'Nurturing the Feline Nature' Webinar Presented by Terri Grow

About the Webinar

When taking steps towards domestication, do you think cats anticipated being caged with humans?  The safety and comfort of a loving home should be more nourishing than any superfood, yet owners are uninformed as to the range of household and environmental issues that can plague cats—leading to deteriorating health and contributing to the development of disease and behavioral issues..  To ensure an enriching environment and support for the cat’s emotional well-being, triggers that set them on edge must be addressed: scents, safety, boredom, family dynamics (human and animal), rival cats (inside or out) and more.  For example, stress is a known trigger for house soiling and cystitis, yet, rarely looked at as a contributing factor to gastrointestinal issues – even though inappetance and GI disorders were shown to be the most common sickness behavior, alongside interstitial cystitis, for cats under stress. Smell, a major language of cats, can hold friendly, threatening or toxic information causing a range of responses, including affecting appetite.  Lack of stimuli needed for mental and physical activities, as well as spatial and territorial dynamics all affect our cats’ health and well-being and even food consumption. While many of these issues discussed will reflect more on household enrichment, insights may be beneficial for clinical application.