Tabitha Kucera, a presenter at this past January's CCP Online Cat Conference, joins Stacy to discuss low-stress cat handling, clicker training, and more. Tabitha is a registered veterinary technician and a certified cat behavior training consultant. She is also certified in feline-friendly handling by both Fear Free and the Low-Stress Handling University. Tabitha has her own company, Chirrups & Chatter Cat Behavior Consulting and Education, along with a dog-related company, Positively Pawsitive Dog Behavior Consulting and Training.

Tabitha knew early on in her life that she wanted to be a veterinary technician. Once she became one, however, seeing cats euthanized for behavioral and other reasons were deeply troubling to her. Tabitha felt, and continues to feel, that cats are often stereotyped and used as scapegoats—even by cat lovers—making it harder for them to get the help they need to stay in their homes. Tabitha feels that "Humans aren't really set up for success for cats. They love their cats; they just don't have the education to do their best." Through Chirrups and Chatters, she hopes to change that.

Tabitha and Stacy discuss low-stress, feline-friendly cat handling in-depth, and they touch on the concept of clicker training cats, including how it can helpful in a shelter environment.

To learn more about Tabitha and the work she does, visit the Chirrups & Chatter website, or follow Chirrups & Chatter on Facebook or Instagram. Tabitha is always happy to share resources and encourages listeners to follow her to learn more about upcoming events, including a fearful kitten webinar coming up in September.

For those interested in learning more about low-stress handling, Tabitha suggests checking out Fear Free, the Low Stress Handling University, International Cat Care, and the American Association of Feline Practitioners websites. Tabitha also recently wrote this article about feline-friendly handling. You can also view a video of feline-friendly handling techniques here.

To learn more about clicker training cats, visit Jackson Galaxy's Cat Pawsitive program for shelters.