Tessa's Time To Shine

By Daniel Quagliozzi

New cats enter the shelter everyday and everyone of them has a story to tell. Every now and again, a unique case like Tessa captures the interest of the Cat Behavior Team, both as a challenge and as a margin to judge success.

In March of 2003, Tessa arrived at our shelter as a four year old, former feral (say that three times fast), with very high anxiety and increased levels of fear. She was a difficult cat to place as she stayed hidden most of the time and would hiss and growl at volunteers if they approached without caution. In time, Tessa found a match! She would soon be living with the person that she thought would take care of her for the rest of her life.

Fast forward six years to the day Tessa originally arrived here. A very distraught client calls the shelter asking for assistance. Without warning, her life plans have changed and she will have to move to Hawaii. Unfortunately for Tessa, she will not be accompanying her guardian to enjoy the sun and fun as she was unable to make arrangements in time for her to go. Instead, Tessa will be coming back to the SF/SPCA for re-homing. There is just one catch. Tessa refuses to go into a cat carrier without a fight.

In extreme cases like this, The Cat Behavior Team will make house calls. We want to make this hard transition as smooth and stress-free as we can. Poor Tessa will need all the breaks she can get. So, with our heavy gloves, cat carriers and bravery, we headed to the studio apartment that Tessa had been living in for six years. She could hear us coming and immediately hid under the bed and inside the mattress, despite the wall of pillows constructed by her former guardian to hinder an escape. We lifted the mattress and carefully extracted Tessa from inside of the box spring. She went in the carrier with little effort and after a tearful goodbye from the person who cared for her... off we went to make her comfortable back at the SF/SPCA.

Tessa was not a happy camper. Despite our efforts to give her multiple hiding places, a quiet and sunny room with no other cats or noises to scare her, she still hid most of the time and would hiss and growl at anyone who entered her kennel. Remarkably, she would start to tone it down after a while, making personal connections with soft spoken volunteers and staff who would spend quiet time , singing her songs and reading in her presence. The success rate of working with shy cats has to be measured in baby steps.

Then, it got more complicated. Tessa would find comfort with those who spent the quality time with her but not with the animal attendants who came by for short visits to drop off food, empty a litterbox or check on her welfare. She graduated from hissing and growling to swatting and attacking.

There are common stimuli that can drastically cause anxiety in a cats behavior:

• Arrival of a stranger



• Intrusion into their personal space



• Sudden movements



• Loud noises



• Novel objects



• Novel smells



• Loss of control over the environment

• The arrival of other cats
  

This was definitely the case with Tessa. Her harsh reaction to virtually all of these stimuli (except for other cats)made the case very clear. Tessa was indeed having a very hard time adjusting to the drastic changes in her life's routine. So what do you do in cases like this?

Initially, we tried to desensitise her to the strangers, having them spend more and more time with her , especially during feedings. With her hesistance to people coming and going becoming an issue, the visitors who stayed longest seemed to be her favorite. Tessa showed us her discomfort by rolling around on the floor, showing her belly and purring like a motor. Progress!!!!
The next step was to move Tessa into an environment with consistancy. We wanted to immerse her in a room where people would stay longer than just few minutes to half an hour and be able to work with her socialization on a continuous basis, making every meal count. The next obvious place to live would be our office!

We moved Tessa in last week and so far things are really looking up! She walks freely around the room and has adjusted really well to the comforts of our office. Like a true diva kitty, Tessa has us wrapped around her fingers, catering to her every whim. It's a welcome distraction to our daily tasks and so worth the reward. Tessa is well on her way to being the shy but loving house cat that she once was.

If you are interested in keeping up with Tessa's progress or would like to take her home to live with you, feel free to email The Cat Behavior Program at catbehavior@sfspca.org

Keeping Her Eyes On The Prize

By Daniel Quagliozzi

Today we are paying tribute to the very lovely and unique Ariana. This sleek, blue-eyed bundle of energy came to us on April 19Th from San Francisco Animal Care and Control. Her previous guardian could no longer care for her and was forced to surrender her into the shelter system. With nothing familiar to cling to, Ariana showed signs of severe fright and stayed frozen in a tight ball for days, unable to process where she was and who was trying to show her affection. We couldn't get her to leave the confines of her cat bed at all.

As the days became weeks, Ariana slowly started to understand that she was surrounded by love and the caring staff and volunteers of the SF/SPCA. She loosened up her body and started to explore her condo with more and more confidence each day. We even discovered a very playful side of her, despite the reservations she showed us in the first few weeks of her stay in Shelter Care.

Ariana is definitely a special cat. Come on, look at the expression on her face! Although she has come a really long way since her first day of arrival, some of her aloofness is still with her today. She likes petting on her own terms and slinks away like a ninja when she would rather focus on chasing her favorite tube toy around. Ariana needs a special person that understands her eccentricities and has the patience and knowledge enough to let her call her own shots.

Watch the video below and see just how far Ariana has come!

If you are interested in adopting ARIANA ID #: 7494506 Please call 415 522-3500 and speak to a client care associate.

When Cat Meets Dog....The road ahead can be rocky

By Daniel Quagliozzi

In all my years of working with cats in a shelter environment, perhaps the most popular question asked is; "Can you help me find a cat that will get along with my dog?" As simple as this question may appear to be, it's a huge math equation that requires a predictive approach to finding the answer. It involves guess work, prior knowledge about the independence and gregariousness of the cat and also some background on the resident dog. To put it frankly, it's very hard to answer without thumbing through an entire list of animals and trying to imagine them adapting.



So, to make things simpler for all of you to make these decisions on your own, I have compiled some tips to help you out with the search for the ultimate dog-friendly-feline.



Smoothing Out the Rocky Road Ahead:



The best predictor of how cats and dogs will get along together is their background. Have you walked past a cat with your dog? Did it growl, bark or lunge, or did it just get curious or not care? Audition your dog on leash with a willing cat that already has dog experience – they are less likely to run away and pee on your brand new Ikea sofa. It’s also good to try out the same cat on more than one occasion and to try out more than one cat. The trick will be finding this brave and un-frazzled feline. Some cats, or shall I say most cats ...will want nothing to do with this experiment.

Read up on the cats past history. If you are adopting from a shelter, ask the adoption staff to dig up any information on the cats prior experiences. This will be essential in trying to imagine how it will be effected by a dogs approach, play and general cohabitation.



Be aware that certain dog breeds are hard wired to chase small prey. A feisty terrier that digs holes in your yard and brings home dead critters may not be a good companion for a 2 month old kitten. Predatory types are much more stressful for cats and must be constantly managed when around the cat if they are to live with one. Predation is not something a dog can be easily trained not to do as it is deeply ingrained.

Cats who have not been socialized to dogs will almost always behave defensively, by fleeing and/or with an aggressive display the first time they encounter a new dog. If the dog does not come on too strong, and if the cat is given dog-free zones to retreatto, many cats will gradually get used to the dog and sometimes even become bonded.



Ok, So you did it. You combined a cat and a dog. What should you do to make your home more appealing to both?

• Have a “safety room” or rooms as well as high places the cat can access but the dog cannot. Baby-gates, cat doors and clearing high surfaces can accomplish this. It is important that the cat can retreat to regroup and relax away from the dog and then venture forward into “dog territory” at her own pace. The cat should have access to food, water and litter in this area so no interactions with the dog are forced.
  

• Never force the cat (or dog) into proximity by holding them, caging them or otherwise restricting them from escaping. This is defintely not going to help matters. Aside from it being inhumane, stress is a common reason for cats to break litter box training and nobody wants that!

• For the first introduction, have the dog on leash in case he decides to chase. If it seems to be going well, take the leash off and supervise closely.
  

• If the dog is behaving in a friendly and/or cautious way, try to not intervene in their interactions, except to praise and reward the dog for his good manners.

• Interrupt any intense chasing and try to redirect the dog’s attention to another activity – this is very difficult so you may be forced in future to manage the dog on-leash around the cat until you have worked out a routine or divided up the house.
  
  

• In the first few weeks, observe the trend: are things getting better or worse? Monitor interactions until there is a pattern or plateau in their relationship.
  

• If the dog is the newcomer, be sure to give plenty of extra attention to the cat so she does not associate this change with reduced attention and affection. If the newcomer is a cat, it’s also a good idea to make sure the dog associates the new intruder with good things for him. Shoot for positive associations always.
  

• 
  
  Dogs should not have access to the cat litterbox – it is too stressful for the cat and the dog may eat cat feces and litter. Most dogs will also eat cat food the cat leaves behind – we suggest feeding cats in the cat’s “safe” room or on a high surface.
  

If you are successful with getting the dog and cat to live in harmony, perhaps you want to try adding a rat for good measure?

P.S. we purposely chose pictures for this blog where the cat had the upper hand over the dog. Sorry dog lovers, Litter Did You Know is all about the CATS!!!!!

From Fear to Friendship: Working with undersocialized kittens

By Jamey Walker

Every year at about this time the SF SPCA starts to take in under-socialized kittens to try and rehabilitate them. These kittens are the product of Mama cats that are either feral or have had their babies outside and received no human contact.

These little guys have never been around people and as a result, panic when they are actually face to face with us giant human monsters! What if we suddenly we saw a 20-foot spider coming towards us?

Well, when these little kittens arrive they are also understandably defensive and fearful. They may have had little or no contact with people. They will usually run like the dickens if you set them down in an open space. If cornered they may swat, hiss or spit-stomp (this is when a cat jumps on their front legs towards you, while giving a sharp, intense hiss). All of these behaviors are designed to create distance between the threat (big goofy humans) and themselves.

So when we take one of these little guys into our shelter, we want to be very sensitive to their fear. At the same time we have to handle them so they become accustomed to human contact. We accomplish this by using a lot of positive rewards along with gentle, repetitive handling. But don’t let their kitten cuteness fool you, socializing them can take a lot time and is often a difficult process.



Seeing one of these kittens start to become happy and comfortable around people is one of my favorite moments because it means they have a chance at becoming adopted and getting a home off the streets.



If you are interested in helping these little scrappers feel good around people, you can volunteer as a feral kitten socializer or a foster parent! Our volunteers go through specialized training to learn how to work with all types of under-socialized kittens and are the major force behind getting them ready for adoption.

For information, contact Volunteer Services at 415.522.3543 or email: Volunteer@sfspca.org. or Foster Care: 415-522-3542. or foster@sfspca.org

CAT BEHAVIOR MAIL BAG:

Dear SF/SPCA Cat Behavior Program,

I'm not sure if you remember but Dougie (now Chief due to his large feather like ears) was a very sick and under-socialized kitty. He came to you with ringworm and from all the paperwork I read it took months of medication and quarantine before he recovered. Once he did, understandably he was distrusting and skittish and not ready to be adopted. When we first saw him he looked sad and scared all alone in his room. My heart went out to him after I got his paperwork and read his story I just couldn't stop thinking about him. We visited him 4 times, hoping we'd be able to have a meeting with him but every time we found he wasn't ready yet. I tried to convince myself that this wasn't the write cat for us but I couldn't get him out of my mind.

We'll long story short- we adopted him right after he became available and have loved him ever since. It has taken a little time for him to adjust to us and his surrounding but it is safe to say he is a very happy cat and day after day more trusting, more loving and full of personality. We have another cat names Pippi and if there ever were two best friends, it's them.

We've since moved to Portland where we have a house and a large yard where Chief and Pippi patrol the perimeter and play in the grass. It's a lovely life.

While he was with you he had a little sheep skin bed he slept on. To this day he seems to only want to sleep on wool. If the sheep skins are being washed, he'll hunt out a sweater or the blanket on the bottom of the bed. If we lay our wool winter coats on the sofa the next day they'll have a little fur nest on them. He just can't help it. We also took his favorite toy with us when we adopted him- the pink tube on a stick. Somewhere along the way the stick fell off but he still loves the tube. So much so that he takes it to bed with him and cuddles with it.

All of this is because your dedicated staff showed him so much love, caring and attention. I can't tell you how impressed I am with your facility. Thank you so much for taking the time to care of this lovely animal. Where most places would have put him down because of his health or temperament, you stuck by him. I don't have names or faces to direct my gratitude so I'll send it to all your staff and volunteers. Our lives are richer because you care.

Thank you so much,

Jessica W.

KEEP ON ROCKING IN THE FLEA WORLD

By Daniel Quagliozzi


BREAKING MEWS 4/22/09:

SF/SPCA Cat Behavior Program Dedicates Space To The DeliCATe!

In our ongoing efforts to make our shelter cats feel at home and secure in their surroundings, we have devoted some very special real estate in our building to fearful cats. The Deli-Cat ward is now a reserved area for cats that are having a hard time transitioning. Imagine everything you once knew was completely erased, only to be replaced with unfamiliar sights, smells and people. You would shut down too! Cat's are especially challenged by change. Our hope is that the new Deli-Cat wards will be a welcoming atmosphere to help these shy kitties settle in.

HARRY GETS SOME LOVE FROM A DeliCATe VOLUNTEER

Our special wards are located both in The Leanne B. Roberts Animal Care Center and in our second floor recovery area of Maddies Adoption Center. This second floor oasis for cats is also dedicated to medical recovery and allows cats that need more space or attention to stretch out and just be cats while receiving treatments and behavior evaluations. Fearful cats gets special accomodations and cozier condos away from the every day noises and commotion of the shelter. Volunteers and staff head to these destinations to make these hard cases turn soft.

FELIX TAKES A RELAXING BREAK "AWAY FROM IT ALL"

With our sights set on speedy transition and lower stress, our hope is that cat's will rehabilitate faster and make their way into homes without having to endure un-needed anxiety. This also allows us to make accommodations for extremely shy cats coming in from our county shelter; Animal Care and Control.

CLOE HIDES IN HER FANCY 2ND FLOOR APARTMENT

If you have a special spot in your heart for shy cats and think you could give us a hand making them feel more at home, you too could be a DeliCATe volunteer! Find out about our volunteer programs here: http://www.sfspca.org/support/volunteering/

SF/SPCA Dominates Facebook!


No, this is not an ad for the dog whisperer.....



You're on facebook right? Don't lie, your boss probably isn't reading this. No, seriously... with social networking being all the rage, lots and lots of people have taken to websites like Facebook & Myspace to stay in touch with friends, coworkers and the organizations they support. You catch where I'm going with this? Smell what I'm cooking here? Support? Organizations?


The San Francisco SPCA has a fan page on facebook! Add us, stay tuned to our new programs and events, but most of all... support a really good cause and a solid organization that is making a difference. It's easy, click this: http://tiny.cc/sfspcafan and BOOM! You've got the inside track on our featured cats, all things blog-worthy and everything that is anything happening at the SF/SPCA .


CLICK ME -----> http://tiny.cc/sfspcafan

DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT

Here in San Francisco we are having a heat wave. With temperatures hitting the high 80's, it's not just people who suffer from the blazing days of "spring". Cats also have a hard time adjusting to the warmth. You will see many of our feline friends laying sideways on the floor, trying to stay cool.

Always try to keep your living quarters as cool as possible for your animals. I know, it can be hard making some places cool. The old buildings of San Francisco often do not have windows with screens and air conditioning is unheard of.

While keeping your windows open is great for fresh air, remember to make them safe by providing screens or a barrier so that your cats do not go on a hot day's adventure. You can buy folding screens for all kinds of windows at most hardware stores.

Provide cold water at all times! Staying well hydrated is essential for an over-heating cat.

Register your microchips and spay/neuter your cats!! The likely hood for a great escape is higher when it's warm out. Be sure to take all the necessary precautions when it comes to making sure your cat will come home safe without causing any trouble. The hottest days of the year are ideal for wayward cats to contribute to pet over-population.

Flea treat your cats! Hot weather is a safe haven for fleas. They love to latch on to your cat when its warm. Be sure to use a high quality flea treatment on your cat. Most veterinarians will recommend Advantage or Frontline.

Now, crack open a cold one and get on Facebook.

Hungry for Love

By Daniel Quagliozzi

Leaving a home that feels safe and secure for a new adjustment in an animal shelter can be very stressful for some cats. Sometimes the choices made by human guardians struggling with hard situations or compromised living conditions, results in the surrender of a cat that had no idea a huge change was coming.

A common misconception about cat's is that they are quickly adaptable to change. With familiar territory being the most important thing to a cats comfort level, fear, insecurity and the inability to transition to a new environment can take it's toll on a cat's appetite. When a cat feels unsure abouts it's surroundings, it can also be hesitant to do what comes natural like eating or using the litterbox. It's the comforts of home, including the love of a human being that can sometimes perk up a cats emotions and lower stress enough to make food seem yummy again.

It might be hard to relate to the way a cat feels. Often, when we are stressed out we over eat and binge on junk food. When was the last time someone had to keep you company while you ate a pint of Ben & Jerry's? Cats react differently. They actually need human contact to get them back on the road to Wellville.

The SFSPCA started the Affection Eaters Program for this very purpose! Trained volunteers and staff will sit with cats on their scheduled feedings to provide the love they so desperately need to eat. This can take days or even weeks for some cats to finally feel well enough to eat without assistance. All it takes is a steady hand for petting, a warm heart and a dish of the cats favorite food. It's as simple as that. The SFSPCA Affection Eater Program has improved the quality of life of many cats that otherwise would have starved themselves sick. Thanks to the time and effort of our Shelter Care staff, volunteers and animal care attendants, the Affection Eaters move on to loving homes without going hungry for love.

The "Target Board" is a list of cats that need company when they eat or just need special attention. Volunteers check this board for cats that stand out for all kinds of reasons, such as fear, undersocialization, playful aggression and petting induced overstimulation.

We are always looking for volunteers that have skills with cat's of all types as well as those who want to gain the knowledge through their volunteer experience at the SFSPCA.

If you are interested in volunteering to help out with our Affection Eaters Program , it's just a click away! http://www.sfspca.org/support/volunteering/