Domestic Cat Care

Gain a deeper understanding of Cats

Lesson Structure

There are 9 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • Basic Feline Needs - Basic Duties of the Cat Owner
   • Food and water
   • Shelter and Containment
   • Health care for sick cat
   • Grooming
   • Claw trimming
   • Bathing
   • Travel
   • Housebreaking
   • Introducing a new cat at home
   • Cats with babies and children
   • Cats and dogs
   • Cat breeds – pedigrees and non-pedigrees
2. Feline Biology
   • Skin
   • Eyes
   • Ears
   • Nose
   • Mouth
   • Digestive system
   • Reproductive system
3. Breeds
   • Domestic cat breeds
   • International and national associations
   • Long haired breeds – characteristics, common health problems, temperaments, care, history
   • Semi-long haired breeds - characteristics, common health problems, temperaments, care, history
   • Short haired breeds - characteristics, common health problems, temperaments, care, history
4. Feline Health Care
   • Preventative care
   • Vaccinations
   • Recognising ill health
   • Dealing with emergencies
   • Artificial breathing and heart massage
   • How to induce vomiting
   • Specific situations to deal with e.g. burns, wounds, dehydration, hypothermia (and many more)
   • Poisoning
   • Wounds
   • Bandaging
   • Restraining for treatment
   • Transportation of the injured cat
   • Desexing
5. Feline Illnesses
   • Internal parasites
   • Roundworms
   • Hookworms
   • Tapeworms
   • Whipworms
   • Lungworms
   • Stomach worms
   • Bladder worms
   • Flukes
   • Worm control
   • External parasite
   • Ticks
   • Fleas
   • Mites
   • Common ailments and diseases (numerous)
   • Skin disorders
6. Feline Diet
   • Introduction to foods and feedings
   • Dietary options
   • Free feeding
   • Scheduled, portion controlled feeding
   • Understanding dietary requirements
   • Kittens (0-12 months)
   • Pregnant and lactating cats
   • Fussy cats
   • Obesity and overweight cats
   • Underweight cats
   • Geriatric cats
   • Raw diets
   • Toxic foods
7. Feline Behaviour
   • Understanding the cats mind
   • Personality and temperament differences
   • How cats communicate
   • Body language
   • Sleeping routines and circadian rhythms
   • Play
   • Behavioural problems
   • Recognise and understand aggression
   • Dealing with aggression
   • Inappropriate elimination
   • Excessive vocalisation
   • Geriatric dysfunction
   • Controlling killing wildlife
   • Eating disorder
   • Abnormal suckling
   • Separation anxiety
8. Breeding and Raising Kittens (includes PBL Project)
   • Cat breeding industry
   • Ethics in animal breeding
   • A brief look at genes
   • Sexual behaviour
   • Socialisation of kittens
   • Problem based learning project – Improving Standards for Ethical Breeding
9. Feline Services (includes PBL Project)
   • Grooming services
   • Professional training and handling
   • Day care or boarding facilities
   • Rehoming and fostering
   • Using cats as therapy pets
   • Health care industry
   • Feline therapy services – hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, massage
   • Retail and manufacturing industry
   • Pet funerals and memorials
   • Business basics for self-employment in the feline industry
   • Laws and small business
   • The importance of keeping records
   • Buying an established business
   • Buying a franchise
   • Approaches to business planning
   • Problem based learning project – Starting a Small Business in the Cat Industry

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Investigate aspects of domestic cat care and the basic duties of owners and professional carers.
• Develop understanding of basic biology – anatomy and physiology – and associated processes.
• Examine variations between different breeds by focusing on common health issues, temperaments and characteristics.
• Recommend different preventative care schedules and learn how to recognise and treat ill health.
• Develop clear understanding of parasites, ailments and disease, treatment options available and the significance of veterinary assistance.
• Investigate feline nutrition and outline an appropriate diet for the domestic cat specific to their needs.
• Distinguish between normal and abnormal cat behaviour, extending this to develop appropriate strategies for dealing with problem or undesirable behaviours.
• Assess the current breeding industry and demonstrate ethical standards in cat breeding and rearing kittens.
• Investigate and evaluate services which exist in the current cat industry and propose a small business idea which is of personal interest.

What You Will Do

• Consider 4 specific areas of cat care. For example, one area may be grooming. Find out about the products and services which are available in your locality for each area you chose.
• Choose one part of the body to research, for example skin, digestive system etc. Visit as many veterinarians that you can and ask them for information leaflets or flyers they have which relate to the health of that area of the body. Take notes on any repetition that you notice with regards to the health and caring for of that part of cat’s body.
• Contact breed associations of your choice in your own country and investigate the specific standards they set for the physical characteristics of a particular breed (to be registered as pedigree). Using online resources available to you, now investigate some associations in a different country. You want to find out if there are similarities or differences in the standards of that country for the same breed you investigated in part A of the task.
• Research attitudes into neutering in your locality. For your research to have validity, you will need to contact between 8-10 people who own or work with cats and have some questions devised which you can ask them to draw out information on their attitudes and views about neutering.
• Find at least 3 cat owners who have cats with form or ongoing physical illness. Discuss with them the illness and the treatments which the cat undergoes. Ask questions about the how the illness affects the cats overall wellbeing. Ask about the nature of the illness and the long term management of the illness.
• Look at foods available in the local the supermarket and take notes of the nutritional components of the foods. Research specialist diets for specific health concerns e.g. urinary stress or hairball control and make contrasts between the products available. Limit this to 6 products.
• Research the differences in the diets of indoor and outdoor living cats. Make comparisons of nutritional deficiencies or excesses.
• If possible, observe the cat in six states of hunting in real life-
  • stalk, run, pounce, catch, kill, eat. Take notes of the different physical positions and levels of exertion in each stage. If other cats were present/nearby during the hunting, you should also take notes of your observations of any behaviour directed at those nearby e.g. aggression.
• Problem Based Learning Project in Ethical Breeding Standards
• Problem Based Learning Project in Starting a Small Business in the Feline Industry

Breeding Cats

There are more breeds of cats than what most cat owners realise. Each breed has it's own peculiarities; not only in how they look, but also in how they behave and how they need to be managed. Some cat breeds are easier to care for than others. 

If you are to provide a cat with the conditions it needs to have a healthy and happy life, you do need to match the right breed with the situation it will live in.

In many jurisdictions, cat breeders may not need a qualification, but they should have excellent knowledge of the breed of cat and their best interests in mind at all times.  The queen must have the proper care throughout pregnancy and post pregnancy. A clean, appropriate environment must be provided with the correct nutrition available.

The female cat should be fully grown to their adult size before breeding occurs, and this is usually around 18 to 24 months of age.  If the female falls pregnant before she has chance to fully grow then all her energy will go on the pregnancy, rather as her own growth.  The male tom should not be under the age of 18 months before being bred, and this ensures he is in good health with a good temperament.

It is the breeder’s responsibility to ensure the female and the male cat have both had full health evaluations, and this should be carried out by a veterinary surgeon.  Both cats should be checked prior to breeding for;

• Full physical examinations.
• Full courses of vaccinations, or ensure they are up to date.
• Faecal and urinary analysis.
• Free from parasites or infections.
• Tested for FeLV (Feline Leukaemia Virus) and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus).
• Tested for genetic disorders, e.g. polycystic kidney disease, hip dysplasia, patellar luxations and heart disease.

After Your Studies

Some people will do this course to enhance their employment or business prospects; while others may be simply in pursuit of a passion for cats. Their goal might be nothing more than to know more and be able to better care for their own animals.

This course will raise your knowledge, understanding and awareness of cats, cat breeds and caring for cats to a new level, and that will potentially result in a wholesale change in the way you look at cats.

Whether your aim is to work more with cats the future is only limited by your imagination.

This course could lead to: 

• Employment in a pet care retail environment
• A foundation to working in animal health care; have you thought of a potential veterinarian career?
• A first step to further education in the animal welfare field; a basis for starting your business in cat care - or maybe you would like to run a cattery?
• Getting into professional breeding and showing