pet connection

As you may recall, I had a little technical difficulty with my laptop the afternoon of the first day, and the second day Christie and I rebelled at carrying around our heavy laptops, so all my notes after that first session were done with a chisel and stone tab, er, pen and notebook. I’ll do my best to reconstruct what was said, but quite a bit will be paraphrasing. And I can best be described as obsessive when it comes to spelling things correctly, so it’s v. diff. 4 me 2 abbr. things. It’s not in my nature.

The afternoon session, Rehabilitating and Adopting Cats, was part of the Sheltering Track. Christie attended it, too, so maybe she’ll jump in with other observations. Presenters were Susan Cosby; Joan Miller, vice president of the Cat Fanciers Association and president of the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy; and four shelter cats. Cosby began the session by talking about what cats in shelters need and deserve.

Cats deserve care, comfort, safety. Cats need access to dry food at all times, wet food at least once a day, and clean, fresh water at all times. They need comfort, in the form of blankets and cushions. Cats need quiet time, places to perch and hide, and safety from seeing other animals or hearing scary noises.

Most cats arrive at the shelter healthy. Stress and disease transmission cause them to become sick. Cats that aren’t stressed are more resistant to disease, have a better chance of full protection from vaccines, and are more likely to be adopted and live a better life. So stress reduction is paramount.

People are the number-one cause of disease in cats [through improper handling]. One of the reasons is because they go through multiple housing changes during intake, while cages are being cleaned, etc. [Basically, this leads to more opportunities for the cat to be exposed to germs/disease and, of course, is stressful.] Use Feliway. Set cage/carrier on an elevated table, not a low cart, so cat feels safe. Disinfect any/all surfaces that each cat touches.

Proper handling procedures can produce a dramatic drop in upper respiratory infection cases.

She repeats earlier advice about using disposable dishes and litter boxes and recommends the use of cardboard boxes in which cats can hide, perch, and then ride in to their new home. These reconfigurable–is that a word? I just made it up–boxes are available from petfinder.com.

Cats that have all these things appear more confident/comfortable and friendly and are therefore more adoptable.

Next up: Joan Miller. She described the feline nature and then demonstrated how to handle cats in such a way that they became more willing to be handled and appeared more relaxed, more friendly, more adoptable. It was an amazing show. I could have watched it all day. She’s one of those people who is just so comfortable handling animals and so skilled that you are in awe of her abilities. She had requested four “demo” cats. Some were from a shelter, some were in foster care. None were wild about being handled. One had been in foster care for six weeks, during which time no one had been able to touch him.

The “domesticated” cat does not exist. Cats are still evolving. They can revert to a wild character: they hide and are unsocial and fearful. Cats respond differently when in a new place [the shelter as opposed to their home, for instance. So a normally friendly cat may appear to be unsocialized or feral.]

To understand cats, look at these factors: domestication level, basic cat nature, genetic predisposition, prior experiences. Influencing factors include age, spay/neuter status, type of housing, and time available for adaptation.

To assess a cat’s temperament, allow a 24-hour settle-down period. Determine its health status. Avoid assessing the cat’s temperament at the same time as the veterinary exam.

Cats are cautious observers…skilled predators…territorial and hierarchical. Cats need predictable [I think that's what "pred" is an abbreviation for], nonthreatening adversity experiences to build confidence. Handling sessions, grooming, and exposure to noise and people’s actions. For predation, substitute interactive play. Cats like to see activity.

What do cats want? Comfort, touch, affection, gradual change, respect for their aura of power, to show off their skills.

Now she begins her demonstration with the cats. First up is how to get the cat out of the cage. She picks up each cat quickly and confidently. Rather than trying to grab the cat at the front end, she works from behind, supporting the cat’s front end and hind end and removing him from the cage rear first. She places the cat on the table and strokes him, with the goal of getting his tail up, a sign of confidence.

Don’t let people hug cats. Make sure the cat can see all around it.

The cat squirmed a bit but overall was accepting of being handled. She placed him back in the cage and disinfected the table (after each cat).

Poor cat handling practices can cause a cat to bite, which is automatic euthanasia.

She pulls out the next cat and shows how to stroke its mouth in the kitty version of a kiss. Just as cats rub the sides of their mouths up against people or objects that they want to claim as their own, people can rub the sides of the cat’s mouth to express affection.

Groom the cat, especially if it’s not grooming itself. People don’t want to adopt a shedding cat. Don’t let cats hide all the time. Challenge them with handling. Give a massage.

Here, she describes the cat’s coat pattern, with the admonition to be able to describe what makes a particular cat unique or beautiful. This particular cat had what she called a Dutch rabbit pattern. These cats were all very attractive and all of us, I think, were surprised that one in particular hadn’t been adopted yet because he/she was gorgeous.

Don’t look directly at the cat, even if the cat looks at you. That’s very confrontational. See if the cat will let you touch his belly.

The cat she’s handling puts his rear up in the air for more, a good sign. She holds the cat up off the ground like a show cat. At this point, Miller talks about cat agility, CFA’s history of household pet classes at cat shows, and the adoption event at the Madison Square Garden show. Someone raises a hand and asks, somewhat wonderingly, if Miller is a cat show judge and breeder. She says yes and goes on to matter-of-factly enumerate her credentials. It was an excellent demonstration of what a real breeder is to an audience that may not all have had a high opinion of breeders.

She moves on to a growly black cat with long hair and a bit of a mat in his coat. Miller takes out a comb and goes to work on it. “I’m sure there’s a nice cat in there,” she says.

He goes for an escape but Miller retrieves him without too much effort and goes on to clean his coat with a mousse shampoo. He puts up pretty well with it. No vocalizing.

Most cats like being fussed over.

She stands the cat up. “Good boy!”

Use a top-loading carrier so you don’t have to drag the cat out.

Feral cats should not be in the shelter system. they should be treated as community cats.

At this point, Miller begins to describe how and when cat habits are formed. A woman in front of me leans over to her colleague and whispers “Show cats” in what sounds like a dismissive tone of voice. Umm, no, all cats develop the same way, whether or not they’re show cats.

It must have ended soon afterward because I have no more notes for this session.

Obligatory Cavalier blogging: Twyla, who normally gives me no trouble, seemed to be anxious and breathing hard earlier this evening, so we made a little run to the ER. By the time we got there, she was fine, of course. Had her checked out anyway and will have her regular vet and the cardiologist take a look at the x-ray to see what they think. But I think I discovered the problem when we were in the exam room. I was petting her and found what seemed to be a large mat beneath her chin. Upon closer investigation, however, I discovered it was her scrunchy (keeps her ears out of her food). I put a black one on her tonight because it was all I could find and then didn’t notice it later to take it off. She’s got so much coat that it just disappeared around her neck. She was probably scratching at it to get it off, got frustrated, started breathing hard…. Sigh. Go ahead; call me ditzy.

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