rescue waggin part1
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Environmental Enrichment or Making the Shelter a Behaviorally Friendly Place for Animals
Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D., CAAB AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com Part 1 HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important?
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? • Adoption rates – Stressed animals don’t show normal behaviors – Fearful, aggressive, stressed, depressed animals less likely to be adopted – Can’t be adopting out dangerous or difficult to live with pets
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? • Animal welfare and humane concerns – That is who you are – Decreased or no community support if your animals are not behaviorally healthy – Overcome “dog pound” stereotype
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? • Safe working conditions – Stressed pets more likely to bite – Difficult to handle animals adds to already high employee “stress loads”
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? • Contagious disease outbreak increases with stressed animals – Physical health affected by behavioral health – Stress affects immune system through the adrenal glands & other mechanisms
• 24% of cats in McCobb study showed signs of physical illness – Vomiting, diarrhea, hematuria, URI HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? “No cat (dog) should have to turn his back on the world”
“The Emotional Life of Cats: A Manual for Improving the Psychological Well-Being of Shelter Cats BC SPCA and Nadine Gourkow
It’s the right thing to do HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
What is Environmental Enrichment? • Environmental Enrichment is the provision of stimuli that encourage species typical behavior and satisfy an individual animal's physical and psychological (behavioral) needs.* *Veterinary Resources Program, NIH HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Successful Enrichment: • Must know what species typical behaviors are • Take into account individual differences • Must know what behavioral needs are • Must know how to recognize consequences of needs not being met • Understand stress and stressors HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Species typical behaviors - understand natural, biological history
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Cat Behavior 101+
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
‘Thousands
of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this” Anonymous HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats very sensitive to inter-personal space & distance
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
NOT territorial behavior HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Personal space – Keep away from self – Avoid, no pursuit
• Keep out of territory – Stalking, pursuing – Not an issue except in social housing
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Lots of individual variation • Difficult to predict very accurately which cats are going to do well with each other, and which are not
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Past history helps • But getting along with Cat A doesn’t mean will do same with Cat B • Stressful environment may lower sociability
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats
Not all cats will form strong social bonds with other cats Individual variation Social housing good for some cats, not others
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats Signaling capabilities, to prevent escalation of conflict, are less well developed in cats
Easier
for things to go wrong, and for mis-understandings
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Cats don’t have submissive postures • Leave or avoid instead – Social housing must facilitate this – Hiding places – Vertical space – Flat floor space promotes aggression HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Cats don’t have clear playsolicitation behaviors • Play-fights more often become serious • More difficult for cats to repair social relationships • Need to minimize social conflict in housing arrangements HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Odors are more important to cats • Scent marking – Urine marking – Scratching
• Odors used to avoid one another HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Cats don’t usually compete over food, toys • Cats use “time” to share space – Preferred areas at different times HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats Groups of cats often don’t have a clear structure Cats more flexible in their social structures Linear dominance hierarchies uncommon
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Cats can stay aroused for hours • Redirected behavior is common
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Adaptation • Cats seem not to adapt quickly • 5 weeks in quarantine study • Long term social housing – Hissing and other threats – Watching – Few affiliative / “friendly” behaviors seen between cats until 1 year
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Patterns of elimination • Predisposed to eliminate in soft particulate matter • Change of substrate stressor
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Environmental Enrichment or Making the Shelter a Behaviorally Friendly Place for Animals
Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D., CAAB AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com Part 1 HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important?
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? • Adoption rates – Stressed animals don’t show normal behaviors – Fearful, aggressive, stressed, depressed animals less likely to be adopted – Can’t be adopting out dangerous or difficult to live with pets
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? • Animal welfare and humane concerns – That is who you are – Decreased or no community support if your animals are not behaviorally healthy – Overcome “dog pound” stereotype
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? • Safe working conditions – Stressed pets more likely to bite – Difficult to handle animals adds to already high employee “stress loads”
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? • Contagious disease outbreak increases with stressed animals – Physical health affected by behavioral health – Stress affects immune system through the adrenal glands & other mechanisms
• 24% of cats in McCobb study showed signs of physical illness – Vomiting, diarrhea, hematuria, URI HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Why Is This Important? “No cat (dog) should have to turn his back on the world”
“The Emotional Life of Cats: A Manual for Improving the Psychological Well-Being of Shelter Cats BC SPCA and Nadine Gourkow
It’s the right thing to do HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
What is Environmental Enrichment? • Environmental Enrichment is the provision of stimuli that encourage species typical behavior and satisfy an individual animal's physical and psychological (behavioral) needs.* *Veterinary Resources Program, NIH HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Successful Enrichment: • Must know what species typical behaviors are • Take into account individual differences • Must know what behavioral needs are • Must know how to recognize consequences of needs not being met • Understand stress and stressors HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Species typical behaviors - understand natural, biological history
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Cat Behavior 101+
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
‘Thousands
of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this” Anonymous HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats very sensitive to inter-personal space & distance
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
NOT territorial behavior HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Personal space – Keep away from self – Avoid, no pursuit
• Keep out of territory – Stalking, pursuing – Not an issue except in social housing
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Lots of individual variation • Difficult to predict very accurately which cats are going to do well with each other, and which are not
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Past history helps • But getting along with Cat A doesn’t mean will do same with Cat B • Stressful environment may lower sociability
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats
Not all cats will form strong social bonds with other cats Individual variation Social housing good for some cats, not others
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats Signaling capabilities, to prevent escalation of conflict, are less well developed in cats
Easier
for things to go wrong, and for mis-understandings
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Cats don’t have submissive postures • Leave or avoid instead – Social housing must facilitate this – Hiding places – Vertical space – Flat floor space promotes aggression HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Cats don’t have clear playsolicitation behaviors • Play-fights more often become serious • More difficult for cats to repair social relationships • Need to minimize social conflict in housing arrangements HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Odors are more important to cats • Scent marking – Urine marking – Scratching
• Odors used to avoid one another HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Cats don’t usually compete over food, toys • Cats use “time” to share space – Preferred areas at different times HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats Groups of cats often don’t have a clear structure Cats more flexible in their social structures Linear dominance hierarchies uncommon
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Cats can stay aroused for hours • Redirected behavior is common
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Adaptation • Cats seem not to adapt quickly • 5 weeks in quarantine study • Long term social housing – Hissing and other threats – Watching – Few affiliative / “friendly” behaviors seen between cats until 1 year
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
Making the Shelter Behaviorally Friendly; Enrichment options
Understanding Cats • Patterns of elimination • Predisposed to eliminate in soft particulate matter • Change of substrate stressor
HelpingFido.com HelpingFido.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com BehaviorEducationNetwork.com
HelpingKitty.com HelpingKitty.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com ©AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com
