Exploring The World of Animal Shelters: An Inside Look At Cat Behavior Solutions

/ Arlington, Interviews, Texas / By michelle

An interview with Cat Behavior Solutions from Arlington, Texas.

Table Of Content

Introducing Cat Behavior Solutions
What Inspired The Founder Of The Organization To Start It, And What Personal Experiences Led Them To Become An Advocate For Individuals With Cat Behavior Issues?
Tell Us About How You Get Information To Those In Need
Share Heartwarming Stories Of How Your Service Has Made A Positive Impact On Someone’s Life
What Are The Help Needed From The Local Community?
Can You Give Us An Idea Of The Scale Of Your Operation, Such As The Number Of Episodes You Have Aired And The Number Of Individuals You Have Helped?
Tell Us About Any Challenges You Have Faced In Your Work And How You Have Overcome Them
Are There Any Partnerships Or Collaborations That Cat Behavior Solutions Has Formed With Other Organizations Or Agencies In The Community?
What Are The Future Plans And Goals For Cat Behavior Solutions, And How Can The Community Help Support These Initiatives?
Connect With Cat Behavior Solutions here:

Introducing Cat Behavior Solutions

Molly DeVoss – Founder and Executive Director

I am Molly DeVoss, CFTBS, CCBS, FFCP, CRM, Founder and Executive Director of Cat Behavior Solutions and Cat Talk Radio. I started Cat Behavior Solutions to reduce the number of cats euthanized in shelters each year. Every year, 3.2 million cats are surrendered to shelters nationwide, and on average, 66% of those cats are euthanized. “Pet problems” are the most common reason that owners rehome their pets, accounting for 42% of shelter-surrendered cats. “Pet problems” are defined as problematic behaviors (inappropriate litter box usage, destruction, etc.) and aggressive behaviors. Problems such as these are correctable with the assistance of a Certified Behavior Specialist, but for many families, the consultation fees are out of reach. We have created over 200 podcasts about solving cat behavior issues and many other resources geared to help families keep cats in their homes.

What Inspired The Founder Of The Organization To Start It, And What Personal Experiences Led Them To Become An Advocate For Individuals With Cat Behavior Issues?

After spending decades in one of our country’s largest shelters and seeing multitudes of cats being euthanized, Molly wanted to get to the source of the problem and help owners keep cats at home.

Tell Us About How You Get Information To Those In Need

We created a free weekly podcast with cat training information on Cat Talk Radio, and provide learning webinars throughout the year, and we’re in the process of launching a free shelter cat behavior modification program.

Share Heartwarming Stories Of How Your Service Has Made A Positive Impact On Someone’s Life

One day an elderly woman arrived at the shelter in tears to surrender her beloved cat. She was on oxygen, and her doctor told her she needed to get rid of her cat because he was biting through the cord at night. She believed it was a life-or-death situation for her, but she loved her cat, her only housemate, and companion, dearly. Seeing how upset she was, the shelter gave her Molly’s card and told her to reach out before she gave away her cat. Molly was able to fix the behavior and even increase the bond between her and her cat – and they remain together to this day.

What Are The Help Needed From The Local Community?

Cat Behavior Solutions needs funds from the community in order to supply families with products to create the type of environmental enrichment cats need to be problem free. Funds are also used to keep Cat Talk Radio podcasts on the air and to multiply the number of cat owners we can reach. If you, too, care about the plight of shelter cats, please help support our cause. There are several ways you can make donations; they are listed on this page: https://www.catbehaviorsolutions.org/how-you-can-help.

Can You Give Us An Idea Of The Scale Of Your Operation, Such As The Number Of Episodes You Have Aired And The Number Of Individuals You Have Helped?

Cat Talk Radio has over 200 episodes dedicated to cat behavior and care and many webinars and blog posts about solving cat issues. We reach thousands weekly but feel we have much more room for growth.

Tell Us About Any Challenges You Have Faced In Your Work And How You Have Overcome Them

Time is the biggest challenge we face. Having enough time to write a book, create an educational curriculum, and more classes are our biggest hurdles. If we had the funding to hire more people to help, it would help us to get to these things more quickly.

Are There Any Partnerships Or Collaborations That Cat Behavior Solutions Has Formed With Other Organizations Or Agencies In The Community?

We work with shelters across the country, providing resources for shelter diversion of cat surrenders. We also work with many “friends of” groups who support shelters. Vitakraft, makers of cat treats, has been a partner in creating “Feline Right at Home,” a behavior modification program that will soon be rolled out to shelters for free. This free course will allow shelters to train their staff and volunteers for free on how to turn aggressive and shut-down cats into adoptable furballs quickly. Molly will host weekly virtual mentoring calls with everyone in the program to ensure success.

What Are The Future Plans And Goals For Cat Behavior Solutions, And How Can The Community Help Support These Initiatives?

One of our goals is to make sure Certified Feline Behavior Specialists come out of school with the tools they need to be successful in their entrepreneurial ventures. We will provide a curriculum to the certifying agencies to help these new graduates create a solid foundation for their businesses. As a companion to that curriculum, we want to write a book that helps burgeoning cat enthusiasts to build a successful and long-standing business. We need volunteers to ghostwrite, engage organizations and help fundraise.