Who IS Cathy Spalding, Anyway?
Background and Community Leadership
Cathy Spalding lives with her husband of over 50 years in Olympia, WA. Together with her family, she has been actively involved with llamas and alpacas since 1985.
Cathy remains active in the llama and alpaca community and currently serves as a consultant to the Lama Association of North America (LANA). She has served as a board member for the International Llama Association, and local associations. She served as president of the board for LANA and the Llama Owners of Washington State.
Contributions and Published Works
Cathy has chaired and co-chaired many events and fundraisers, served as an active member on numerous committees for local and national associations including the International Llama Registry, edited the Llama Owners of WA State newsletter, spearheaded the national Llama and Alpaca Symposium in Kansas City, written numerous articles, authored the original Delta Society guidelines for llamas and alpacas, and created the llama and alpaca cartoons Changing Places and Lamazing Wisdom.
Her first behavioral textbook on CD-ROM entitled Llama Talk is a vast collection of llama behavioral cues complete with photos and vocals. Continually in high demand, Llama Talk is used in a number of veterinary universities including Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. and the Uruguay Veterinary School of Medicine in Uruguay, South America.
Cathy’s second behavioral CD-ROM for alpacas entitled Alpaca Talk is highly acclaimed as a must have for alpaca owners. Many veterinarians, including the renown Dr. Murray Fowler, have endorsed Alpaca Talk – including getting copies for themselves. This text includes over 100 color photos of alpaca behavioral cues as well as vocals.
Her article on positioning has been translated into Chinese and presented at the Xi’an Jiaotong University in China.
Focus and Approach
Cathy’s focus is on the awareness of alpaca and llama behavior as the very foundation for understanding training and herd management. Problem solving can be complex with more than one way to approach most issues. Understanding behaviors provides the crucial information needed in making educated decisions for appropriate resolution in any given situation.
Understanding behavior also saves lives.
Teaching and Speaking
Cathy has taught alpaca and llama behavior and training clinics (which include a detailed visual presentation of behavioral cues) for Cornell University, OSU and WSU, alpaca and llama associations including LANA, CLAA and AOBA and at private farms and ranches across North America, England and New Zealand.
Cathy has been a featured speaker at many conferences – including the Camelid Symposium at UC Davis – worked with FFA and 4H and served as a judge at many county fairs and jackpots.
Cathy’s Philosophy
Cathy’s philosophy is simple: It is important to me to share with you the many amazing lessons I have learned in nearly 40 years of living and interacting with them.
One of my most significant life lessons is the deep importance of believing in ourselves. To believe that we truly do have abilities to interact with our animals in clear understandable ways and can build comfortable 2-way trusting relationships. Many of us just don’t know that yet – or at best, don’t trust the possibilities. I smile to think our alpacas and llamas might share the same point of view! I didn’t trust it either until I began to pay serious attention to the nuances of their behavior.
It was amazing. The more I understood them through their behavior, the better I could communicate with them through my own behavior. It became a two-way street.
Of equal significance, I came to realize there wasn’t just one way to appropriately and successfully do most anything… and that would include interacting with alpacas and llamas. I was so relieved to lose that word “wrong.” I realized the same technique or method was not necessarily always the best approach for every alpaca, every llama, every human, in every circumstance… every time. And the most appropriate choice at one time may not be the most appropriate at another.
From there, I met myself again on the other side – back at the place where I learned to believe in myself. To take back my own responsibility and trust that if I felt to do something different, even be creative in my approach, everything could – and would – be just fine.
It wasn’t about “right” or “wrong.” In fact, learning to understand and respond in a way that seems the most appropriate for the presenting circumstance has greatly improved my relationship with all my alpacas and llamas.
Is changing difficult behavior really that difficult? Through understanding and recognition of behavior, most difficulties become amazingly clear and simple to resolve. Change can happen but only if we are aware that there are, indeed, other possibilities.
Cathy's Credentials
✔ 25+ years of hands-on camelid experience
✔ Certified Camelid Educator
✔ Published author on llama & alpaca behavior
✔ International speaker at camelid conferences
✔ Developer of the Alpaca Talk and Llama Talk audio series
✔ Youth program instructor & mentor
The Gentle Spirit Story
Gentle Spirit Llamas was born from a simple observation: many camelid owners struggled to understand their animals’ behavior and communication. Cathy recognized that traditional livestock approaches didn’t fully address the unique nature of llamas and alpacas.
Starting with a small herd and a commitment to learning, Cathy developed innovative training methods based on:
- Respectful communication
- Positive reinforcement
- Understanding natural behaviors
- Building trust gradually
- Celebrating each animal's personality
Gentle Spirit Llamas
Our Philosophy of Care
Compassion First
We believe every interaction with a camelid should be guided by compassion and respect. These intelligent, sensitive animals respond best to gentle, consistent handling.
Education Empowers
Knowledge transforms uncertainty into confidence. We provide the tools and understanding needed to build successful relationships with llamas and alpacas.
Practical Application
Theory means nothing without practice. Our resources combine scientific understanding with real-world experience to deliver practical, actionable guidance.
Community Matters
Camelid ownership shouldn't be a solitary journey. We foster connections between owners, creating a supportive network for sharing experiences and solutions.
Gentle Spirit Behavior & Training
Our Commitment to You
Whether you’re taking your first steps into camelid ownership or you’re an experienced handler seeking new insights, Gentle Spirit Llamas is here to support your journey.
We remain dedicated to:
