for cats! -Stacy Ozanich
Tabitha is extremely knowledgeable! She is passionate about proper animal care and has the experience, tools and strategies to help her clients get results. She also educates pet owners to pick up on subtle cues about animal behavior that one might not know about, which is just helpful overall in creating an environment that works for everyone. Definitely recommend her services for both acute issues and long-term planning! – Jo Z
Tabitha,
Wow, I can’t say enough good things about Tabitha and the help she gave us! You can tell she truly loves animals and has a huge heart for this work. My husband and I have the sweetest cat who just made your heart melt one moment then would play a little too aggressively and bite. We live in the southeast and people who understand cat behavior are few and far between. We are so glad we found Chirrups and Chatter. We had done a lot of reading online and talking to our vet, but having the context, knowledge, and experience Tabitha provided was invaluable. We knew going into this it would involve more training for us and we had no idea how much we really didn’t understand our cat until we met with her. She was so patient, nonjudgmental and encouraging! The experience has overall strengthened our relationship with Norman. It is apparent he trusts us more and that is truly special! Thank you Tabitha!
Tabitha is an excellent teacher who has a thorough understanding of cat behavior, and working with her has been life-changing for my cat Lloyd and me. Lloyd is a very energetic cat, and he was displaying aggressive behavior towards me daily. Through virtual sessions, Tabitha explained why Lloyd was behaving aggressively in a non-judgemental way, then taught me how to use positive reinforcement to change the behavior. She also helped me form an enrichment plan and set training goals in order to meet Lloyd’s needs. His aggressive behavior has reduced dramatically, and our relationship is loving and trusting. Tabitha’s sessions are fun because she uses positive reinforcement and praise to teach her human and furry clients. I always leave sessions feeling inspired and encouraged, and I am excited to keep learning with my little buddy in order to give him the cat life he deserves. -Laura Blankenship
Tabitha is very enthusiastic, informative, and shows a great belief in talking about Fear Free techniques. She communicates the information in a very easy to understand fashion. We have had her talk to our veterinary technicians and veterinary technician students, and they all have said they learned a lot and love the way she presents the material. I highly recommend her as a behavior consultant!! – Scott Newman, Bel-Rea Institute
I adopted Mason, a coonhound, at the beginning of the pandemic. He’s very smart and affectionate and a wonderful companion. However, as I came to find out, coonhounds are a challenging breed – and Mason, who had been rehomed 4 or 5 times depending on how you count, was a particularly challenging coonhound. He had lots of problematic behaviors including excessive barking/counter surfing/trash raiding/cabinet opening/ups package chewing and the like. The most difficult behavior was him freaking out and throwing himself against the door whenever I tried to go out and leave him alone.
By the time I got to Tabitha I was at the end of my tether. As much as I loved him, I wasn’t sure if I could keep him. Luckily Tabitha helped us so much! We started with strategies to manage his problematic behavior (keeping trash out of reach, childproof locks on kitchen cabinets, etc.) as well as enrichment activities to prevent boredom. We also worked on training and found that he’s a quick study and loves getting treats as he learned new tricks! In addition, Tabitha helped me decode Mason’s body language to determine when he was anxious or stressed. And finally, with Tabitha’s help, I’ve been able to leave the house for short periods without triggering Mason’s separation anxiety!! We still have some work ahead of us – but I’m so grateful for the progress we’ve made. – Kathy & Mason
Tabitha is awesome! From the first time I spoke with her on the phone to the many training sessions we’ve had with her, she has always demonstrated a truly exceptional knowledge of animal behavior. She is passionate about what she does, and it is evident in how she goes above and beyond to help in anyway she can! My wife and I first hired her when our dog Jasper was having some behavioral issues. She was able to identify and help us understand the underlying causes and knew exactly how to address them! Our dog always responded very well to her, and she was able to teach my wife and I how to further Jasper’s training on our own between sessions. Tabitha is our dog’s absolute favorite person on earth, and we can’t say enough great things about her!
Tabitha is a dream come true! I first saw her speak last year in CA and she was like a beacon of light for someone like me – a new supervisor for the Behavior & Training Department at my shelter and sorely in need of Fear-Free / R+ protocols for working with shelter cats and kittens. There’s such a wealth of good material out there for dogs but cats don’t get the attention they deserve and as a result a lot of old-school thinking on how to handle them in shelters persists. With Tabitha’s help and INCREDIBLE educational materials, I’m instituting new handling guidelines for our in-house cats and developing a new foster program with a focus on getting struggling/undersocialized kitties the help they need. I can’t sing this woman’s praises enough and look forward to collaborating with her further in the future. In addition to her big brain she is also a tremendously gifted speaker and I can’t wait to provide my staff and volunteers with the opportunity to learn more from her directly. -Lauren Jean Taylor
We are beyond lucky to have Tabitha and her trove of fear-free cat and dog training knowledge in Northeast Ohio. She’s among the best in her field (worldwide) and everyone who loves their companion animals would be wise to utilize her compassionate and caring services. Our cats and dogs deserve to be as comfortable as possible and Tabitha is making that happen for folks everyday.” – Joshua Sias
This lady has saved my mind, and probably my kitties as well. It’s so hard to find people to take cat behaviour, health, well being seriously! My friends laugh, the vets I’ve found tend to shrug and ‘that’s cats for you’ in all things non health based. Tabitha is helping me raise healthy cats with healthy habits. I honestly don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t found her. If you have a cat you need a decent cat behaviourist as part of your arsenal. Tabitha is superb. Do it for your cats.
I really cannot say enough good things about Tabitha! She is a breath of fresh air for lectures and for behavior modification– I guarantee that you won’t fall asleep during one of her speaking events! She is full of energy, excitement, and passion. She truly cares about the animals and about Fear Free behavior modification, and she is rooting for you and your pets to succeed THE WHOLE time. Whether you are a seasoned pet parent or you are completely new to animals, Tabitha will have a wealth of knowledge to share with you, and you will learn A TON! She is able to break things down, step by step, in a way that is easy to understand and that makes what can seem like a daunting or impossible goal much more attainable. She uses examples that help you to process what your animal is feeling/thinking in terms that everyone can relate to. Best of all: she doesn’t judge you for your current level or knowledge or understanding on behavior! Her goal isn’t to make you feel bad for what you don’t know, but to alert you to the things that need to be addressed, and then give you the tools and the knowledge to be the best you can be for your pet/for animals in general. After talking with Tabitha or listening to her speak, it is difficult not to be inspired to do better for our babies/try to help get more people on board with behavioral modification and better wellbeing for animals! – Jacquie Chorba, DVM
Tabitha Kucera is an amazing trainer, tech, behavior consultant and woman!! I have learned so much from seeing her at VMX and reading/watching her posts. If you are having issues with your cat and want advice, I highly recommend her services!! – Cindy Hewitt
I would highly recommend chirrups and chatter to anyone who is looking for dog behavior modification training. My dog primarily had a behavior issues with other dogs and I went through many trainers trying to find the right one to help us.
Tabitha was attentive, detailed, and patient as we worked through the process of behavior modification. She was always available for questions any time I needed additional information or got stuck in training. She also appreciated how much I cared for my dog and genuinely wanted to help us achieve our goals.”
“It’s not easy to say how much I’ve learned from Tabitha of Chirrups and Chatter. Knowing her truly has changed my life and the lives of my cats!
I first met her at a trap-neuter-return (TNR) event where she taught me, as a new trapper, the ins and outs of trapping and caring for community cats. I’ve attended many of the lectures she generously and enthusiastically gives about topics ranging from socializing feral kittens to understanding cat communication to fear-free and low-stress handling. She’s helped my cats get along better and me provide enrichment for them.
Most recently, my senior cat Minka was diagnosed with arthritis in two areas of his spine. Thanks to Tabitha and a lecture she provided about caring for senior cats, I immediately knew to get raised platforms for my cats’ feeding stations so Minka doesn’t have to slouch to eat, to replace my last regular litter box with one with a very low entry so he doesn’t have to step up to enter, and to talk to my vet about daily pain meds. Minka will be much more comfortable because I knew what to do from Tabitha.
Tabitha’s knowledge is vast, as is her enthusiasm. She helps us set our pets up for success and have happy lives.
Follow this page for great info! Attend Tabitha’s lectures! Bring her to your house or shelter/rescue to help with cat or dog challenges! You won’t regret it!”
“I highly recommend chirrups and chatter to anyone looking to help from curbing behavior issues to simply building a better relationship with your pet! Her informative webinars and lectures have been instrumental in not only my personal pet relationships, but in my professional (veterinary technician) life as well. Don’t hesitate to contact Tabitha and improve the quality and balance in your home today!!!!” – Jennifer Overdroff Visnesky
Thank you for all your help getting Harold to a happier place in his life! I never thought I’d see the night where we could peacefully sleep without him anxiously pacing and scratching the doors all night long. I’m so happy with all the progress we’ve made so far, and look forward to what else we can do. I also think it’s so awesome you showed me how to clicker train a cat!
“Tabitha is awesome. I initially went back and forth on consulting her, and I am so glad I did! She was very thorough, gave us the tools needed to improve the lives of our four cats and in turn, our lives! After years of litter box issues, we have gone months without a single episode of eliminating outside the box. She is simply brilliant.” – Melissa Salva
“I was at one of Tabitha’s lectures on feral cats. She did a Wonderful job explaining everything.I learned so much. Tabitha also had educational handouts to take home & had a question and answer session at the end of the lecture. She’s so passionate about animals and is always happy to answer any questions people may have. I find myself telling lots of people to contact her if they are having any problems at home with a pet. She’ll steer you in the right direction.” -Christina Cocchiarale Ward
I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to Chirrups and Chatter for her of her fantastic help! I had a consultation with her about a month before I moved from California to Indiana. I was absolutely terrified to drive with Tito across the country. I was scared that I was going to lose him during the trip or that he was going to be overly stressed, or that I would be overly stressed!
Chirrups and Chatter took the time to calm my fears and explain how some easy training could help alleviate the stress and the fear.
We spent some time prior to leaving for Tito to get used to his new deluxe crate that he’d be spending most of his time in. I’m not sure how many treats he got before, during, and after the move. But they definitely made the difference.
I think it’s safe to say that at this point both Tito and I are settling in nicely. The journey could have been much different, and more stressful. Tabitha made sure that she was there to support me before, during the trip and even after.
I can’t thank you Chirrups and Chatter enough for the peace of mind that you gave me!
“I attended a litter box lecture Tabitha did & you can immediately see her enthusiasm, knowledge & love of animals and their behaviors. She provided more information than you ever thought possible on the topic while answering audience questions & giving us nuggets of info on other topics. She followed up with me after the lecture on questions I had about fearful kittens and gave me some great information to follow. I would not hesitate to contact her if I had any issues with cats or dogs & I look forward to any other lectures that I’m available to attend.” – Patty Krall
Tabitha is highly knowledgeable and committed to advancing fear free and positive training. She truly cares about what she is teaching.- Maegan Payne
Had a phenomenally productive virtual consultation with Tabitha today about my ultra-shy senior rescue kitty Gus. We’ve laid out a plan to get him happier and healthier with minimum stress. I feel like I’m a terrific cat mom, but Gus’s issues run deeper than I can handle without the knowledge of an expert. I feel SOOO much better now knowing Gus will soon be living his best life. The virtual consultation was at least as productive (if not more) than an in-person consultation… Gus wasn’t stressed out a bit with a stranger (Tabitha) coming into his safe space. HIGHLY recommend Tabitha’s virtual consult if you need help. Please don’t wait until after the “stay home” order is over. If you were planning on getting help for your kitty (or dog), do it NOW.”
“I recently saw Tabitha in Davis, CA doing a series about cat behavior, communication, body language, adoptions, and more. I was expecting a thorough, professional lecture full of scientific terms that I could relate to later in my career and look up later. I was so excited to have a fun, educational, relatable, and professional class with easy to process information, real life scenarios, encouragement, and a give and take about how to trouble shoot lovingly. This is a woman who knows her field and is able to educate in an easily digestible manner. Whether you are new to rescue, a veteran medical professional, or a pet owner at wits end, you will learn from her and have fun doing It. I cannot wait to see her again in April and have found her to be kind, approachable, and encouraging on a personal level as our small home based rescue works to become fear free certified and provide the best that we can for anxious and fearful cats. Long story short, I love her and want to be her when I grow up.”
“Tabitha is truly skilled and SO passionate in her work. She’s a miracle worker and is helping our dogs so much. I love both the positive methods, scientific background she includes, and general facts she incorporates so we can learn more about dog behavior. Wow! We highly recommend!” – Caitlin Martin-Wagar
I have a cat whose name is also Tabitha so I will differentiate by calling Tabitha trainer. Tabitha is 10 1/2 months old, I have been working with trainer for a couple months now and so far my cat knows how to “go to mat”, “touch”, and “sit”. She knows what “playtime” and “train” mean. Also, when I cannot find Tabitha, I will use touch as a homing beacon. She loves trainer, knows her voice over the phone as well. When I first met trainer, she made me feel very comfortable and I can tell her she knew exactly what she was doing. She gave me the skills necessary to be able to train Tabitha, she even tailored it to me so that I could perform the necessary tasks with my disability. Trainer made it so fun to train my cat that she looks forward to it every night. Please feel free to comment on this post if you have anymore questions and I will be happy to answer but what I am trying to say is I would definitely recommend trainer for your pet needs.
“Tabitha is extremely knowledgeable and customized the session to fit the pet. Everything has been perfect.”- Fred Mowery
My husband and I hired Tabitha to help with litter box and behavior issues at our house. Tabitha has such an amazing personality and was so excited to help us! While Tabitha was here, she noticed one of our cats, acted extremely aggressive towards her, which we played off as normal thinking he just doesn’t like strangers- we were so wrong. She immediately assessed him and we found out by his body language and how he was acting that he is in so much pain. We had no idea, and it breaks my heart knowing that he was in pain before we had Tabitha come over. Tabitha helped us get the help we needed for chip, helped us with the originally issue and gave us so many helpful tips and what to look for. Our household is finally a happy kitty place and our chip is finally not in pain, and back to being the kitty he was supposed to be! I would, and already have recommended Tabitha to all my family and friends. Thank you so much for all you did for us! My husband and I, chip and the rest of the kitties are extremely grateful!
A dear friend purchased sessions with Tabitha Kucera for me after I expressed concern about some difficulties my cats, Baxter and Buddy, were having. Baxter, my streetwise tuxedo, was strongly food-motivated having had to fend for himself when homeless for an unknown amount of time. Baxter also dominated my other cat, Buddy, often chasing him and leaving tufts of fur in the wake of their tussles. There was also an increase in tummy issues, and found myself cleaning up barf more often than usual. Baxter sometimes urinated on the kitchen counter. It was infrequent and mostly happened when his food bowl was empty. Buddy, being dominated by Baxter, started biting both Baxter and me, as his primary indication of “no.” Pretty much whenever there was anything Baxter wanted– food, a special spot to lie down, or access to me– Buddy would defer.
I was struggling with the idea that Baxter might need to be rehomed where he could be in a one-cat household.
Tabitha took a thorough history of both cats before we met. With her help I began seeing my cats’ dynamic through the lens of anxiety. I started looking for situations and specific needs that caused friction. At Tabitha’s suggestion I added scratching pads and posts in three more areas of my home– the kitchen where they eat most of their meals, the study where I work, and the bedroom where they both like to spend time with me. I created two additional cat-friendly places to hang out– one high up looking out a window, and another by simply throwing a towel on the floor in a cat-friendly location. Although the perch by the window is specifically for Baxter who loves to ‘chirp’ back at the birds, it turns out that the towel is Baxter’s favorite new hang out!
I moved their food away from the wall so that they could keep an eye on their surroundings while eating to put them at ease if they felt any threat of being interrupted. I also purchased an automatic feeder that dispenses 1/8 of a cup of food intermittently throughout the day and night– never exceeding more than one cup, total. That completely stopped Baxter from dominating the eating area or nosing in Buddy’s bowl to eat his food. However, the time each day they get a small amount of wet food Baxter would eat quickly and then go for Buddy’s portion. For that one feeding, only, I now put Baxter in another room. Once Buddy finishes his food, I let Baxter out. I also changed their feeding time. Instead of feeding them when I first get up, I feed them around 11:00. That has dramatically cut down on the early morning pestering each day. Baxter occasionally still tries, but he’s slowly catching on that there is no reward for his behavior.
Having recently gotten both cats their regular check-ups, I knew that the vomiting and urination were being cause by something other than health issues. Once I started feeding Baxter smaller amounts throughout the day, he rarely vomits from overeating. Buddy was grooming both himself and Baxter, so his vomit was a different issue, usually including a small amount of fur. I started brushing them both more frequently and trimming their nails more regularly which has all but eliminated the hairball barf. Baxter has only peed on the counter one time since meeting with Tabitha. Upon reflection I realize that he was frustrated and upset about a food issue, which I promptly corrected.
Tabitha also helped me understand cats’ need for a safe, open litter area, play and enrichment activities, and special treats that I could safely offer to make their lives more engaging. I now have a file of printed material and notes from our sessions to refer to whenever I need a refresher. I also have a deeper understanding of cat behavior and how to better meet their needs.
Baxter and Buddy are doing much better individually, and together. I am grateful to both my friend for her thoughtful gift, and to Tabitha for making our home a happier place! <3
Thanks again for all your help, Tabitha!
Hugs,
Claire Newland