About Jules

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

A Life Dedicated
to Animals

Jules’ connection with animals began long before Cat Whispering. Growing up surrounded by animals, she knew from an early age that caring for them would become an important part of her life. At just 14 years old, Jules began volunteering at her local veterinary hospital. What started as a young person’s love of animals became the beginning of a professional career that would span more than three decades.

In 1998, Jules qualified as a Veterinary Nurse and began working in general veterinary practice. Her career later progressed into specialist surgical nursing, where she became a Head Specialist Surgical Nurse, before discovering a particular passion for Emergency and Critical Care in 2003. Jules subsequently progressed into management within Emergency and Critical Care, combining advanced clinical nursing experience with leadership and the care of animals at some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

“For me, caring for animals was never simply a career choice. It became the direction of my life.”

FROM CLINICAL CARE TO FELINE CARE

From Veterinary Nursing to Cat Care Business Ownership

After years in veterinary nursing, Jules’ career evolved from clinical care into specialist feline care. In 2010, she founded her first luxury cat hotel, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, bringing together her veterinary experience, commitment to animal welfare and growing fascination with feline behaviour.

Over the years that followed, Jules personally cared for and worked with more than 4,000 cats. This gave her an extraordinary opportunity to observe how individual cats respond to change, unfamiliar environments, people, other cats and separation from home.

Those thousands of individual experiences deepened Jules’ understanding of cats and ultimately led her to pursue formal study in feline behaviour and Cat Psychology.

“Caring for thousands of cats taught me that there is no such thing as ‘just a cat’. Every cat experiences the world differently.”

— JULES DOS SANTOS, FOUNDER

BEYOND THE BEHAVIOUR

Where Medicine, Care and Cat Psychology Meet

Jules’ journey into Cat Psychology did not begin in a classroom. It developed over decades — first through veterinary medicine, then through years of specialist feline care and the experience of working with thousands of individual cats. Together, these experiences created an increasingly deep curiosity about not simply what cats do, but why they do it.

That curiosity led Jules to formal study in feline behaviour and Cat Psychology, completing an Advanced Diploma in Feline Behaviour and Cat Psychology with Distinction.

This growing interest in the relationship between feline health, behaviour and emotional wellbeing led Jules to undertake formal study in feline behaviour and cat psychology, completing an Advanced Diploma in Feline Behaviour and Cat Psychology with Distinction. Her approach today brings these areas together. Veterinary nursing provides the clinical foundation; feline psychology and behaviour provide a deeper understanding of the cat; and animal welfare science places that individual cat within the broader relationship between animals, people and the environments we create for them.

“Don't just change the behaviour. Understand the cat.”

ANIMAL WELFARE & HUMAN–ANIMAL RELATIONS

Understanding the Cat Within Our Human World

Jules’ interest in feline behaviour eventually led her beyond the individual cat to a much broader question: how do the relationships, expectations and environments created by humans influence the lives and welfare of the animals who share our world? She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Social Justice, further developing her understanding of animal welfare, ethics and human–animal relations. This perspective now forms an important part of her work as an Animal Welfare Social Scientist.

For companion cats, this matters enormously. Cats live within environments largely designed around human lifestyles, routines and expectations. Behaviours that people may describe as “unwanted” or “problem behaviours” can make much more sense when we consider the situation from the cat’s perspective. Rather than asking only, “How do we stop this behaviour?”, Jules encourages a different question: “Why is this cat behaving this way, and what might their behaviour be communicating about their physical, emotional, social or environmental needs?” Bringing together feline psychology, veterinary nursing and animal welfare allows Jules to approach behavioural concerns with the welfare of the individual cat at the centre of the process, while also recognising the needs of the people who share their lives.

“Behaviour does not exist in isolation. To understand the behaviour, we first need to understand the cat experiencing the world around them.”

EXPERIENCE BEYOND THE CONSULTATION

Education, Industry & Animal Welfare

Jules’ commitment to animal welfare extends beyond her work with individual cats and their families. Throughout her career, she has contributed to education, industry development, animal welfare advocacy and the improvement of professional standards in animal care.

01 — EDUCATION

Jules has taught and supported university students in animal welfare and has shared her knowledge of feline behaviour, cat psychology and animal welfare through professional and community education.

02 — INDUSTRY

In 2020, Jules’ experience in professional cat boarding led to her appointment as Boarding Director for the Pet Industry Association Australia, contributing her expertise to the boarding and pet-care sector.

03 — ANIMAL WELFARE & ADVOCACY

Jules has contributed to animal welfare and industry advisory groups, bringing together practical animal-care experience with a strong commitment to improving the way animals are understood, represented and protected.

04 — PUTTING WELFARE INTO PRACTICE

Her work extends beyond consultation and advocacy. Through the organisations she has founded, Jules has created practical environments where her philosophy of feline welfare can be put into practice every day.

“My aim has always been to be a voice for animals and to implement and improve animal welfare.”

FROM PHILOSOPHY TO PRACTICE

Creating Better Lives for Cats

For Jules, improving feline welfare has never been something that exists only in theory. Her philosophy has shaped the organisations she has created and the standards of care she continues to advocate for.

SPECIALIST FELINE CARE

Luxury Cat Lodge

Luxury Cat Lodge was created to provide cats with a boarding environment designed specifically around their needs as a species. The boutique, cat-only facility combines professional feline care with an understanding of behaviour, emotional wellbeing and the importance of providing cats with safety, choice, appropriate enrichment and individual attention while they are away from home. Senior cats, high-care cats and cats requiring additional monitoring are also welcomed, reflecting Jules’ extensive veterinary nursing background and commitment to individualised care.

FELINE WELFARE & RESCUE

Ninth Life Foundation

In 2021, Jules founded Ninth Life Foundation, a feline welfare charity created to support cats who are often among the most vulnerable and overlooked. The Foundation has a particular focus on senior and high-care cats, providing care, rehabilitation and support as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives. Through Ninth Life Foundation, Jules’ commitment to feline welfare extends beyond the cats already fortunate enough to have homes, providing practical support and advocacy for cats who need another chance.

“True animal welfare is not simply something we believe in. It is something we put into practice.”

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND CAT WHISPERING

Understanding Comes Before Change

Cats are constantly communicating with us. Through their behaviour, body language, relationships and responses to the environments around them, they provide us with information about how they are experiencing their world.

When a behaviour becomes difficult for the people who share their lives, it can be tempting to focus entirely on stopping it. Jules believes meaningful behavioural change begins somewhere different: by first asking why the behaviour is occurring and what the cat may be communicating through it.

This does not mean overlooking the needs of the human family. Successful behaviour management considers both the welfare of the cat and the realities of the household. The aim is to find practical, compassionate and evidence-informed strategies that help cats and people live together with greater understanding.

“True animal welfare begins when we understand and respect the cat for the species it is.”

— Jules dos Santos

WORK WITH JULES

Ready to Understand Your Cat?

Whether you’re facing a new behavioural concern, struggling with an established problem or simply want to better understand your cat, Cat Whispering offers professional support tailored to your cat, your household and your circumstances.

QUESTIONS? CONTACT JULES →

A Life Dedicated to Animals