A MOBO-winning singer who become the country’s first feline graduate has started disciplining unruly cats – by giving them ASBOs.
Anita Kelsey turned her love of the four legged pets into a career after getting a first class degree in cat psychology.
Singer Anita decided on a career change after the suicide of a close friend in 2009 and opened her cat behaviour practice in Notting Hill, west London.
Four years later she became an undergraduate at Middlesex University so she could help troubled cats.
Now she has started issuing cats ASBOs for “scratching groomer” and bans them from “treats”, head massages” and “toys and cuddles” until they change their ways.
Anita has two Norwegian Forest cats herself, both seven, called Kiki and Zaza.
The 52-year-old said: “I started issuing ASBOs to cats that continually played up on my grooming table.
“The worst culprits are the ones with a diva-like cattitude.
“When the owners receive the ASBOs in the post they think it’s hilarious.
“Star, who is my worst cat client to date, even has hers framed in her own bedroom.
“They think it’s very funny.
“Of course it won’t actually change their behaviour. It’s why they got the ASBO in the first place and none of them can read. It’s just a bit of fun.
“Only three have been issued with ASBOs so far.
“Cats vary in degrees of reactions on the grooming table but most can be groomed with gentle handling and making the process as positive an experience as possible.
“My three ASBO cats do not take into account how gentle or reassuring I am being.
“They care not for my well-being or safety with their constant scratching.
“The ASBO is only issued if the behaviour continues and escalates.”
For Anita’s degree research she looked at aggression in cats during grooming and how it can be reduced.
She added: “I wanted to try and understand how owners can move forward and see why cats are being aggressive.
“Sometimes it’s using the wrong tools, sometimes it’s a case of understanding how cats view grooming and how it effects them.
“When I was younger I wanted to either work with music or cats and I’ve been lucky enough to do both.
“It’s my dream job to work with cats all day.”
Anita was a backing singer on songs by Razorlight, Boy George, Spice Girls and Kings of Leon and won a MOBO in 2001 for her album as part of UK Garage band Sunship.
She also performed on trance tracks popular in Ayia Napa with her vocals in many films, including Dark City, starring Jennifer Connelly.
