Elizabeth Waring Feline Behaviour

21/09/2025

Happy Sunday!😻

16/08/2025

He can never resist a dressing gown pounce!😸

12/08/2025

Here’s where Alfie has been keeping cool as the temperatures have soared again this week! ☀️

How are your cats coping in the heat?

A few tips for keeping cats cool-

💦 Make sure they have lots of fresh water available in lots of places around the home so they can access them easily.

⛱️ Some cats love to sunbathe but keeping your home as cool as possible gives them somewhere to retreat to when it’s this hot! Keeping curtains/blinds drawn during the day and windows closed can keep it cooler inside. Fans or air con keeps the air moving too. Or you can offer cooling mats designed for pets.

🪴Make sure they also have shady spots to head to outside in the garden- like Alfie above! Plus water for drinking outside too. Adding umbrellas or table/chairs can create shade spots easily.

☀️Consider using pet safe suncream, especially for cats with no fur or white around their ears, face and mouths as these cats are most at risk from sunburn. Chat to your vet further about this if you’re concerned.

🥵 Remember, like us cats can get a bit hot and bothered and so they might be less tolerant in this weather. Give them quiet places to rest and retreat up high to so they can have some space if they choose it.

08/08/2025

Celebrating cats today! Happy International Cat Day from Alfie and me 😻

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16/01/2023

Louie is currently at St Francis Animal Welfare and is looking for a very special rural or stable home- if you know of anyone who could help please do get in touch with the charity as he's struggling to cope in his current situation🐱

Louie is a very handsome pure Bengal male of around 3 years old.

Louie has had very little human interaction in his life. He was cooped up in a house with a owner who thought he was a female, as purchased him as such. His owner became very poorly and went into hospital so Social Services asked us to step in and take him.

We soon realised he was a boy (and un-neutered) and we were completely amazed how he had been kept as a house-cat. Louie LOVES being outside and would spend 100% of his time outside, given just half a chance.

He loves to chase, climb and paddle (he even has his own paddling pool now!) He also likes to growl at other cats and square up to them. He is not overly keen on most people, but he has learned to like his feeders and certainly loves whoever has a bag of Dreamies or his favourite Catnip. He loves his own company and will play happily on his own. He will enjoy a bit of fuss, but completely on his own terms and usually only with familiar people. He is so handsome and has such knowing eyes.

We feel that Louie would be best suited to a rural home - where he can be free and just be himself. He will need somewhere safe and warm to sleep and someone to love him, but he really will not want to be permanently cooped up in a home again. He will initially need to be kept inside, until he has settled. He would NOT be suited as a housecat - even with a catio - this just would not be enough space and freedom for Louie.

He cannot be rehomed with other cats – this is non negotiable. He is very aggressive towards other animals and he is a big boy. He also cannot be rehomed with children.

Louie is now neutered, vaccinated and microchipped and is ready to start his new life.

If you are seriously interested in adopting our Louie, please download and complete an adoption registration form from our website www.stfrancisanimalwelfare.co.uk or if you would like more info, please email us at [email protected]

16/10/2022

Proud to have achieved the first step in my accreditation journey with ASAB 😊

* New Pre-cert announcement*

Congratulations 🥳 Elizabeth Waring!

"'I am so pleased to have finally achieved my pre-certification as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist with ASAB, something I have been working towards for many years. I now look forward to working towards the next stage and continuing to learn and help more cats and their humans along the way."

21/07/2022

Great advice here from International Cat Care- it’s important to know the behaviour changes that might indicate osteoarthritis, especially for those who own or care for older cats 🐱

🐈 As cats age their behaviour can change because of the physiological changes taking place in their body. Osteoarthritis is a common condition causing their joints to become painful and stiff. The ageing cat adapts gradually to these changes and so it might be hard to spot the signs. 🔎

Modifying the cat’s environment as they age can improve their quality of life and ensure they still have access to all their favourite places and resources.

🐾 If a cat is finding stairs difficult to negotiate you may notice them spending more time on one level, choosing either up or downstairs. Meet the cats' needs on one level so they access to food, water, scratching posts, litter trays, beds and hiding places without having to navigate stairs.

🐾 Many cats love raised locations to rest, hide or survey their environment - like beds, sofas, tables, windowsills or wardrobes. Being off the ground enhances feelings of safety and security. Using a series of shallow steps, platforms, ramps or strategically placed furniture can help the aging cat to reach these places in easy stages.

🐾 To provide them with extra relief from uncomfortable joints, place warm, thick and washable blankets in their favourite resting and hiding areas for them to snuggle into. Older cats can become unbalanced and stiff and be more likely to fall. Encourage the use of wide surfaces for resting and place non-slip padded objects underfoot where the platform is narrow.

🐾 Resting places on floor-level provide the ageing cat with easy access and no climbing. Provide open and covered beds in different warm, quiet locations that have low-level access to enter. The cat’s carrier also provides the perfect option for resting and hiding. If we make it a pleasant place, the cat can build positive associations with it, which means less stress when travelling. Place the carrier in a quiet, warm location, with familiar bedding inside that is comfortable. Leave the door open and encourage the cat to spend time in there by providing treats and food inside.

We would love to see a photo of your senior cat in the comments! 📸 🐈

30/05/2022

Excited to be chatting to International Cat Care on Wednesday! 🐱

05/05/2022

Excited to be answering questions on all things cat behaviour this Saturday! 🐱

Ever wondered why your cat does what they do? Join us this Saturday, 7th May from 11am - 1pm for an in-store cat behavioural drop-by event with special guest, Elizabeth Waring from International Cat Care, as part of our Cat Month.

Elizabeth will be here to chat to you personally about cat conundrums and baffling behaviours. She will be able to answer questions about a huge range of cat training and behaviour topics so please just pop by and feel free to have a chat. Elizabeth is an expert when it comes to cat behaviours and advice as she graduated from the University of Bristol with a BSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare and an MSc in Veterinary Parasitology. She has worked with Cats Protection and Blue Cross animal charities for 8 years. During this time, Elizabeth also gained her MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour from the University of Lincoln and set up her own behaviour consultancy, helping caregivers with their pet’s behaviour. She definitely knows her stuff and we’re honoured she agreed to spend some time with us all, talking about all our cats 🐱

If you aren't available this weekend, please submit a question to us in the comments below. We’ll ask Elizabeth on Saturday and get back to you.

26/03/2019

I just had to share this photo of the very lovely Lottie! My first Dalmatian client!! We had a fab training session together 😊🐶✨

09/01/2019

A good message to remind everyone about the danger of antifreeze at this time of year, especially for cats 🐈 ❄️🐱

It is a sad fact that during winter there's an increase in the number of cats poisoned by antifreeze.

Most antifreeze solutions (often used in cars in the winter) are based on a product called ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol is very toxic to all animals when ingested, causing rapid and frequently fatal injury to the kidneys.

Cats are particularly susceptible due to their specialised metabolism. Cats only need to drink a teaspoon or less of antifreeze for it to cause serious illness and even death. So a curious lick or two from a small spillage could be enough to cause serious poisoning.

International Cat Care has produced a free poster warning of the dangers of antifreeze to cats. This can be used to raise awareness of this issue and provides advice on keeping cats safe.

The poster can be downloaded for free here:https://icatcare.org/sites/default/files/PDF/antifreeze-campaign-poster.pdf

Or order a free printed version and just pay the postage: https://icatcare.org/product/antifreeze-poster.

Our advice is as follows. To avoid accidental poisonings:
• Clean up any spills immediately, no matter how small, and make sure pets cannot access the area until it is clean and safe.
• Never add antifreeze to garden water-features or ponds.
• Always keep antifreeze in clearly labelled, robust, sealed containers, away from pets and their environment.
• Always dispose of antifreeze safely and responsibly. Contact your local authority for advice.

If your pet shows any of the following signs take them to a vet immediately:
• Increased urination
• Increased drinking
• Vomiting
• Depression
• Lethargy (being abnormally sleepy)
• Appearing drunk and uncoordinated
• Seizures (fitting)
• Abnormally fast heartbeat
• Very fast, shallow breathing

The sooner veterinary treatment is received, the better their chances of survival. If left untreated pets can suffer, and will die.

Help us to raise awareness of this serious risk and keep cats safe this winter.