I’ve been working with the amazing caregivers of Morris and Blitz to improve their relationship , build Blitz’s confidence, and help Morris relax and manage his arousal. Both cats are now less stressed overall, and housesoiling issues have been resolved!
In this clip, we’re using management strategies and techniques like pattern games, stationing on a mat, and capturing behaviors such as looking at each other, disengaging, and exhibiting relaxed behavior and decreases in arousal. These techniques were initially taught separately to each cat, help them focus during stressful moments, start from a non-stressful baseline, and gradually shift their feelings about being around each other from negative to positive.
By continuing to collaborate, using positive reinforcement, and addressing the physical, social, and mental needs of both cats, Morris and Blitz have made incredible progress. I’m thrilled to keep working with their caregivers! Behavior change takes time, but with small, consistent steps, we’re seeing huge progress!
#cattraining #catbehavior #cats #felinefriends #catlover #positivereinforcement #teamwork #ilovemyjob #behaviormanagement #clickertraining #cathelp
Medicating my cat who doesn’t feel well
Chip hasn’t been feeling well and is on multiple medications to manage his symptoms. His belly is naked due to a recent ultrasound. Because of his GI discomfort, I’m avoiding using food and instead use hard pets throughout—something he absolutely loves.
To help decrease his stress and increase comfort, here are some of the things I did as you can see in the video:
Worked on creating a positive association with the mat ahead of time, without medicating or treatments.
Interacted with him before pilling
Rubbing his cheeks, neck, and shoulders immediately after pilling
Instead of blowing on him or holding his mouth which is commonly recommended and increases stress
Allowed him to remain in the position he was most comfortable in at the time
Approached him from behind to reduce stress.
Placed multiple pills in one capsule to avoid the need to pill him multiple times.
Coated the pill in something wet to prevent dry pilling.
If he chose to disengage immediately after pilling, I would respect his choice and give him space. He chose to stay and kept leaning in asking for more pets.
Identified what he loves—in this case, pets—and gave them in the way he likes most, which are harder pets.
We haven’t worked on practicing pilling in the past, but I still did my best to make the experience as stress-free as possible.
It’s understandable that he might feel more stressed since he’s not feeling well, which makes me even more grateful for his trust. Despite not feeling his best, he still chose to go to his treatment station on his own, stayed there, and continued to ask for pets.
There are always steps we can take to prevent, reduce, or manage stress during care.
Like and follow for more cat and dog care tips!
In this video, you’ll see our morning and nightly medication routine with Bean. Since she loves to sleep between my partner and me, I started medicating her here—and now she knows exactly when it’s med time!
She chooses to approach me on her own, purrs the whole time, and stays for treats after. This is cooperative care in action! 🐾✨
Cooperative care means involving your pet in their own care, reducing stress, and helping them feel safe and in control. It’s all about teamwork and understanding their body language and signals.
Why practice cooperative care?
💙 Builds trust with your pet
💙 Reduces stress during medical or grooming routines
💙 Makes daily care easier for everyone
Want to learn more? Like and follow for tips on cooperative care, and stay tuned for upcoming webinars and events!
#cooperativecare #cats #cattrainer #cattraining #vetmed #vettech #catbehavior #catcare #cat #catlover #collabration #seniorcat #threeleggedcat #catlife #veterinarytechnician
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
