Scaredy Cats! Fight, flight, freeze...and feline? with arborist Duane Hook and feline behaviorist Kristyn Vitale, Ph.D. and behavioral biologist Lee Niel, Ph.D.

About this episode

The episode explores the behavior of fearful cats and features insights from experts in feline behavior and rescue.

What’s really going on with fearful cats - and why should we rethink the label “scaredy cat”? Behavioral biologist Dr. Lee Niel shares expert insights on how to read cats’ signals and understand what they’re trying to tell us. Returning guest expert Dr. Kristyn Vitale explores the environments and conditions that can create so-called scaredy cats. Finally, meet arborist and emergency responder Duane Hook, who rescues cats stuck in trees and offers a unique perspective on feline fear, trust and resilience. Check out Cat in a Tree Emergency Rescue at catinatreerescue.com. Special thanks to Georgia Mason, Ph.D. of the University of Guelph. Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats. And check out these supplementary episodes: 5 Ways to Say ”I Love Mew”: Using the 5 Love Languages…With Your Cat? Cats Are the Consummate Domesticate: Origins and Evolution of Our Feline Friends [Pilot] About the experts: Duane Hook, an Ohio-based arborist and cat rescuer has been…

People in this episode

Guests: Duane Hook, Kristyn Vitale, Ph.D., Lee Niel, Ph.D.

Topics covered

• feline behavior
• fearful cats
• cat rescue
• animal behavior
• trust and resilience

Keywords

• scaredy cat
• feline signals
• cat behavior
• cat rescue
• animal behaviorist

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Guelph, Cat in a Tree Emergency Rescue, Maueyes

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