Cathy Campbell knows cats. She devotes much of her life to finding homes for hundreds of felines.
And now the Loveland woman has one more tool to increase adoption rates for cats and kittens at Duncan’s Place.
Her Loveland-based cat rescue, which houses cats in a foster care network and operates a pet food pantry, was selected to participate in Cat Pawsitive, a program developed by Jackson Galaxy and a team of feline behavior experts. Galaxy is the star of the Animal Planet’s “My Cat from Hell.”
“It helps bring out their personality,” said Campbell.
Just take Muffins, a beautiful but shy cream colored cat that Campbell describes as a permanent foster at her home. He is shy and often hides when people come to visit the house.
But on a recent afternoon when Campbell was demonstrating the Cat Pawsitive program with another of her cats, Andrew, one squeeze of the clicker had Muffins coming center stage, showing off his personality and tricks he had learned. He is motivated by the sound of the clicker because he associates it with treats and extra love.
“He loves the clicker,” said Campbell. “It really works.”
He and other cats that Campbell is working with through the program would sit, raise their paw to almost a high five and, with a little coaxing, jump through a hula hoop.
The program helps socialize the cats and make them more adoptable by bringing out their personalities and giving them a little something extra, and it empowers volunteers, said Campbell.
Duncan’s Place, which helped save more than 300 cats last year alone, is receiving training modules through the program, which is affiliated with The Jackson Galaxy Project, a signature program of greatergood.org, and sponsored by Halo, which makes pet treats, and the Petco Foundation.
Cats will benefit from the training that helps them become more adoptable. And, Campbell said, she believes that the name recognition she will get through the affiliation with Jackson Galaxy will do nothing but help Duncan’s Place.
Galaxy will be sharing highlights of the program on the Jackson Galaxy Project’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
The Cat Pawsitive program aims to keep cats mentally and physically active as they are in shelters or foster care awaiting adoption.
The training sessions teach cats everything from “come when called” to head bumps and the “sit” command, using a clicker and treats.
“The genesis of Cat Pawsitive stemmed from the simple desire to duplicate the a-ha moment I had in the early stages of my life with cats as a shelter worker,” Galazy said, according to a press release. “By utilizing the training concepts that were, to that point, only used for the dogs in our care, not only were the cats stimulated, motivated and energized, but so was I.
“That, along with the most important result, lives being saved, was the win-win I envisioned passing on to as many cats, shelters, and rescues as I possibly could.”
This term, Duncan’s Place was one of 56 rescues nationwide chosen for the opportunity. Campbell is excited about the lessons and the recognition, which she hopes will bring in more donations for her nonprofit.
“We rely heavily on private donations,” she said. “And right now they’re not coming in.”
In addition to spurring donations, she believes Cat Pawsitive will help some of the cats in her care and that of her foster families by making them more attractive to people looking to adopt.
“They are doing something different that other cat’s aren’t,” she said.
For more information on Duncan’s Place, visit duncansplace.org.
Pamela Johnson: 970-699-5405, johnsonp@reporter-herald.com