My name is Berlin Waters, and I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. Cat behavior has always been a passion of mine. Growing up, I helped my mom with TNR (trap, neuter, release) programs and fostering many litters of kittens. Pictured here is me and my twin brother with our cat Axl, who had her tail amputated after being attacked by the neighbor's dog. She lived to be 21 years old. The second photo is me with Azure, one of the first shelter cats I ever worked with. He went untouched and unseen in his cage for 2 months, hidden away in his feral cat den and on daily Gabapentin until I started working with him.

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Throughout my life, I've owned over 28 cats so far. I've had outdoor cats, indoor cats, and indoor/outdoor cats. I've had scared cats and confident cats. Bottle babies and those raised by their mama with their littermates. And I've worked with cats of just about every temperament. In addition to cats, I've had 11 dogs and 4 horses. Coming from a family of animal lovers, these first-hand experiences have deepened my understanding of animal behavior.

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Since 2017, I have worked as a vet tech in both private practice and urgent care clinics. In 2018, I received my Bachelor's Degree in Integrative Animal Biology from the University of South Florida. In 2022, I received my certificate in Fear Free Shelter Training, and in May of 2023, I received my Master's Degree in Animal Shelter Medicine from the University of Florida. I am currently a second-year veterinary student at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.

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For my Capstone project, I knew I wanted to work with cats, so I began volunteering at my local shelter. I started working with cats labeled "Caution" and "Aggressive"  and quickly realized how misunderstood the scared cats were. From staff telling me how mean they were, and many going months without ever being handled or petted by anyone. It was clear that very few people understood cat behavior, and there were little to no resources available on how to properly handle fearful and aggressive cats in a safe and humane way. This led me to create this website.​ I worked extensively with shelter cats that demonstrated high levels of FAS (fear, anxiety, and stress) by providing them with daily out-of-kennel time and human socialization to see the impacts of this type of enrichment. In doing so, I was able to greatly improve their quality of life at the shelter and increase their chances of positive outcomes. During this time, I created training videos and other resources to help others better recognize and understand cat behavior as well as how to handle and restrain cats of all temperaments.