Cathy graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Queensland in 1985, initially practising in Queensland and the United Kingdom. Since 1992 she has lived and worked in Goondiwindi OLD where she is a partner in a mixed animal practice. A general veterinary practitioner for over 30 years her chief interests lie in small animal medicine and surgery. She is currently undertaking research into Brucella suis brucellosis in dogs, as a PhD student at the University of Melbourne.