Signe A. Dayhoff, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed., is a Social Psychologist, Cognitive-Behaviorist, and Cat Whisperer with post-graduate training in counseling who received her doctorate from Boston University. She is a certified administrator and interpreter of Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test to increase human awareness for effective interpersonal communication.
For 25+ years she has been a consultant, educator, trainer, animal socializer, author (five books), and coach specializing in increasing interpersonal communication which she has also applied to the cat-human bond, with the help of her feline alter ego, “Smoochie.”
Her latest book, the new and improved 2nd Ed. of Diagonally-Parked in a Parallel Universe: Working Through Social Anxiety (2010), is the social phobic’s bible and insider’s scoop. Based upon years of research with sufferers and consultation with the pre-eminent clinical researchers in the field, it provides education, cognitive-behavioral treatment, and life-rebuilding strategies for interpersonal communication. Dr. Signe is considered an authority in transforming social anxiety into social effectiveness. She uses many of these behavioral strategies successfully with cats.
Cat lover, rescuer, adopter, and foster parent since childhood, Dr. Signe is “Kitty Mom” to rescued senior and special-needs cats. She also cat whispers to socialize rescued animals for the all-volunteer, no-kill non-profit CARMA (Companion Animal Rescue and Medical Assistance), in Corrales, NM, to ready them for adoption to loving homes.
Dr. Signe believes that anyone can become a cat whisperer by becoming cat smart and discovering how to understand, accept, and communicate with their cat’s “inner tiger.”