Kristyn Vitale, PhD, CAAB
Dr. Kristyn Vitale is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) and internationally recognized expert in cat behavior and the cat-human relationship. She is a researcher and educator in animal behavior, animal welfare, and human-animal interaction. Kristyn is an active public speaker and is frequently invited to speak to professional and academic audiences as well as public audiences of all ages. Her work has been featured in film documentaries such as How the Cat Conquered the World (ARTE France) and Inside the Mind of a Cat (Netflix).
In 2014, Kristyn founded Maueyes Cat Science and Education as a resource on cat behavior, cat science, and cat training. Maueyes is dedicated to enhancing cat welfare and strengthening the cat-human relationship through education, behavior consulting, and science outreach.
Kristyn Vitale with her cats Cecilia (left) and Macy (right) in 2015.
Kristyn Vitale in 2018.
Biography
Kristyn Vitale earned a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Miami University (Ohio, USA) and a Ph.D. in Animal Science from Oregon State University (Oregon, USA). During her graduate career she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and a Visiting Research Fellow at Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan). She served as a Maddie’s Postdoctoral Scholar and a Faculty Research Assistant in the Oregon State University Human-Animal Interaction Lab. She was a faculty member at Unity Environmental University, where she served as Assistant and Associate Professor of Animal Health and Behavior.
Kristyn’s research interests include cross-cultural comparisons of human-animal interactions, factors that impact animal social behavior, human-animal attachment relationships, animal learning and training, and companion animal welfare.
Her main area of research is focused on cat social behavior, human-cat interactions, and the impact of life experiences, such as cat training and socialization classes, on cat cognition and the cat-human relationship. She has worked with free-ranging domestic cats as well as cats living in animal shelters and human homes. Her research and expertise in cat behavior has been internationally featured in media outlets such as National Geographic, Science Magazine, BBC, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and DER SPIEGEL. Her work has also been featured in film documentaries such as How the Cat Conquered the World (ARTE France) and Inside the Mind of a Cat (Netflix).
In addition to her work with cats, she has also supported research into dog-human and dog-dog attachment bonds, dog-assisted interventions for children, and the impact of human socialization on domestic pig behavior.
Kristyn offers a variety of services including animal behavior education and animal behavior consulting. Learn more here!
Kristyn’s research and expertise in cat behavior has been internationally featured in media outlets. Click on the media below to view select articles.
Maueyes 