Feline behaviorist. How $$$ and effective?
Question:
> If you are studying to be a behavioralist,
LOL! Gotta be vet, first, then a residency, then a few more years of clinical experience before one can be *certified* by the American College of Veterinary Behavior! The ABS is a little more lenient…. Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist "Educational and experiential requirements include a doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in a biological or behavioral science with an emphasis on animal behavior, including five years of professional experience, or a doctorate from an accredited college or university in veterinary medicine plus two years in a university-approved residency in animal behavior and three additional years of professional experience in applied animal behavior." We should be hearing from our "animal behaviorist" in about 16 years…. There are a bunch of veterinary behavior associations and organizations who offer "certification" but those "certifications" only require paying a fee and annual dues… Even CP could get certified (if he saved up his allowance)… The only people who are impressed with those "matchbook" certifications are people who don’t know any better…. then you do know that a complete > vetting must go first to rule out any physical problems giving rise to the > cat’s behavior.
That’s why he’s gotta be a vet first! LOL! Many physical/ metabolic disorders are manifested in behavior. > I’m amazed that you would just pop in with that adivce.
Good point, Jacque! Phil. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> <In light of my recent cat problems, I am looking at a possibility for a > consultation with a cat behaviorist. I’m in a studio apartment with little > or > no place to isolate my aggressive cat….I’ve been doing some reading > regarding > cat aggression and research on the web..I do not want to pay someone to > tell me > what I already know and can find out…> > Good for you. That is half the battle. You need to discover the basic > problem(s) and one or more solutions. I’m currently studying to become a > feline behaviorist. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing <g>. Start by > making a journal. Write down when the problem began: when did you first > discover your cat was agressive? Was there an event or events that > triggered > some sort of reaction? What made you notice something was wrong. Do some > research on that subject. (ex. what makes a cat behave in that manner, > then > attempt to link your cat to that behavior. Research how to change that > behavior. If this isn’t something that you feel you can not do, then it’s > time > to consult with a professional behaviorist. From what I’ve learned (by > research, not personal experience) is that the behaviorist’s first line of > research is by talking to the owner, playing detective (like described > above.) > Sometimes, the answers are obvious, other times, things are much more > difficult. > Good luck to you.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Thank you for your insights, NY Writer. I think my cat has always had > aggression problems in the form of biting and ankle chasing, after we > adopted him from a SPCA when he was 6 weeks old. We’ve always tolerated it. > But it isn’t until this Monday that things got a lot worse, and the > discussion can be found in the thread titled "Cat going berserk after > hearing cat audio clip…Help" a few days ago and in the same newsgroup. I > know the event that triggered his aggression. My ‘diagnosis’, or my guess > is that he is insecure and fearful, hence being very cautious and > reinforcing his territorial instincts. But his territory being the entire > studio apartment that my girlfriend and I currently living in is making life > a little harder for us. > I think researching how to change behavior can be a little difficult. So > far I’ve only been reading cat books at my local Borders and searching for > material on the web. In my recent newsgroup discussions, I was offered > different advices, such as: > 1. Using Rescue Remedy > 2. Play the same clip a few times to ‘desensitize’… (but I dare not play > the same clip again due to the extreme response I got the first time) > 3. Vet + behaviorist > 4. patience + love > I will try option 1 today and do more research, and have also started > looking into option 3. But I have yet to find a ‘local’ behaviorist. Option > 4 is undoutedly always practiced but patience can run low sometimes. : ( > Good luck to myself.
First order of business is a vet exam and a complete blood work-up to rule out medical/metabolic problems. If he gets a clean bill of health, which I think he will, the next step should be enriching his environment. The problem could be related to pent up energy and/or lack of mental stimulation. It doesn’t really sound like a true aggression problem. Solitary kittens often direct all their "play" towards their mother – in the absence of their mother… you’re it! Most "aggressive" behaviors in cats are actually play behavior; the cats are actually developing and honing the predatory instincts that have been hardwired into their neurocircuits for thousands of generations (e.g., chasing and pouncing [on ankles... moving ankles]). Don’t forget, that cute little kitten is the most perfect predator nature has ever produced! We can’t possibly expect to suppress 50 million years of instinct and get away with it unscathed! 
If you don’t have much floor space to work with, think "up" – cats love to climb – they find high places secure. You can build high-level "strategic vantage points" and climbing mazes with simple, inexpensive shelves and brackets with uprights – like a regular bookcase, only with holes cut out of either end of the shelves — the higher the better. You can connect the climbing mazes with a decorative shelf that runs the length of the room (or better yet, around the room) about a foot from the ceiling – so he can climb up one end and down the other. Throw a treat up on the walkway and watch him race up the maze! It’ll certainly cost a helluva lot less than a behaviorist, be more successful, and your cat will enjoy it a helluva lot more! All you’ve got lose is about $30 and an hour or so, and to gain, one deliriously happy cat (and unscathed ankles)! There’s a saying about cats and therapists: "Don’t waste your money on a therapist for a cat; if you live with a cat, you’ll need the money for your own!" ) Good luck. Phil. — "Cat people are different, to the extent that they generally are not conformists. How could the be, with a cat running their lives?" –Louis Camuti Feline Healthcare: http://maxshouse.com
Response:
>What is Rescue Remedy?
Snake oil. >Where is it sold (who sells it?)
Con men who prey on the unwary. >Is it approved to be sold in the US/UK? Is the approved dosage stated on the label?
Herbal products do not require approval. Mystical Medical Alternativism http://www.csicop.org/si/9509/alternativism.html Bach flower therapy (Bach flower essence method, Bach flower essence system): Quasi-homeopathic system of pseudodiagnosis and pseudotherapy developed in the 1930s by British physician Edward Bach(1886-1936)(See Lynn McCutcheon, "Bach Flower Remedies: Time to Stop Smelling the Flowers? SI, July-August 1995.) Bach put forth his philosophy in Heal Thyself: An Explanation of the Real Cause and Cure of Disease, first published in 1931. Therein he described five "fundamental truths": 1.Souls, invincible and immortal sparks of the "Almighty," are the "real," "Higher" selves of humans. 2.Humanity’s purpose is to develop virtues and wipe out all intrapersonal wrongs. Souls know what circumstances conduce to the perfection of human nature. 3.One’s lifetime is a minuscule part of one’s evolution. 4.When one’s "Soul" and personality are "in harmony," one is healthy and happy. The straying of the personality from the dictates of the "Soul" is the "root cause" of disease and unhappiness. 5.The "Creator of all things" is "Love," and everything of which humans are conscious manifests the "Creator." Bach held that disease was essentially beneficial and that its design was to subject the personality to the "Divine will" of the "Soul." Supposedly, he "psychically" discovered the specific "healing" effects of 38 wildflowers. The "life force"("soul quality" or "energy wavelength") of each of these flowers allegedly is transferable to water and thence to humans. Each of the so-called Bach flower remedies is a liquid that supposedly contains a "soul quality" with an affinity to a human "soul quality"; and each vegetable "soul quality" allegedly harmonizes its human counterpart with the "Soul." The bases of classical "diagnosis" are conversation and intuition. Administration of the "remedies" is usually oral but may be external. You might also read : Recent Advances in Companion Animal Behavior Problems, Houpt K.A. (Ed.) Ithaca: International Veterinary Information Service http://www.ivis.org/advances/Behavior_Houpt/schwartz/chapter_frm.asp?… Rescue Remedy
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