The CATalyst Council

CATalyst Council is a non-profit organization that includes three distinct groups: Veterinary Medicine, Shelter/Animal Welfare, and related Industry entities such as Foundations and Cat Fanciers, the Media, and commercial companies. The Council "intends to make a difference in the way the United States sees and experiences cats." It will be interesting to see where this group takes their mission over time.

They have some great videos that I plan to incorporate in my work. I will be creating a series of email messages to send to new adopters (at, say, one, two, four, and six weeks post-adoption). I would like to include links to videos, and this site has excellent options. Because the Council is directing their information at a range of animal professional, they have done an excellent job of finding a balance in tone and language for their varied audiences. It leans towards more clinical language in some cases, but it is important for owners and rescuers to become familiar with this language.

For example, I think this video on handling a fearful cat at the vet is one every cat owner should see. It certainly is important for the veterinarian to know how to examine a fearful cat. However it is up to the cat owner to bring a crate whose top can be removed, and a towel that smells of home. The cat owner may take the video more seriously when they see it is aimed toward the veterinary community. They will feel (I think?) that they are being included in the exam room experience if they are invited to view these videos.

(Note: The only thing I would disagree with in this video is letting the cat on the floor. In a treatment room that may see many cats throughout the day, it is unlikely the floor is going to be disinfected after each visit. I do like how they have the bench where the owner and veterinarian can sit quietly to begin the exam with the cat).



There are a lot of other videos on the site, and more resources to come! Bookmark this site and join their email list, to check in now and then.