No stress, no struggle-just teamwork
In this video, you’ll see my cat comfortably receiving an injection. Malt has arthritis and as part of her multimodal treatment, she receives monthly injections to manage her pain. This is her baseline speed of eating and she is purring throughout her chomps 😸
She chooses to go and stay on her mat, stays relaxed, and enjoys a treat while I give her the injection. This is what cooperative care looks like in action. 🐾✨
Cooperative care means involving your pet in their care, reducing stress, and ensuring they feel safe and in control. Cooperative care is all about teamwork between you and your pet, ensuring their physical and emotional well-being. It’s a two-way conversation where we adapt based on their body language and signals.
Why practice cooperative care?
💙 Builds trust between you and your pet
💙 Reduces anxiety around medical or grooming procedures
💙 Makes routine care easier and less stressful for everyone
Want to learn more? Like and follow for tips on cooperative care!
It’s Pain Awareness Month
Let’s bust some of the biggest myths about pet pain and learn how to better care for our furry friends.
Swipe through to discover common myths and the truth behind them!
As a veterinary technician specialized in behavior, I often see pet caregivers struggling to recognize when their pets are in pain. Pain in pets can be subtle, and behavioral changes are crucial clues! 🐶🐱
Early intervention is crucial for your pet’s comfort and quality of life. Effective pain management involves a multimodal approach:
A multimodal approach to pain management in dogs and cats involves using a combination of therapies to effectively manage pain. This strategy might include medications for immediate relief, laser therapy to reduce inflammation and promote healing, weight management to reduce joint stress, physical rehabilitation to restore function and mobility, environmental changes to create a safe and comfortable environment and supplements to support overall joint and tissue health.
By addressing pain from multiple angles, we provide more comprehensive and sustained relief.
For more tips and resources, visit my website: https://chirrupsandchatter.com/resource-library/
#painawarenessmonth #dogpain #myth #cats #dogs #doglover #catlover #vetmed #vettech #catbehavior #dogbehavior #catmom #dogdad #pain
September is Pain Awareness Month! 🩺
Did you know that understanding your pet's behavior is key to recognizing and assessing their pain?
Behavior Speaks Louder Than Words
Your pet is always communicating with you. They use their body language to show when they’re feeling comfortable and when something’s not right.
Observing your pet’s behavior is the most accurate way to gauge their pain levels. Here’s what to watch for:
- Normal Behavior:
Notice if there are changes in your pet’s ability to maintain their usual activities and habits. For example, a normally playful dog might suddenly seem disinterested in toys or a cat may stop grooming itself.
- Loss of Normal Behavior:
If your furry friend is no longer doing the things they love, this could be a sign of pain. For instance, a dog that used to love walks might now hesitate to go outside, or a cat might start avoiding their favorite sunny spot.
- New Behaviors:
Sometimes, pets develop new behaviors as they cope with pain or respond to pain relief. They might start exhibiting aggressive behavior, hiding, showing signs of anxiety, or becoming sensitive to touch.
Let’s all be mindful of our pets’ behavior to ensure they live their happiest, healthiest lives!
Like and follow Chirrups and Chatter for more tips on understanding cat and dog pain and behavior.
Avoid using force, fear, and/or flooding
These are common techniques recommended to “socialize” fearful or feral kittens but it’s best to avoid these with socialization protocols. Flooding, fear, and force can result in an increase in fear and stress and cause negative associations with people, animals, and the world around them
Flooding is exposing a learner (kitten) full force to a feared stimulus. In many cases, people are also misreading or ignoring the kittens body language. An example of this would be not assessing the kittens body language, forcing contact, and picking up and holding the kitten when they are actively hiding, trying to get away, and/or showing other signs of stress and fear.
Flooding: If you were afraid of spiders and I threw you in a room of spiders, you are most likely going to be more fearful of spiders and your fear may generalize. You may just see a black dust ball and feel the same fear/stress response you have to spiders.
Instead, we should be assessing the kittens body language, respecting it, and going at the kittens pace. This includes setting up a calm and comfortable environment meeting the kittens physical emotional and mental needs using feline friendly handling, and using desensitization and classical counterconditioning instead of flooding.
Counter-conditioning means changing the pet’s emotional response, feelings or attitude toward a stimulus. Classical counter-conditioning would be accomplished by pairing the sight, sounds and approach of a person with one of the cat’s favored rewards to change the emotional state to one that is calm and positive.
Desensitization is the gradual exposure of a kitten to the stimuli or a situation that frightens them, beginning at such a low level that they do no react at all and slowly increasing the level of exposure without provoking a stress response, with the goal of reducing or eliminating fear, anxiety, or stress.
For more information, visit chirrupsandchatter.com to access socialization handouts
Clicker training is for cats too!
Check out this video of Scottie showing off his skills! He can perform these tricks in different environments, around various people, and even with distractions—including his brother. We’re focused on strengthening their relationship and providing outlets for all of Scottie’s amazing energy. He absolutely loves clicker training!
Clicker training offers countless benefits for your cat, from boosting their confidence and comfort in different situations to encouraging creativity and initiative. It also provides enrichment and strengthens the bond between you and your feline friend.
🌟 Socialization Tip
Kitten and puppy socialization tip: change up your appearance by wearing different hats, outfits, and costumes.
Introducing kittens and puppies to new experiences in a positive way prepares them for the world.
Kittens have a key socialization period from about 2 to 9 weeks, and puppies from about 3 to 14 weeks. However, cats and dogs of all ages can benefit from a socialization program.
Socialization is key to preparing them for the human world. It helps them develop appropriate social behavior,
enhances their coping skills, and promotes lifelong learning.
Medication training and cooperative care for the win
Medication training and cooperative care for the win
Huge shoutout to my awesome client, Kait 👏it has been such a pleasure working with her and her pets. Digit has chronic medical issues that are managed but he needs diagnostics done frequently and meds but we have worked together to make it less stressful for everyone involved.
Cooperative care is all about collaboration between animal and the people providing the care and is focused on both the physical and emotional well-being of the animal
In involves adapting interactions based on body language and other behavioral signals from the animal.
It is a dialogue between animals and people, rather than a one sided conversation controlled by people
If you want to learn more, like and follow
Chirrups and Chatter offers virtual and in person cooperative care training too
Kittens need socialization too!
🐱✨ While we often hear about puppy socialization, kitten socialization is just as important!
Socialization involves introducing kittens to various stimuli and experiences in a positive and controlled manner.
Monitor their body language to ensure they’re comfortable and pair new experiences with treats or play. Socialization is more than exposure-it’s about teaching life skills and helping kittens learn that the world is safe. 🐾💖
Key Socialization Period:
- 2-7 weeks (up to ~9-10 weeks)
- During this time, kittens are most receptive to new experiences.
- Social learning and attachments form rapidly.
- It’s a crucial time for reducing fear and teaching appropriate behaviors.
- New environments feel safe to them.
- This is the best time to introduce new stimuli positively.
Socialization Continues:
- Safe and comfortable exposure to new experiences should continue throughout a cat’s life.
- Post-socialization period, it’s more challenging but still essential.
Like and follow for more tips on kitten care and behavior! 🐾💖
😻 Want to learn more? We offer lectures and workshops to help you start and implement kitten socialization programs and kitten kindergarten at your shelter or veterinary hospital!
Rewarding Polite Play Requests from Your Cat! 🐾
When your feline friend politely requests playtime, it’s a wonderful opportunity to reinforce their good behavior!
Here are some ways your cat might express their desire to play:
1. Toy Delivery:If your cat brings you a toy, they’re saying, “Let’s play!”
2. Increased Activity:Watch for playful zoomies or sudden bursts of energy.
3. Eye Contact with Relaxed Body Language:Those big, pleading eyes mean it’s playtime!
4. Adorable Squirming:Playful squirming on their back is an invitation to join the fun.
5. Strategic Toy Placement:If they head to where you keep their toys, follow their lead.
Remember, every cat has their unique way of communicating. By recognizing and rewarding these polite play requests, you’ll strengthen your bond with your feline companion.
🎉 Download my free playing with your cat handout at chirrupsandchatter.com for more tips
🐕 4 tips to reduce firework fear 🐈⬛
🐕 🐈⬛ Tis the season for fireworks and here are some tips to help reduce the stress for your cat(s) and dog(s).
🎇 Remember, fireworks are not only scary for our feline and canine friends but also many other animals and can cause humans stress and fear too!
🏠 Create a safe space
🔇 Minimize loud noises and other stressful stimuli
🐾 Understand and comfort their needs
🎾 Offer their favorite toys and treats
💊Utilize calming aids if needed
Every animal is an individual, when using calming aids, it’s important to assess body language and see if fear and stress decrease.
Thundershirts*
Feliway or Thunderease (aka adaptil) diffusers or spray
Nutraceuticals such as zylkene, composure, and anxitane
Ear muffs (mutt muffs)/calming caps*
**the animal should be comfortable wearing these, through training, ahead of time
🚪 Keep them indoors and ensure ID tags are updated
💬 For severe stress, consult your vet and an evidence based animal welfare positive behavior professional. In some cases, medications from your vet may be needed. You can discuss this with your vet.
It’s important to approach noise phobia and firework anxiety with a multimodal approach including management like safe places, behavior modification, calming aids, etc and your vet and a behavior consultant can help!
Fear and Anxiety during scary storms or 4th of July Celebrations can be serious situations but you can help!
🎉 Happy National (Don’t Hug) but interact with Your cat in a way they enjoy day
Today and everyday, we celebrate our feline friends by understanding and respecting them.
Here are a few ways to honor this special day while respecting your cat’s space:
1. Interact with Your Cat in a Way They Enjoy: Every cat is unique, so learn what your kitty loves. Whether it’s a gentle petting session, a fun game with a feather toy, or some quiet time by the window, find activities that make your cat happy.
2. Let Your Cat Initiate, Choose, and Control Human Contact:Cats, like people, have their own preferences for physical contact. Allow your cat to approach you for affection and respect their signals if they need some space.
3. Educate Children About Cat Communication:It’s essential to teach children how to interact safely and respectfully with cats. Many cats feel uncomfortable or threatened by hugs, which can lead to misunderstandings and potentially scratchy situations. Teach children to recognize signs of discomfort in cats, such as twitching tails, flattened ears, or hissing, and to always ask permission before approaching a cat they don’t know.
4. Pay Attention to Cat Body Language: Cats communicate through body language. Watch for signs of stress or discomfort, such as flattened ears, swishing tails, or avoiding eye contact, and respond by giving your cat space or redirecting their attention to something more enjoyable. Also, assess body language to identify if the cat is enjoying the onteraction, your cat may enjoy a hug, but for 1-3 seconds. Just like, I love a hug but hugs can vecome uncomfortable really quick based on who and how they are hugging me, also how long.
By celebrating National (Don’t Hug) Your Cat Day, we not only show our love and appreciation for our feline companions but also promote a better understanding of their needs and preferences.
.
A gradual introduction going at each individual cats pace may take a few months but it is more than worth it for a lifetime of cats who are not only comfortable around eachother but enjoy eachother❤️
Received this awesome update today from a client. “These guys play every morning after breakfast and before bed at night! Muppet is still in her room when we sleep and when we aren't home but they are doing so well! Our intro was long but I really believe it's what they both needed to actually enjoy each other!”
We worked together to gradually introduce the cats to eachother and to identify and manage Rupert’s pain ❤️
