Lifeline Cat Behavior Education

11/14/2024

Important information for cat owners about nausea in cats.

10/31/2024

Penny's video is the Best on the Block winner in The Pet Professional Guild's Celebrating Life Together Community Outreach Competition. Look at Penny go!

Learn more about the competition here: https://www.prlog.org/13045918-pet-professional-guild-announces-the-winners-of-its-celebrating-life-together-outreach-competition.html

https://youtu.be/M4M3DPjp6tQ?si=BfNSzefGWslDRExm

10/15/2024

This is the cat I rescued in February and was adopted out through the SPCA of Westchester. He is an absolute doll. Please be on the lookout for him. The cross streets are Wood Court and Wildey Street in Tarrytown.

08/31/2024

07/11/2024

Register to participate in this fun and educational advocacy event!

https://youtu.be/a2X5fWPUFUU

Learn more here: https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/your-pet-approved-event/

Celebrating Life TogetherLet's join forces and help provide the antidote to harmful and aversive training and pet care.Get involved in this cool and fun even...

06/25/2024

Unpopular Opinion: Why I Don’t Recommend Bite Gloves for Handling or Socializing Cats and Kittens

My true and unfiltered opinion: bite gloves are for unskilled handlers who don’t know what they’re doing. I said what I said. I have never used bite gloves when handling a fearful or aggressive cat. Ever. While bite gloves may seem like a safe and easy solution, they often do more harm than good. Here’s why:

Unnecessary Stress: Cats that require bite gloves are already in a state of extreme stress. Forcing them into situations where they feel the need to defend themselves only heightens their anxiety and fear. Handling them without proper trust-building can be traumatic and counterproductive.

False Sense of Security: Many believe bite gloves offer complete protection, but that’s not entirely true. Cats can still bite through the gloves, which can lead to injuries. Moreover, this false sense of security often makes us less attentive to the subtle signals cats use to communicate their discomfort or fear.

Counterproductive to Socialization: The concept of flooding—overwhelming a cat with forced interaction—is inhumane. Cats subjected to this often become more fearful and aggressive, rather than more accepting of human contact. This approach is more likely to harm the cat's well-being than help.

If you find yourself thinking about picking up the gloves, ask yourself: does this cat REALLY need to be moved or handled? Is there a kinder way to do this that will minimize stress? Will my decision keep both of us safe?

Tell me about a situation where you felt the need to use bite gloves. I’ll tell you what you could try next time, instead.

04/23/2024

Not cat related, but this will be a really great event if you work with dogs!

PPG British Isles Summit 2024

Because both knowledge and skills are mission-critical!
PPG British Isles is hosting an in-person event to support academic and skills development among professional dog trainers and behavior consultants. The October 2024 event will be held over three days and will feature a series of academic sessions that will underpin more than 18 skill labs. Participants are invited to bring their dogs and work under the supervision of an expert while enhancing their training skills!

As with all of PPG’s events, there will be plenty of fun, games, and giggles.
Click here to learn more https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/summit-events/

04/01/2024

WSU researchers have identified a growing list of common drugs and products that can cause serious and potentially fatal reactions in cats with the feline MDR1 mutation.

03/28/2024

Yet another reason to play with your cat, especially if she has outdoor access: it helps save birds' lives.

https://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/post/blog-playing-with-cats-saves-birds-lives?fbclid=IwAR0BLuuXzXoOUmkkzOciF4SqCT98U9R7xfsUXPBo-WteIbpJ2vkQEtNRX2k

Sarah Ellis, head of cat mental wellbeing and behaviour at iCatCare shares her thoughts on how playing with your cat can help cats and wildlife. From SongBird Survival, your voice for songbirds and other small birds in the UK, a specialist charity.

03/19/2024

Train your cat to take medication when they are healthy.

03/09/2024

Is your kitten or cat obsessed with food, or constantly trying to steal food?
Does your kitten seem hungry all the time, jumping on counters or stealing human food?

If you have ruled out any medical issues, chances are high you are underfeeding your cat.
Splitting not enough food into smaller portions and feeding more often will not solve the problem.

✨ First make sure the food you are feeding is complete and balanced for growth or maintenance.
Many products in the market are for supplemental feeding only. And your cat does not get the calories needed for healthy growth or maintenance.

✨ Second make sure the amount of food you are feeding is correct.
Feeding guidelines are guidelines, every cat is an individual and every food has a different caloric density.

✨ Third - cats and especially kittens have a very small stomach. They eat small portions often. Split the meal into 5-6 portions per day.

✨ Adult cats need between 200-300kcal per day.
✨ Growing kittens need up to 400-500kcal per day.
✨ Senior cats need a highly digestible protein, don’t reduce the amount of food.
✨ Nursing cats need a lot of food depending on the litter size and age of kittens.

This is the formulation to calculate your cats needs as recommended by WSAVA.
100kcal xBodyweight (in kg) ^0.67

Example for a 3.5kg cat:
100kcal x 3.5kg^0.67 = 231kcal per day.

Seek the help of a professional if you are unsure.

03/05/2024

Does your cat compulsively pull out his fur (aka psychogenic alopecia)? Click below to read about causes and treatments for this upsetting behavior from Dr. Christine Calder.

Psychogenic alopecia, also known as self-trauma, is a condition in which cats compulsively pull out their hair, leading to thin, uneven coats or baldness.

03/05/2024

Dr. Mikel Delgado was recently interviewed by Psychology Today about her new book, Play With Your Cat. Check it out!

Mikel Delgado shows how misunderstanding cats results in unhealthy felines.

01/11/2024

A friend who runs a cat sanctuary recently posted photos of one of the cats on a harness and leash in her car. The cat was exhibiting fearful, unhappy body language, and some of her followers were pointing this out and trying to tell her there's a better way. Her response was something along the lines of, "That's how they get used to it." This blog post by Kate LaSala explains why forcing an animal to "get used to it" isn't effective and can make the animal more fearful. It can also negatively impact your relationship with your pet. Click below to read more.

Dog Training Doesn't He Just Need To Get Used To It? Training a fearful dog to be less afraid of things. Does flooding work?

01/10/2024

01/03/2024

This was one of our most-shared posts of 2023! It is important to recognize what the relationship is like between your cats, because catching signs of conflict early is important to maintaining a peaceful household.

Cats are social animals. Their relationships with other cats can range from friends to foes or anywhere in-between. Which of these behaviors do you see between your cats? Where does their relationship lie on the spectrum?