Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  Behavior Cats

    Posted 09-08-2021 05:02 PM
    Hi,
    I am the new Behavior and Training Coordinator at Humane Society of Pinellas!  Does anyone have resources, SOPs, behavioral consults, etc for behavior cats? Or ideas for helping to market them?  
    Thank you!
    #Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment

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    Stephanie Cohen
    Humane Society of Pinellas
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  • 2.  RE: Behavior Cats

    Posted 09-08-2021 11:42 PM
    Hi Stephanie,

    Who are you wishing to consult with? What are your specific goals with SOP's? If your looking at marketing behavior consults then I would start with those calling to surrender cats. Have a conversations with them. We had all behavior surrenders fill out a pre-surrender form before they could schedule an appointment to surrender. This allowed us to offer help and reduce surrenders. Many didn't even know help was out there. 


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    Christine D. Calder DVM
    Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
    Calder Veterinary Behavior Services
    www.caldervbs.com

    Veterinary Behaviorist
    Behavior Specialist, MPF
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  • 3.  RE: Behavior Cats

    Posted 09-09-2021 05:07 PM
    Hi,

    I have experience in dog behavior departments of a shelter, so I was thinking if and how to do behavior consults with potential adopters for cats who have significant behavioral concerns.  My goal with SOPs is behavioral modification and management to help these cats get adopted, including talking points for adoption counselors that don't focus on the negative and turn away potential adopters. 

    Thank you!!!

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    Stephanie Cohen
    Humane Society of Pinellas
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  • 4.  RE: Behavior Cats

    Posted 09-09-2021 07:09 PM
    Hi Stephanie,

    It would be wonderful if you could do behavior consults with potential adopters! 

    There are several studies looking at clicker training in cats resulting in a decrease in LOS  and an increase in adoptability. We clicker trained our cats to take medications on a mat and targeting.  Environmental enrichment is also key. 

    I do not have any ready made SOP's but others on here may. The first step that I recommend is getting as much information from the person surrendering that cat as you can not only about problem behaviors but normal behaviors as well. What are the cats likes and dislikes? Are there special toys they enjoy? Are they lap cats? Do they like to be pet? Questions along those lines. You can then use that information for enrichment and behavior modification. 

    Also- make sure you are getting the veterinary records (if possible) these sometimes hold a wealth of information on how long certain behaviors have been going on and what has been done to diagnose and treat. For instance, many cat urinary behaviors (not marking) have a medical origin or component to them along with the environmental influence on behavior. 

    When screening for adopters, we would have them fill out a pre-adoption survey. This would help us pair up potential adopters with the cats we had in the shelter. This can be helpful as well to make sure expectations are met and everyone is on the same page.  These are very helpful for adoption counselors to be better match makers.

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    Christine D. Calder DVM
    Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
    Calder Veterinary Behavior Services
    www.caldervbs.com

    Veterinary Behaviorist
    Behavior Specialist, MPF
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Behavior Cats

    Posted 09-09-2021 07:56 AM
    Hi Stephanie,

    I have a self-guided course available online on the feline behavior program at Austin Pets Alive! you can take for free at any time. It gets into marketing quite a bit, but as Dr. Calder noted, also talks at length about how such a program keeps cats in their homes and helps both existing owners and new adopters work through these issues without shelter surrender. I think it'll give you a bunch of ideas. Feel free to reach out if you view it and let me know if you have questions or feedback!

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    Monica Frenden
    American Pets Alive
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  • 6.  RE: Behavior Cats

    Posted 09-09-2021 03:19 PM
    Monica, hi.

    I've bookmarked this class to take! We have long-stay cats at our shelter, and perhaps your course will give me ideas on how to help then!

    Allison

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    Allison Hunter-Frederick
    Cat Behavior Consultant & Trainer
    https://allisonhelpscats.wordpress.com/
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  • 7.  RE: Behavior Cats

    Posted 09-09-2021 05:04 PM
    Thank you!!!

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    Stephanie Cohen
    Humane Society of Pinellas
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  • 8.  RE: Behavior Cats

    Posted 09-09-2021 03:17 PM
    Stephanie, hi.

    I am a cat behavior consultant, trainer, and educator. Most of my work is with clients in their homes, but I also volunteer with the challenging cats in our local cat shelter.

    A few resources that I offer are free:
    * educational blog with lots of articles on cat behavior: https://lincolnpetculture.wordpress.com/
    * YouTube account with lots of videos about cat behavior, enrichment, and training: Allison Helps Cats YouTube
    * monthly cat behavior chat: https://forms.gle/Nyp7BNqfoNYLNw9EA
    * behavior checklists (available when you sign up for my newsletter):
    https://allisonhelpscats.com/subscribetonewsletter/

    Some of my resources aren't free such as my webinars and online classes but they are discounted for animal welfare groups. Check them out at my website: https://allisonhelpscats.com/

    Allison

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    Allison Hunter-Frederick
    Cat Behavior Consultant & Trainer
    https://allisonhelpscats.wordpress.com/
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  • 9.  RE: Behavior Cats

    Posted 09-20-2021 06:39 AM
    Adding another of my favorite feline behavior resources: International Cat Care. They have tons of articles, videos meant for owners, videos meant for clinic staff. It's a fabulous resource.

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    Monica Frenden-Tarant
    Maddie's® Director of Feline Lifesaving
    American Pets Alive!
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