tl;dr. My primary interest is in training and behavior. I'm also interested in learning more from breeders that focus explicitly on breeding for behaviour. John Bradshaw's Cat Sense is pretty cool, particularly his closing chapter on the future of cats. My current thinking is also heavily influenced by Pam Johnson-Bennett, Sarah Ellis, Marci L Koski, the dog trainer Patricia McConnell, and in general the "evidence based/science based" training movements.
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Hi all. My name is Caesg. I generally prefer the discussion board/forum format over other forms of social media when it comes to the ability to form in depth discussions and reference previously shared content. A short poke around the internet and it looks like thecatsite is the most active current discussion board/form focusing on cats. So, here I am!
I am most interested in finding a space and online community where I can share and maintain a training log and chat with other folks interested in cat training for quality of life, household integration, relationship building, and husbandry purposes. Although, who knows, maybe we'll mix some silly trick training and the like in there at some point. We'll see!
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The following are secondary interests. Although, there a little harder to explain, and thus come out more wordy:
Since reading John Bradshaw's book Cat Sense several years ago, I've developed an interest in breeding and raising of companion/pet cats. I'm not interested in breeding myself. However, I'd be very interested in playing a supportive role to breeders influenced by Bradshaw's thoughts as outlined in Chapter 11 "Cats of the Future" or if not by Bradshaw specifically than influenced by other science and sociology-based thinkers in the cat world.
In a very oversimplified summary, Bradford muses over specifically breeding for (first health, and then second) the following characteristics: decreased hunt and kill motivation, increased comfort living in multicat households (mix of breeding and early training & husbandry), affection towards humans (mix of breeding, early training & husbandry). I imagine that most breeders account for all these things in their breeding program. It's more that he was musing over explicit work towards a new breed of cat whose pedigree would be primarily behaviour based. Off the top of my head, I imagine that ragdolls would be the closest to a current pedigree cat that utilizes a similar method.
Along a similar line, my current trainer tried offering "Kitten Kindergarten" at the local shelter. They didn't have many takers. However, I'd be super interested in talking with folks that have successfully developed a local community of cat enthusiasts that prioritize science based training and socialization among kittens and cats!
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Hi all. My name is Caesg. I generally prefer the discussion board/forum format over other forms of social media when it comes to the ability to form in depth discussions and reference previously shared content. A short poke around the internet and it looks like thecatsite is the most active current discussion board/form focusing on cats. So, here I am!
I am most interested in finding a space and online community where I can share and maintain a training log and chat with other folks interested in cat training for quality of life, household integration, relationship building, and husbandry purposes. Although, who knows, maybe we'll mix some silly trick training and the like in there at some point. We'll see!
~
The following are secondary interests. Although, there a little harder to explain, and thus come out more wordy:
Since reading John Bradshaw's book Cat Sense several years ago, I've developed an interest in breeding and raising of companion/pet cats. I'm not interested in breeding myself. However, I'd be very interested in playing a supportive role to breeders influenced by Bradshaw's thoughts as outlined in Chapter 11 "Cats of the Future" or if not by Bradshaw specifically than influenced by other science and sociology-based thinkers in the cat world.
In a very oversimplified summary, Bradford muses over specifically breeding for (first health, and then second) the following characteristics: decreased hunt and kill motivation, increased comfort living in multicat households (mix of breeding and early training & husbandry), affection towards humans (mix of breeding, early training & husbandry). I imagine that most breeders account for all these things in their breeding program. It's more that he was musing over explicit work towards a new breed of cat whose pedigree would be primarily behaviour based. Off the top of my head, I imagine that ragdolls would be the closest to a current pedigree cat that utilizes a similar method.
Along a similar line, my current trainer tried offering "Kitten Kindergarten" at the local shelter. They didn't have many takers. However, I'd be super interested in talking with folks that have successfully developed a local community of cat enthusiasts that prioritize science based training and socialization among kittens and cats!
Welcome to TCS! I have long thought of the practice of breeding for traits in cats (I am actually a fan of purebred dogs or mixed-but-of-the-same-type dogs as opposed to "conflicted mixed dogs"). 
Glad you found us. 
) or is it more of a matter of new queens joining the colony that simply haven't been spayed yet? I'm not very familiar with the rescue scene. `covers her pink ears`
. I could not take a chance with the neighbors' little ones so I placed Sugar with an assisted-living home for those with psychiatric issues; well-supervised, no one under 16yo allowed on premises, the residents and their kitten loved that dog! 
As for TNR, my area is very anti-cat but the younger generations are much better so I am hopeful things will change. I have considered the pros & cons of TNR but I have seen such good results even with partial TNR, I cannot be confused as to the right answer - TNR works. Some of my best TCS family are in areas that penalize TNR and have licensing/limitations on cats and I have seen firsthand how poorly those ordinances perform. Believe me, if I thought bans and ordinances worked to solve the excess cat problem, I would be all for them: The only people who want fewer cats in this world than cat-haters are cat-LOVERS. As for the bird vs cat issue - my own observations are that people are the real cause of bird decline. When I was young, there were many birds and many cats; Nature had a balance. Unable to fly, cats were not as efficient at killing birds as they were at killing rodents and reptiles. But now, I have more birds on my property than my no-cat neighbors. The difference? I do not poison the bugs like my neighbors. For me, elm beetles are food for cute yellow finches; certain weeds are prime habitat for lady bugs which reproduce in time to reduce exploding aphid populations. Tomato bugs are good for quail....etc. Yes, the plants get ragged looking but perfection is artificial.
