Photo Credits
Header Photo: Photo of Kristyn Vitale in 2016, Credit to University Marketing, Oregon State University.
All Other Photos: Cat Photography Belongs to Kristyn Vitale, 2004-2024.
Screenshots: Credited below image.
Dr. Kristyn Vitale is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and internationally recognized expert in cat behavior. In 2014, she founded Maueyes Cat Science & Education to enhance cat welfare and strengthen the cat-human relationship through education, behavior consulting, and science outreach.
Cats readily learn new behaviors. Cats can be taught tricks, to walk on harness and leash, and to participate in their own care, also known as cooperative care. Cats learn from their environment, whether their caregiver actively trains them or not. Learning principles can be applied to promote the welfare of cats.
Cats and humans have a long history of co-existence that spans back nearly 10,000 years. Cats can form strong relationships with humans and research indicates that domestic cats display socio-cognitive abilities, such a responsiveness to human behavior and gestures, that help them engage in social relationships.
Free-roaming cats (FRC) display flexible social behavior. FRCs can develop friendly relationships with other cats and they can live in highly gregarious social groups.
Shelter cats have unique welfare needs. Shelter professionals can provide enrichment opportunities to cats as well as recruit volunteers to foster cats in their homes.
Applying science to promote the welfare of cats and their caregivers. Early education in animal behavior is also key to promoting the welfare of cats.
Media Quotes
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Cats rival dogs on many tests of social smarts. But is anyone brave enough to study them? Social cognition researchers are finally probing the secrets of the feline mind…”
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The field [of cat behavior & cognition] is definitely expanding,” Vitale says. “Cats are finally getting their due.”
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….a fairly simple study that attempts to peer into the feline mind can break new ground.”
CatSci Blog
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Why Train?
What are the benefits of training your cat? Yes, it’s pretty cool to be able to ask your cat to jump over obstacles and through hoops (cat agility!) but training also opens a line of communication between you and your cat. Animal training utilizes principles of psychology to create a common language between the human and Read more
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Cat Training: The first behavior
Once you have loaded the clicker using the appropriate reinforcer it’s time to start training! The first step is to decide what behavior you want to train. Teaching “sit” is a great place to start since your cat already commonly engages in this behavior and it will be an easy one to catch. The key is Read more
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Cat Training: Loading the clicker
The first step in training your cat is finding a way to communicate to them what behaviors you like. One way of doing this is to associate a signal (a neutral stimulus) with a natural response. Remember learning about Pavlov’s dogs in psychology? Ivan Pavlov found that an initially neutral stimulus (metronome- although it is Read more
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Cat Training: Finding the right reinforcer
Cats, like dogs, can be easily trained. It is all about finding the proper motivator for your specific cat. What can you give your cat that will reinforce that behavior, or cause that behavior to increase in frequency? Some cats may be very motivated by food while others may be more motivated by play, praise or physical attention. Read more
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BrainDecoder: What science knows about your cat
Hi all! Check out an article written about my latest publication! What’s Inside Your Cat’s Head? This Is What Science Has Found So Far Read more
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