Kat Albrecht ( Kathy “Kat” Albrecht) is a former police bloodhound handler, crime scene investigator, search-and-rescue manager, and police officer turned investigative pet detective. Since 1997, Kat has solved lost pet investigations by using law enforcement-based techniques and strategies that are normally used to solve lost-person investigations. What began as an “experiment” to see whether or not her search dog Rachel could be trained to track lost pets, quickly led to other discoveries. Kat uses high-tech equipment such as infrared cameras, amplified listening devices, and search cameras. She pioneered the use of “search probability theory” and deductive reasoning for missing cats and Feline Behavioral Profiling, a system of predicting patterns of feline behavior similar to how the FBI profiles criminal behavior.
Kat discovered that behavior is a critical barrier to the recovery of lost pets and has identified predictable patterns of behavior in lost pets such as “The Silence Factor,” “The Threshold Phenomenon,” and “The Lost Pet Triad.” Kat’s memoir Pet Tracker has received incredible reviews and was a 2017 Silver Medalist for the e-Lit book awards. Available as a softcover, e-book, or audiobook, Pet Tracker tells the inspirational story of Kat’s struggle to make the risky and unusual career change from police detective to pet detective.
Kat was not the first person to train a dog to track lost pets, but she was the first to pioneer the proper application of search dogs for lost pet investigations. This is based on Kat’s understanding of search-and-rescue dog applications and protocols. Kat determined that cat detection dogs should be used to conduct what is called an “area search” of a cat’s territory for lost cats and “trailing dogs” trained in scent discrimination trailing should be used to follow (track) the scent trail of lost dogs. She also incorporated the collection and analysis of physical evidence to solve cases, such as using a DNA test on a cat whisker to solve one lost cat investigation and a forensic anthropologist to solve another. She identified “high probability evidence,” such as the accumulation of cat hair fibers on objects that often indicate where a lost cat is likely to be found.
Kat and her search dogs have appeared on NBC Nightly News, CNN Financial News, EXTRA, To Tell the Truth, Animal Planet’s show Must Love Cats, K-9 to Five, Miracle Pets, Dogs with Jobs, Pets: Part of the Family, Breed All About It and in the pages of People Magazine, Parade, Reader’s Digest, and Woman’s World.
In 1997 when Kat Albrecht first came up with the idea to develop lost pet services, a friend told her she was “having a pipe dream” if she thought she could make a living as a pet detective. Kat’s vision immediately expanded from a small business concept to developing lost pet services worldwide. In spite of struggles and setbacks, Kat has pursued her dream. She is the founder of Missing Animal Response Network, an international organization that offers Missing Animal Response training for Field workers, K9 handlers, shelter staff, Animal Control Officers, and volunteers, and also work to conduct research into lost pet behaviors. Her first-ever online pet detective academy trains not only Missing Animal Response Technicians, but also search dogs to track lost pets, both in trailing and cat detection. Also, Kat travels internationally to speak at animal welfare conferences and currently lives on Vancouver Island (Canada) with her husband Johnny, and her dog Kody.
Kat Albrecht Award Winning Book Author
Kat Albrecht’s book Pet Tracker is an Award-Winning Silver Medalist E-book!
Check out this Woman’s World Magazine article below.
Trouble viewing CLICK HERE for the PDF version.