Ask a cat behaviourist – Socialising cats, separation anxiety in cats, fixing bad behaviours & finding what motivates your cat with Dr Kristyn Vitale

June 29, 2020 Hasara Lay

Dr Kristyn Vitale is a researcher & educator in Animal Behavior, welfare & human-animal interaction. Kristyn has done some fascinating research looking at social behaviour between cats, the cat-human bond and so much more. We chat all about socialising your cat, what to do if you missed socialising them when they were kittens, how to manage separation anxiety, how to find what motivates your cat & the mistakes people make when fixing bad behaviours with their cats.

What we talk about

What does it mean to socialise a cat?
Why is it important to socialise a cat?
How do you socialise a cat if you missed socialising them during their “kitten” stage?
How to make socialisation while catexploring easier
How cat socialisation classes work
How to find cat socialisation classes near you
How to socialise your cat if you don’t have a kitten socialisation class near you
Socialisation of cats in their litter
Attachment behaviour in cats
How to help our cats manage separation anxiety
Including cats as a part of the family when big events happen
Thoughts on negative reinforcement and aversives
How to combat situations without using negative reinforcement
Positive reinforcement methods
How to find what motivates your cat
Cats are individuals
Mistakes people make with their cat’s “bad” behaviour
Advice for new cat owners
Most entertaining comment about cat behaviour
Cat experts that inspire Kristyn
Product, service or program that has been a gamechanger for Kristyn’s cats