Imagine walking through a shelter and looking for the perfect companion. There are a ton of little kitties that may make the perfect pet for you, but then one cat, in particular, does something that shocks you. As you walk by, the cat stands up and gives you a gentle high-five.
If you’re anything like most of us, that kitty is now yours forever— and that’s the kind of reaction Jackson Galaxy and the Cat Pawsitive program are trying to achieve.
According to the Cat Pawsitive website, the program is geared towards teaching shelter kitties a myriad of adorable tricks. But, don’t scoff so soon, the motives behind these kitty high-fives are actually quite substantial.
In case you aren’t familiar, Jackson Galaxy, also known as ‘the Cat Daddy,’ stars in the TV show My Cat From Hell. He’s an experienced animal behaviorist who has spent many years working with a variety of cats.
In general, Galaxy believes “an active cat is a happy cat”— but when it comes to shelter kitties, teaching them tricks and activities can actually make a world of difference.
“Shelters can be an overwhelming place for cats,” the Cat Pawsitive website explains. “The sights, loud sounds, and strange smells can make even the most outgoing, active cat become nervous and shutdown.”
“For cats who already tend to be shy, the stress of their shelter surroundings can make them hide under blankets and in the corners of cages to avoid contact with anyone who approaches. Stress can also lead to illness such as upper respiratory infection.”
“All of these things can contribute to making a cat seem less adoptable,” and, in the end, “adoptability saves lives.”
Basically, teaching cats tricks like high-fives helps to increase their confidence, improve their human interactions, and encourage their true personalities to shine through.
Vet Street contends that tricks “provide a predictable, voluntary way for cats to interact with people that boosts their confidence.”
“The focus is on fun, positive, reinforcement-based training sessions that go beyond playtime-as-usual to help cats maintain their mojo and connect more quickly with potential adopters,” Christie Rogero, the program’s manager, said.
“The behaviors they learn show people what we already know: that cats are cool and can even be trained!”
Right now, 30 shelters across America are participating in the program, with another 50 expected to join by the end of 2018.
The program is experiencing great success— having already helped more than 500 cats get adopted into loving, furever homes.
Most recently, Cat Pawsitive has teamed up with PetCo for a ‘National High Five Day Shelter Contest’.
Shelters and cat owners are encouraged to post pictures of their cats giving high-fives up until April 19th. The pictures must be posted to either Facebook or Instagram, with the tags #CatPawsitive, @TheJacksonGalaxyProject, and @HaloPets to enter. You can find full details here.
“The grand prize winner will receive $5000 cash grant, 10,000 bowls of Halo pet food for an animal shelter/rescue of their choice, and a post shared on Jackson Galaxy’s Facebook page,” PEOPLE reports.
As mentioned, teaching cat tricks can help boost a kitty’s confidence and pull them out of their shell. If you’d like to teach your cat how to give an awesome high-five, check out the video below!
(You can also download the Cat Pawsitive training guide here!)
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