Individuals who care for cats as part of their work, including veterinary professionals and those working in homing centres, boarding catteries or as cat groomers, are well placed to offer advice to optimise their wellbeing. With over 70% of owners reporting that their cat experiences behaviour problems,1 the Cat Behavioural Health Programme from International Cat Care (iCatCare) aims to significantly improve cat welfare and help prevent these problems from developing in the first place. Upon completion, learners will be able to champion cat wellbeing by providing preventative and behavioural first aid advice, identifying problem behaviours and working under the supervision of clinical animal behaviourists.
Written by 16 internationally renowned cat welfare experts and endorsed by the European Society of Veterinary Clinical Ethology (ESVCE), the programme is the start of a journey to becoming an iCatCare Behavioural Health Practitioner and replaces the Advanced Feline Behaviour for Veterinary and Cat Professionals courses. With flexible pay-per-module online and on-demand delivery, the programme is designed to fit easily into a busy schedule and features up-to-date cat welfare science (including areas of behaviour, cognition, emotions, human-animal interactions and genetics).
Learners will earn a certificate upon completing each module building up to the Level 1 Cat Behavioural Health Practitioner, which comprises four learning modules and a final project module. Planning is currently underway for Level 2, which will build on the skills acquired in Level 1 with a focus on people-centric skills, such as communication, professionalism and ethics, and will include practical case studies.
Featuring engaging and interactive course lessons, the programme will also support those interested in becoming an ABTC Animal Behaviour Technician by contributing to the knowledge and understanding requirements.
Sarah Ellis, Head of Cat Mental Wellbeing and Behaviour at iCatCare and course director said:
‘Across the world are cats that are misunderstood due to a lack of caregiver understanding of their behaviour. Sadly, this can lead to inappropriate husbandry and interactions, which can, in turn, lead to problem behaviours. Preventative advice and early recognition of problem behaviours are both key to improving cat welfare. This programme allows anyone who works with cats, either directly or in a remote advisory role, to gain the knowledge and understanding required to help promote cat behavioural health.’
Modules 1 and 2 (Level 1) of the Cat Behavioural Health Programme are now available to complete on demand at https://go.icatcare.org/catbehealth, with more modules coming in 2025.
References
1. PDSA. Paw Report 2024 [Internet]. [Cited 11 October 2024] Available from: https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/pdsa-animal-wellbeing-report/paw-report-2024/cats
