Educator, Designer, Cat Trainer & Behaviour Consultant
Hi, I’m Sonia Hank. I’m an experienced educator with 20+ years’ experience, a diploma-qualified cat trainer and feline behaviour consultant, a public speaker and advocate for responsible cat ownership. I blend my expertise in pedagogy and curriculum design with feline behaviour science to help guardians raise calm, confident adventure cats.
I advocate an adventure-cat lifestyle: supervised time outdoors that lets cats explore, express natural behaviours, build confidence, and live with purpose. I don’t recommend free-roaming or indoors-only living. With my cat, Kepler, I model calm, skill-based, safe outdoor time and demonstrate that it’s possible to balance feline welfare with wildlife protection and community expectations. I aim to inspire and empower guardians to do the same.
As a former snowboard instructor, science and visual arts teacher, STEAM educator, education director, and university lecturer, my experience is reflected in my adventure-cat coaching as clear explanations, practical sequencing, and a natural ability to make complex ideas usable at home and on the trail. My cat-training approach is welfare-first and force-free. Sessions are paced for feline attention patterns and build fluency in small, successful steps at home, before generalising to outdoor settings. Core skills include confidence building; establishing a shared vocabulary; harness and loose-lead walking; essential behaviour cues—touch, here, sit, wait, recall; fun tricks and games; indoor enrichment; trail manners; travel routines; backpack training; and more. Safety underlies all.
I am also the creative force behind House Copernicus, a small Melbourne studio making eco-printed kangaroo-leather harnesses and bows—because cats deserve the best. My process runs end-to-end in-house: sourcing, botanical printing, cutting, sewing, and finishing. I use botanical printing techniques to create permanent, plant-made prints on leather, then craft each harness and bow by hand to create a one-of-a-kind statement piece fit for everyday adventures and special occasions.
Qualifications: B.Ed. (P-12) Biology, Env. Science, Visual Arts (Victoria University); M.Ed. Curriculum and Pedagogy (Melbourne University); Diploma in Feline Behaviour Science & Technology (Companion Animal Sciences Institute). Non-veterinary, non-clinical behaviour support; I liaise with your vet as required.
Focus & methods: Welfare-first, outcomes-driven coaching with individualised pacing. I use LIMA, errorless learning through antecedent arrangement, shaping and differential reinforcement, plus graded exposure with systematic desensitisation and counter-conditioning. Plans are designed for real life—home, car, and trail—with generalisation and simple metrics so progress is visible and durable.
Special interests: Promoting optimal physical, psychological, & emotional well-being for cats through holistic wellness; safe and stimulating adventures; physical and mental fitness; and lifestyle based learning.
A Word From Our Founder — Kepler Copernicus
Hello, dear human. I am Kepler Copernicus, son of Pyret Price Kasinovah and Lady Saviner. I am a Russian Blue cat. I am best known by my very fitting alias, Mr Beauty. I am a resident field researcher, and the reason any of this exists.
I am an educated adventure cat—I go out on daily walks, climb trees, ride a bicycle; I enjoy hiking, camping, road trips, cafés. I understand over 100 human words, phrases, and visual cues. I use talking buttons. I can perform more than 40 functional tasks and tricks (yes, including my famous shoulder jumps). I am whistle-trained with, some say, a remarkable recall. Training is not a party trick here—it is daily life. My staff say I am a pioneer in a new era of human domestication.
I was raised with careful socialisation from three months old, because my staff believe (rightly so) that cats deserve to live life to the fullest and with purpose. So they trained me to model calm handling, clear communication, and adventure routines. Outside, I work to non-negotiables—wait when asked, keep the lead slack, return on recall. I have a deep bond with my staff—I have earned my freedom because I trust them to guide me, and they trust me to respond.
I am polite, patient, calm and composed. I like routine with room for novelty. I observe with intent and explore with curiosity and caution. I prefer clear cues to guesswork. I eat a carefully prepared home-made raw diet that is complete and balanced; this provides my body with optimal conditions for learning and activity. I dislike heavy machinery and garbage trucks!
My job is simple: wear the couture, demonstrate the science, and prove that cats thrive when safety, agency, and intelligent play are met. Consider me living evidence that kind, science-based training shapes confident cats—and that a well-made harness can look as good as it feels.