Have you or someone you know ever surrendered a pet cat to a shelter, or considered doing so? Thousands of people do so every year, often because of “bad behavior” like furniture scratching or the cat not using the litterbox. Very often, the problems are solvable, says Newton resident Rachel Geller, Ed.D. a cat behavior specialist certified by the Humane Society of the United States. She is the author of Saving the World One Cat at A Time, which provides accessible, practical solutions and advice for managing cat behavior and preventing surrenders to shelters due to behavioral issues.
Whether the issue is separation anxiety, having multiple cats in a household, or managing the match between your family and a particular cat, her book contains information and techniques to address the problem effectively and enhance the quality of life for both humans and felines. In collaboration with The Coop at Harvard, Geller will conduct a special reading and signing event for her book on Wednesday, November 1 at 6PM.
“Many issues arise because people don’t think from a cat’s perspective,” said Geller. An example is covered litter boxes, which some cats avoid. While humans like privacy while defecating, cats have an instinctual need to survey the visual field for predators at this vulnerable time. They also need to know they can escape if danger arises. But since there is only one way out of a covered litter box, says Geller, they know the exit would be “right into an opponent’s face.” This is just one of many examples described in the book of how simple fixes can help owners keep their cats.
Geller comes to the world of human-cat relationships after a career studying human behavior. For over 20 years, she was a behavioral specialist for Waltham Public Schools, working with grades K-8. In her free time, she volunteered at shelters and on advisory boards for animal welfare organizations. “I became aware that many cats were surrendered to shelters because of behavior,” said Geller, adding that although many problems can be fixed, “a lot of professional cat behaviorists can be very expensive. I knew I wanted to do something to make these solutions accessible to more people.”
After her retirement, therefore, she founded All Cats All the Time, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Her organization provides free cat behavior counseling to cat owners and shelters who cannot afford to pay for it, in pursuit of its mission to boost adoption rates and address behavioral issues that often lead to surrender. It also provides needed products to low-income pet owners, surviving on donations from the public and grateful pet owners who have been helped by the organization’s services. “There are many people who desperately want to keep their cat but just can’t afford to pay for what is needed to do so,” said Geller. She is happy to report that her organization now helps over 1,000 cats per year to stay happily in their homes.
Geller’s expertise has been featured in prominent media outlets such as the Associated Press, Real Simple magazine, Inspire Unity, Greater Bostonian, Boston Voyager, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, I Heart Radio, Audacy, and various pet-related podcasts, TV, and radio shows. Saving the World One Cat at A Time is set to bring her helpful knowledge to an even wider audience.