Course Title: Feline Behavior 287
Instructor: Jacqueline Munera, CCBC, CAP 2, NADOI #1070 E
Course Objectives:
This course will cover the natural behavior of companion cats as well as common behavior problems (e.g., furniture scratching, litter box issues, aggression) and basic training and behavior modification principles and techniques. This course is evaluated by way of assignments. Students should emerge from this course with able to analyze and discuss these topic areas.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completing this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the development of the human-cat relationship and factors influencing it.
- Describe the ways in which domestic cats communicate with each other.
- Describe the ways in which domestic cats communicate with humans.
- Describe motivations behind the scratching behavior performed by cats.
- Identify and describe management/modification strategies to solve inappropriate scratching behavior (without declawing).
- Identify key elements differentiating inappropriate elimination issues and marking behavior as performed by the domestic cat.
- Identify motivating and maintaining factors behind inappropriate elimination behavior.
- Identify motivating and maintaining factors behind inappropriate urine marking behavior.
- Describe behavior management planning strategies to address inappropriate elimination and urine marking behaviors.
- Identify motivating factors involved in cat-cat aggression.
- Identify motivating factors involved in cat-human aggression.
- Apply functional analysis to determine causes of aggression issues in domestic cats.
- Apply basic principles of behavior management planning to aggression issues in domestic cats.
- Apply operant conditioning principles to actively train a domestic cat.
Texts:
- The Domestic Cat the Biology of its Behaviour by Dennis C. Turner and Patrick Bateson
- Getting Started Clicker Training for Cats by Karen Pryor
- Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals by Karen Overall
- Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat, Not a Sourpuss by Pam Johnson-Bennett
Course Evaluation:
This course will be evaluated by short essay assignments that will reflect and demonstrate competency in analyzing and discussing the course topics. The final grade will be the mean average of the assignment grades.
Prerequisites:
CEUs: Continuing Education Credits Available. See Course Approvals page for credits.