1st Edition

The Good Cat Parent’s Guide to Feline Behavior Modification

By Alana Linsay Stevenson Copyright 2024
    188 Pages 75 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    188 Pages 75 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Cats are cuddly and adorable, but they are often misunderstood. Sadly, many cats are relinquished to shelters or rehomed due to normal behaviors that are incorrectly treated or mishandled. In this book, Elite Fear-Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified author Alana Linsay Stevenson empowers cat parents and teaches them how to address and modify challenging feline behavior.

    You will begin by learning basic kitten care and feline developmental stages; how cats differ behaviorally from group animals, such as dogs and people; feline body language; and how cats handle stress. Alana provides concise instruction on how to gently handle cats: how to pick up and carry them, acclimate them to carriers, the use of towels, alternatives to scruffing, and how our body language affects cats. Packed with photographs for visual reference, this book offers clear guidelines and easily implementable strategies for resolving feline behavioral problems, such as:

    • failure to use the litter box

    • play aggression

    • petting aggression

    • inter-cat aggression

    • furniture scratching

    • jumping on counters

    • obsessing about food

    • night wailing

    • fear of people

    • aggression to strangers

     

    The content is organized by topic for easy access to information, as you need it.

    The Good Cat Parent’s Guide to Feline Behavior Modification is for anyone who likes cats and wants to learn more about them. Whether you are a veterinary professional, a volunteer or shelter worker who regularly handles stressed cats, or a cat parent who simply wants to understand your cat, you will find helpful and useful information at your fingertips to give cats a better quality of life. No cat parent should be without this book!

    Chapter 1: Kitten Basics.

    Chapter 2: Basic Feline Care & Enrichment.

    Chapter 3: Body Language & Communication.

    Chapter 4: Emotional Bonding and Your Relationship with Your Cat.

    Chapter 5: Humane Handling.

    Chapter 6: Behavior Problems.

    Chapter 7: Geriatric, Aging and Unwell Cats.

    Chapter 8: Societal Issues.

    Glossary/Definitions

    Biography

    Alana Linsay Stevenson, M.S. is a professional animal behaviorist and dog trainer. She helps clients resolve dog and cat behavioral problems, including fearful and aggressive behaviors, in a humane, science-based way.

    Alana has a Master of Science in Biology Education and a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She is an Elite Fear-Free Certified Professional and certified in Low Stress Handling for Dogs and Cats, as well as certified in small animal massage therapy.

    In addition to this book, Alana is the author of Training Your Dog the Humane Way (2011). She is the creator of the webinars; Feline Fundamentals: Humane Handling Basics and Behavior, Body Language, and Communication, and Canine Fundamentals: Behavior and Body Language. Alana created standard operating procedures (SOPs) for animal shelters on Humane Feline-Handling and the Use of Dog Harnesses and she is on the Cat-Friendly Practice Advisory Council for the American Association of Feline Practitioners.

    She can be reached through her website AlanaStevenson.com.