😻Cat enrichment. 😻My front yard is busy! Lilly has her paws full to control air traffic. #animalwelfare #enrichmentforcats #petnutritionist #catenrichment #catsupervisor #thefelineconsultantdsm
This is Isabella, the Amur Tiger at the Omaha Zoo enjoying a bath! In her opinion the biggest mistake with cat introductions you can make is even start them! Amur Tigers are solitary animals except for a couple of minutes during mating season. #animalbehavior #catbehavior #felinebehaviour #catintroduction #thefelineconsultantdsm
🍦Perfect for hot days like today 🍦 #felinenutriton #naturalcatfood #catnutrition #enrichmentforcats #catlovers #thefelineconsultantdsm #catbehavior
Lilly was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism last week. We can’t seem to get a break here. She is the one and only cat I know that doesn’t like lickable treats. So I opted for transdermal methimazole. Here I am working to get her more comfortable letting me touch her ears. I am waiting for her to touch my hand with her ears. Not the sniffing, not the pawing. Just holding up my hand and give her a choice. #catbehavior #thefelineconsultantdsm #felinebehaviour #cooperativecare #adoptdontshop #animalwelfare
I am working with Rascal to take empty gel caps since a couple of days.
This beautiful boy needs to go to vet again. He has been let down by people and is still shy and can’t be touched. There is no need to trap him and have him go through another traumatic event. I decided to rather work on cooperative care with him.
First step was to cover hard treats with his favorite lickable treat. This will get him used to the texture. Second step is to replace the hard treats with empty gel caps. Third step will be to put meds in the gel caps.
#felinebehaviour #catcommunity #adoptdontshop #animalbehavior #thefelineconsultantdsm #cattraining #catnutritionist #cooperativecare
What a beautiful morning to start a new life! He was trapped, neutered and released. No more babies and no more fighting for females in heat. #animalbehavior #tnrsaveslives #tnrworks #thefelineconsultantdsm #highlandpark
The storms are over and Lilly is chasing grasshoppers. She is not very good at it….😹😹😹
#thefelineconsultantdsm #catcommunity #adoptdontshop #naturalcatfood #felinebehaviour #animalbehavior
😻 Lilly gets a monthly pain injection that helps with her arthritis. 😻
Going to the vet once a month for a simple injection is not an option. And I am glad I found a vet that allows me to pick up the meds and give her the injection myself.
To ease the injection part I tried to distract her with food or minimally restrain her. Distraction is not a perfect solution and she was getting less and less cooperative.
My goal now is to work on a start button behavior that allows the injection.
Wish me luck! We have come so far. The matching law at its best! Finding a high value treat that pays for injection is not easy!!
#catbehaviorist #felinebehaviour #thefelineconsultantdsm #cattraining #catcommunity #felinenutriton #cooperativecare
During a kittens development play with conspecifics is crucial. It cannot be replaced with object play or human attention.
Kittens learn so much from mom or siblings. Playing with another cat teaches them physical coordination and social skills like boundaries about biting.
Having a buddy to grow up with enriches their life in so many ways! And it usually makes the life of the humans in the family easier. They will keep each other company and this will benefit everyone for years to come.
#catbehaviorist #felinebehaviour #felinebehaviorist #enrichmentforcats #animalbehavior #animalwelfare #thefelineconsultantdsm
If your cats never leave your apartment or house , why don’t bring the outdoors inside?
Depending on the season think about grasses, leaves or even snow.
Trust me your cats are going to enjoy the adventure of different scents and textures.
#catbehavior #catbehaviorist #felinebehaviorist #cattraining #felinebehaviour #enrichmentforcats #thefelineconsultantdsm
I had the opportunity to listen to Professor Dennis C. Turner at the inaugural cat cafe this morning.
He confirmed my observation: if a cat ever had outdoor access it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible to contain that cat to an indoor life only.
To confine cats to an indoor life only we need to consider:
✨ the cat has never experienced the multitude of stimuli encountered outdoors.
✨ the apartment or house meets all of its behavioral, psychological and physiological needs. Including but not limited to:
✨ elevated safe spaces
✨ scratching opportunities
✨ food/water/litterbox
✨ social contact
#catbehavior #catlovers #animalwelfare #catenrichment #animalbehavior #catbehaviorist #cattraining #thefelineconsultantdsm
😻 Interactive rechargeable toys, are a great way to entertain your cats. Especially if your cat wants to play but you have to sit in on a zoom call…..😻
#animalbehavior #catenrichment #catbehavior #animalwelfare #catcommunity #adoptdontshop #catlovers
As a nutritionist I often get this question:
What is the next innovation in cat nutrition?
What are the new trends to increase palatability?
It is important to consider what we feed.
But are we paying enough attention to “How we feed our cats”
Food puzzles are a great way to include seeking in our cat’s daily routine. Seeking is different from eating, and causes a dopamine release = appetitive state. Once the food is found, the animal moves into the consummatory state, and dopamine release goes down.
#catenrichment #thefelineconsultantdsm #animalbehavior #felinenutriton #noseworkwithcats #animalwelfare #naturalcatfood
😻 On Thursday I had to say goodbye to Eva. 😻
Eva has always been a sickly cat, and at times I felt overwhelmed with her care. During her 11 year young life she was diagnosed with IBD, vestibular disease, allergies and now in February with Horner’s syndrome and a growth in her ear.
It is never easy to loose an animal. But when you loose your soul cat it’s extremely hard.
#catbehavior #animalwelfare #thefelineconsultantdsm #catloss
😻 I love the new camera in my heated cat house.
It’s so nice to meet all the neighbor cats. 😹
The camera is motion activated, and follows him during his cleaning movements.
#animalbehavior #thefelineconsultantdsm #adoptdontshop #catcommunity #catbodylanguage #catbehavior #catintroduction
😻 Life after the gate! 😻 Cat re-introduction case.
Please all join me in congratulating my clients for a successful cat introduction. They worked so hard for this!
Salem and Sayla had been living together for years when re-directed aggression became an issue.
After almost 2 months of hard work they are finally getting back to being relaxed around each other.
The owners were so wonderful to work with. We included clicker training, pattern games and recall into the mix. This is the result of hard work by the owners. So proud of them!
#cattraining #thefelineconsultantdsm #catbehaviorist #catenrichment #catbehavior #animalbehavior #catintroduction
Only 60% of cats respond to catnip. It’s genetic. Give your cats some choice with silvervine or valerian root from Meowy Janes. Basil has decided silvervine is his choice of the day. #noseworkwithcats #catbehavior #thefelineconsultantdsm #animalbehavior #catenrichment #catnutritionist
😻 Many clients don’t want to always use treats as the primary reinforcer. Especially when the cat is overweight and they feel more treats are not helping the cause.
In this video I use brushing as the reinforcer. Lilly has a double coat and she loves being brushed. BUT - she gives me the major runaround to do so.
The target stick keeps her stationed, and we can complete the brushing without me having to change locations all the time.
#animalbehavior #catenrichment #cattraining #catbehavior #thefelineconsultantdsm #catlovers
😻 Eva is in love with her new crinkly catnip toy. 😻
#catenrichment #catbehavior #catnutritionist #thefelineconsultantdsm #animalbehavior #cattraining
😻 Eva has very fine hair. To avoid hairballs that trigger her IBD brushing her daily is important.
To get to the spots under her belly that she does not allow me to touch I use a lickimat with Creamy. This is her favorite high value treat she gets very rarely.
The lickimat distracts her long enough to use a wide comb, and break up the knots.
#catbehaviorist #thefelineconsultantdsm #catcommunity #animalbehavior #catnutrition #felinenutriton #cattraining
