Cat brings a student-centred approach to veterinary education, drawing on experience teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate levels in both university and field-based settings. Her teaching philosophy emphasises active learning, practical application, and connecting pathological concepts to real-world clinical contexts. She has designed and delivered courses in marine mammal health, necropsy techniques, and stranding response, and has lectured in specialised clinical electives for veterinary students in collaboration with marine mammal facilities. Her teaching methods incorporate case-based learning, gamification, and storytelling to foster engagement and deep understanding. She has co-supervised students across PhD, Master's, Honours, and undergraduate levels, guiding them through research design, execution, and science communication. At Charles Sturt University, Cat contributes to veterinary pathobiology education with a focus on preparing graduates who are confident, critical thinkers ready for the demands of clinical practice.

Cat's research sits at the intersection of wildlife health, veterinary pathology, and environmental science, united by a One Health perspective that connects animal, human, and ecosystem health. A central focus of her work is cetacean microbiome, where she has developed non-invasive approaches to assessing respiratory health in whales and dolphins, with applications to disease surveillance and pathogen detection. A second major research thread examines environmental contaminants, particularly PFAS, in wildlife and seafood, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses informing public health policy. Her applied pathology research, conducted through the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network, has investigated zoonotic pathogens and contaminant burdens in stranded marine mammals across the northern Gulf of Mexico. She is also a co-investigator on a US NOAA-funded grant examining zoonotic disease risk in stranded bottlenose dolphins.