Improving the Lives of Shelter Cats Across North America

Dr. Jacklyn Ellis published two chapters in the second edition of Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff

Cats come into our care with many different backgrounds and experiences – such as community cats brought in by a compassionate caretaker, or cats being transferred into our care from an overburdened shelter, or medical surrender cats in need of urgent care.

Each of their stories are different and each cat is unique. They all receive help and support, but it starts with understanding the behaviour of the animal and what we can do to provide them with comfort during their time at a shelter.

Many animal welfare organizations use the Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff book as a guideline. The book presents and evaluates the available research and programs that address both animal and human behaviours associated with the intake, management, and rehoming of dogs and cats. released and our very own Dr. Jacklyn Ellis, Director of Behaviour, published two chapters.

“When they first contacted me to contribute, I was very honoured because I reference the first edition of this book all the time,” shares Dr. Ellis. “There are so few resources that are directed towards shelter animals specifically and this book is great for that. There are so many contributors that are some of the top names in our field. It really is a fantastic book.”

Dr. Ellis’ first chapter titled “Feline Behavioral Assessment” provides insight on how to conduct behavioural assessments holistically (instead of just looking at their behaviour in shelter), how to use this information to improve the cat’s welfare while in the shelter’s care, and how this information can be used to help find the cat a suitable adopter.

Her second published chapter titled “Feline Enrichment” explores different categories of enrichment and how to implement these different

types of enrichment on a macro and micro level. Dr. Ellis also discusses the value that environmental enrichment has for staff and adopters. “Environmental enrichment improves their welfare, and improving their welfare really helps the hearts of the people who are working with them,” explains Dr. Ellis.

“It’s so much easier to work with a cat that’s having a good time than a cat that is stressed. That’s really good for staff morale. Improving a cat’s psychological well-being can also make it easier to provide veterinary care. For adopters, the better experience they have, the more likely they are to adopt, and it is much easier for them to picture how a cat would fit in to their home if that cat is relaxed enough to show their true personality – and enrichment helps to bring this out.”

These published chapters reflect Dr. Ellis’ tried and tested behaviour modification methods that have helped improve animal wellness for thousands of animals – including a fearful 6-year-old cat named Lillith.

Helping Lillith to Cope with Fear

Lillith was showing signs of fear and aggression. Out of the four fear responses - fight, flight, freeze, and fidget - Lillith’s first choice was to duke it out. To help Lillith become a more confident cat, her behaviour management plan included a few different areas of enrichment.

“The very first thing we did was get her into out of cage space. For an individual that’s quite fearful, especially one that’s showing the fear response of fight, they can feel quite cornered in cages. Removing the option to flee can make some animals resort to fighting quite quickly,” explains Dr. Ellis. By giving Lillith a larger space, she had more agency and control over interactions.

“Out of cage space is one type of enrichment that I outlined in the book, and used in Lillith’s behaviour management plan, another type of enrichment is hiding opportunities,” Dr. Ellis continues. “When animals can conceal themselves from something they perceive as a threat, that can be a really good coping mechanism. They feel like they’re doing something, such as sitting up high. That can help reduce the physiological fear response by giving them a behavioural coping mechanism.”

“We also played David Teie’s Music for Cats for her. When it is very quiet, it can be really stressful when noise happens. Think about it; if you’re in bed, and it’s quiet, and then someone knocks on your door, it’s going to scare the pants off you. Now imagine you’re watching TV, and someone knocks on the door. It’s not quite as jarring,” Dr. Ellis illustrates. “Also, David Teie’s Music for Cats is developed with cats’ biological rhythms in mind. It uses a lot of cats purring, the pace of their heartbeat, and things like that. Research has shown that it makes a difference.”

Once Dr. Ellis was able to increase safety and reduce Lillith’s immediate signs of stress that were associated with being in the cage, the next step was to slowly introduce social types of enrichment, such as quiet visits and playtime, to encourage her to interact with humans on her own terms.

“We did that by using treat trails. Timing is key – as soon as they finish eating the first one and they look up for more, that’s when you have to throw another treat just a couple inches closer to you. This encourages the cat to come out of hiding on their own,” Dr. Ellis explains. “There are a lot of really good things there. First, you’re associating your presence with the positive thing of food. And second, having them use their own freewill to participate in the treat trail helps them build their confidence as well.”

As Lillith progressed, other behaviour modifications were used to make her even more confident around humans – such as desensitization and counterconditioning to touch using food and moving her into a quiet room where she was given increasing amounts of contact with humans. We’re happy to share that Lillith’s confidence grew and she was adopted.

Sharing is Caring

Dr. Ellis’ contributing chapters will have a significant impact on the welfare of animals across North America, and beyond, as it’ll reach thousands of shelter staff and volunteers, as well as professional trainers, behaviourists, and veterinarians working with shelters. Congratulations, Dr. Jacklyn Ellis, on this huge accomplishment!

Pick up your copy of the second edition of Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff from vet-ebooks.com or Amazon.