Feline-Friendly Handling & Interactions: Evidence-based Techniques

You must log in to view this webinar.

If you have not taken the previous Feline-friendly Handling Webinar, we encourage you and your practice team to utilize this free online resource, as well as the 2011 AAFP/ISFM Feline-Friendly Handling Guidelines.

Benefits of feline-friendly handling and interactions include human safety, efficiency, better medicine, client loyalty, and preventing patient distress. Although veterinary care positively impacts quality and length of life, almost half of cats do not receive annual care, mainly due to stress surrounding the veterinary visit. Preparing the client and cat for veterinary visits reduces owner anxiety and feline negative emotions. How cats are handled can also impair their welfare, perhaps long-term. Fortunately,several studies help us recognize feline handling techniques and other methods to improve feline visits. The bonus is that these evidence-based techniques also increase human safety.

Sponsored by:

Speaker Bio

Ilona Rodan, DVM, DABVP (Feline), CCBC, IABC

Dr. Rodan is ABVP certified in feline practice since 1995. Her passion is feline behavior and how to handle cats in veterinary practices to enhance feline welfare and human safety. She is the owner and director of Cat Behavior Consultations, LLC and the former medical director and owner of the Cat Care Clinic in Madison, Wisconsin from 1987-2015. Dr. Rodan is an active volunteer of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, a past-president, and former chair of the AAFP Cat Friendly Practice Program. She has also co-chaired several guidelines and welfare position statements, including the Feline-Friendly Handling, Feline Environmental Needs, and Pain Management Guidelines. She presents nationally and internationally on feline medicine and behavior, and leads workshops on feline-friendly handling. In 2005,she was awarded the AVMA Animal Welfare Award for her leadership and contributions to advancing feline medicine and behavior. Dr. Rodan has written journal articles and book chapters, and is a co-editor and co-author of the veterinary textbook, Feline Behavioral Health and Welfare, published in 2015.

RACE Credits

This program 20-879892 is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 1.50 CE Credits (1.50 max) being available to any one veterinarian: and/or 1.50 Veterinary Technician CE Credits (1.50 max). This RACE approval is for the subject matter categories of: Medical using the delivery method of Non Interactive-Distance. This approval is valid in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE; however, participants are responsible for ascertaining each board’s CE requirements.