Private Cat Training
Did you know that Companion Veterinary Clinic is the first Fear Free Certified Practice in Alberta?
We are passionate about preventing and managing fear, anxiety, and stress in your pets — not only during medical visits but also through our ethical, welfare-focused training methods. Our focus is on positive reinforcement, compassion and strengthening the bond you have with your cat! The best way to help anyone change how they behave is by understanding them, guiding them to make the best choices and supporting them to feel good about themselves, and this is true of our animals as well.
At Companion Veterinary Clinic, ALL animals will receive a veterinary examination to rule out any medical concerns that could be contributing to your pet’s behaviour.
Behaviour Modification & Consulting
People don’t often think of cats as trainable, but that’s simply not true! Our trainers at Companion Veterinary Clinic are knowledgeable and experienced and know how to tackle many problem cat behaviours successfully. Some very serious ones can severely impact the quality of life of your cat, and nuisance behaviours can be disruptive to your entire household. Our team can help with:
- Predatory behaviour: stalking, chasing, and biting people
- Destructive scratching
- Litter box aversion and challenges
- Aggressions among household pets
- Nuisance behaviours: jumping on counters, activity overnight
- Play related behaviours: pouncing and biting (seen in kittens)
*For severe cases of anxiety or aggression, we may refer you to a veterinary behaviourist.
Fears, Phobias & Distress
Sometimes our pets need help with their emotions, just like people do! We offer a gentle, Fear Free approach to help your cat with:
- Anxiety based behaviours: excessive licking and grooming and inappropriate elimination
- Fear and anxiety related to people, animals, situations, or
environments - Travel and carrier training
(this includes to the veterinary clinic) - Noise phobias (thunderstorms, fireworks, etc.) and sound sensitivity
- Separation distress
Senior Cat Training & Enrichment
We are also passionate about making sure that quality of life for our senior pets is as good as we can make it. As cats age, they start to have sore joints, vision and hearing loss, and increased anxiety. Our training team is made up of Registered Veterinary Technologists, and so we are uniquely qualified to understand medical challenges and are committed to ensuring all training is done safely.
We can help by:
- Showing you how to set up your home so that it’s friendly, safe, and comfortable for your senior cat (clear movement paths, litter box locations, stairs, etc)
- Creating an enrichment plan to help them exercise their mind and body and keep them active and engaged in life
Cooperative Care, Grooming, Husbandry & More!
Some basic training is just a good idea for any cat and their guardian. Examples include:
- Husbandry & grooming: Learn about consent, how to trim nails, Fear Free techniques for brushing and dental care and more
- Leash training
- Carrier training
- Clicker training (learn sit, place, tricks, and more)
- New pet introductions
- Veterinary handling and cooperative care: Learn about consent, medication administration and how to set them your pet up for success during veterinary examinations and procedures
In this video, Jessica is teaching a consent behaviour (stationing) by using shaping and positive reinforcement. Once this patient is comfortable on the station, she will begin conditioning them to veterinary exam handling and equipment.
Contact Our Training Team
The examples of potential behaviour concerns given on this page is
not an exhaustive list! Our qualified trainers are experienced and
knowledgeable, and there isn’t much they haven’t seen. So even if you
don’t see the behaviour you are concerned about with your own cat on
this list, please reach out for help.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes! We will come to your home in Edmonton for private training sessions. For areas outside of Edmonton (St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Beaumont, Spruce Grove) we charge an additional travel fee.
Absolutely! In fact, for some feline behaviour concerns, virtual training is recommended.
You’re welcome to request a specific trainer, but there are no guarantees. We match trainers to clients based on who is the best fit to help with each specific issue.
All of our trainers are Fear Free Certified. Beyond that, our trainers individually hold a variety of credentials and certifications.
This is certainly convenient, but not required! Depending on what your behaviour concerns are, we may request a referral from your veterinarian so that we can work with your cat’s veterinary team regarding supplements, medications or cooperative care and handling plans.
That really depends on the behaviour concerns. Generally, we can see most new clients within 2-4 weeks.
Reviews & Testimonials
