In terms of potentially finding a 'foster' mom... Most of the studies that look at why maternal interactions are so beneficial in rodents and cats focus on physical stimulation and social interactions. For that reason, finding other mothers or maternal cats could be a great option whenever possible.
Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2026 06:20 AM
From: Bryan Langlois
Subject: Maddie's Insights webcast March 12, 2026: Early life stressors and the behavior and physiology of rescue kittens
It was a very informative talk with a lot of interesting data and findings. I did have a follow up question on things. Since the data showed kittens that had more time with mom appeared to suffer less stress overall early in life, does that mean using more pheromone or supplements such as zylkene in these young ones who may come from tough situations or lost their mom at an early age would or could be beneficial to them behavior wise later in life? Also, would or could working to find other cat moms to take these little ones on, when possible, help reduce stress as well?
Thanks again for the very informative talk.
Bryan
------------------------------
Bryan Langlois
Medical Director
Spay/Neuter Save Network
PA
"Greatness is a title never to be self imposed"
Original Message:
Sent: 03-12-2026 05:03 PM
From: Alison Gibson
Subject: Maddie's Insights webcast March 12, 2026: Early life stressors and the behavior and physiology of rescue kittens
Thanks to the 200+ folks who joined us today! If you missed the webcast, you can view the recording below.
NOTE that to earn a certificate of attendance for continuing education, you must watch the recording on Maddie's University.
------------------------------
Alison Gibson
Media Projects Manager
Maddie's Fund
Original Message:
Sent: 02-17-2026 11:04 AM
From: Alison Gibson
Subject: Maddie's Insights webcast March 12, 2026: Early life stressors and the behavior and physiology of rescue kittens
Maddie's® Insights is our ongoing webcast series with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people. Join us in March for a webinar on how early-life stress affects rescue kittens' behavior and health. Our speaker is Dr. @Jennifer Vernick, a veterinary behavioural medicine resident at Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI in Canada.
Thursday, March 12 at 12n Pacific for one hour
Watch the recording on Maddie's University
Across species, early-life stressors, such as inadequate nutrition, maternal separation, unreliable access to shelter, threats/abuse, and disease, profoundly affect brain development and behavior. Research has shown these stressors can impair cognitive, emotional, and social functions as well as alter the body's stress response systems, particularly the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In kittens specifically, early nutritional stress and maternal separation have been linked to learning deficits, abnormal fear responses, increased aggression, and altered play behavior.
At the end of this webinar, you will :
- be able to identify several different examples of early life stressors
- understand why hair cortisol concentration (HCC) may be useful to measure
- be able to provide potential reasons for high and low HCC
- understand why relative telomere length (RTL) is measured
- be able to provide potential causes for shortened telomeres
- be able to provide examples of how early life stressors were associated with the behaviours that rescue kittens displayed during testing
Earn continuing education credit from The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement towards 1.0 CAWA CEs. This webinar has also been pre-approved for 1.0 continuing education credits by the National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA). It has also been submitted for 1 hour of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize RACE approval for on-demand viewers. We will post the recording on Maddie's University a day or so after the live webcast.
About our speaker
Jennifer Vernick, DVM is a Behavioural Medicine Resident at Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI. Jennifer has eight years of diverse veterinary experience spanning emergency medicine, primary care, and large animal practice, combined with a dedication to client education and compassionate, kind, evidence-based patient care. She specializes in behavioral medicine and clinical research, focusing on early-life stressors and anxiety-based pathologies in puppies and kittens. Currently, she is completing a dual residency in Behavioral Medicine (ACVB-approved) and PhD in Animal Behaviour at the Atlantic Veterinary College under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Overall. Her proven expertise in clinical case management, psychopharmacology, and translating research findings into evidence-based treatment protocols is evident a numerous peer-reviewed veterinary journals.
#Conferences,WorkshopsandWebcasts
#EducationandTraining
------------------------------
Alison Gibson
Media Projects Manager
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------