Mieshelle Nagelschneider

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Mieshelle Nagelschneider "The Cat Whisperer"
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Animal behaviorist, author, pet product spokesperson
Website www.thecatbehaviorclinic.com www.catwhispererbook.com

Mieshelle Nagelschneider is an American cat behaviorist, author of the eponymously titled book The Cat Whisperer and founder of The Cat Behavior Clinic in Portland, Oregon.

Contents

Nagelschneider, dubbed "The Cat Whisperer", has catered to clients nationally and internationally, including actress Charlize Theron, 90's pin-ups the Barbi Twins and best-selling novelist Gwen Cooper. [1] [2] [ circular reference ]

Education and training

Nagelschneider was raised in Redmond, Oregon, and was a matriculated student in a comparative animal cognition program at Harvard University. She also studied animal psychology through Oxford University and animal behavior and animal welfare through the University of Edinburgh. [ citation needed ] She also worked in the veterinary health field prior to becoming a cat behavior consultant. Nagelschneider is a member of the Animal Behavior Society, The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals.

Nagelschneider accompanied Dr. Jordan Schaul to Central America to participate in census studies on wild cats. Their field work was featured in Modern Cat. [3] [4] [5]

Publications

With co-author Cameron Powell, Nagelschneider published the scholarly-cited cat behavior book The Cat Whisperer with a foreword by New York Times bestselling author, Gwen Cooper. Cooper was also a client of Nagelschneider's consulting firm, the Cat Behavior Clinic. Advanced praise for The Cat Whisperer (Penguin Random House), includes endorsements by John Fulton the host Animal Planet's Must Love Cats , Jordan Schaul (contributing editor to National Geographic Society) and Bob Tart (author of Kitty Cornered). [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Nagelschneider's cat behavior modification plan ("C.A.T.") is described in detail and her primary tool for addressing common domestic feline behavior problems. [11] [12] [13]

Nagelschneider contributes regularly to "Cat Whispering 101" and Pet360 where she also serves on their Feline Advisory Board. She is also a contributor to several national and international publications. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Press

Radio and television features

Nagelschneider has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs, including the Today Show , Australia's The Circle , Nat Geo Wild, Animal Planet and Martha Stewart Living Radio . [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

As an animal behavior specialist, Nagelschneider has commented or been referenced in The New York Times , New York Post , Toronto Star , The Boston Globe , USA Today , Real Simple , Salon , Cat Fancy , The Globe and Mail , The Animal Rescue Site, The New Republic , and others. [15] [26] [27] [28] [29]

Spokesperson

Nagelschneider is the official spokesperson for Arm & Hammer cat products [30] [31] [32] and also served as the International Cat Behavior Expert for Whiskas cat food products.

Charity work

Nagelschneider is a strong proponent of helping cat-advocacy organizations and has recently endorsed the Paw Project, an anti-declawing program based in Los Angeles along with the LA-based Stray Cat Alliance, a rescue organization focused on the recovery and care of stray and feral cats. [33] [34] She is also strongly committed to raising awareness for the plight of black cats, and helping those in need find loving homes despite the persistent stigma associated with them.

Together with Jackson Galaxy, Nagelschneider raises awareness for the plight of stray and feral cats around the world. [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat</span> Small domesticated carnivorous mammal

The cat, commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae. Recent advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the domestication of the cat occurred in the Near East around 7500 BC. It is commonly kept as a house pet and farm cat, but also ranges freely as a feral cat avoiding human contact. It is valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill vermin. Because of its retractable claws it is adapted to killing small prey like mice and rats. It has a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth, and its night vision and sense of smell are well developed. It is a social species, but a solitary hunter and a crepuscular predator. Cat communication includes vocalizations like meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting as well as cat body language. It can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by small mammals. It also secretes and perceives pheromones.

Trap–neuter–return (TNR), also known as trap–neuter–release, is a controversial method that attempts to manage populations of feral cats. The process involves live-trapping the cats, having them neutered, ear-tipped for identification, and, if possible, vaccinated, then releasing them back into the outdoors. If the location is deemed unsafe or otherwise inappropriate, the cats may be relocated to other appropriate areas. Ideally, friendly adults and kittens young enough to be easily socialized are retained and placed for adoption. Feral cats cannot be socialized, shun most human interaction and do not fare well in confinement, so they are not retained. Cats suffering from severe medical problems such as terminal, contagious, or untreatable illnesses or injuries are often euthanized.

A purr or whirr is a tonal fluttering sound made by some species of felids, including both larger, outdoor cats and the domestic cat, as well as two species of genets. It varies in loudness and tone among species and in the same animal. In smaller and domestic cats it is known as a purr, while in larger felids, such as the panther, it is called a whirr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onychectomy</span> Surgical removal of an animals claws

Onychectomy, popularly known as declawing, is an operation to remove an animal's claws surgically by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges, or end bones, of the animal's toes. Because the claw develops from germinal tissue within the third phalanx, amputation of the bone is necessary to fully remove the claw. The terms onychectomy and declawing imply mere claw removal, but a more appropriate description would be phalangectomy, excision of toe bone.

Cerebellar hypoplasia (CH) is a neurological condition in which the cerebellum is smaller than usual or not completely developed. It has been reported in many animal species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat communication</span> Feline means of sending or receiving information

Cats need to communicate for a variety of reasons, including to show happiness, to express anger, to solicit attention, and to observe potential prey; cats collaborate, play, and share resources with each other. When they communicate with humans, they do so to get what they need or want, such as food, water, attention, or play.

Sophia Yin was a veterinarian, applied animal behaviorist, author and lecturer. She was a pioneer in the use of positive reinforcement for training dogs, and was widely recognized as an expert in the training of pets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat behavior</span> Behavior of cats

Cat behavior is a cat's behavior and responses to events and other stimuli. Cat behavior includes body language, elimination habits, aggression, play, communication, hunting, grooming, urine marking, and face rubbing. It varies among individuals, colonies, and breeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meow</span> Vocalization by cats

A meow is a cat vocalization. Meows may have diverse tones in terms of their sound, and what's heard can vary from being chattered to calls, murmurs, and whispers. Adult cats rarely meow to each other. Thus, an adult cat meowing to human beings is generally considered a post-domestication extension of meowing by kittens: a call for attention. Felines usually communicate with each other via their shared sense of smell, yet with people they often make verbal cues around behavior, such as having a specific sound indicate a desire to go outside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat training</span> Modifying a cats behavior

Cat training is the process of modifying a domestic cat's behavior for entertainment or companionship purposes. Training is commonly used to reduce unwanted or problematic behaviors in domestic cats, to enhance interactions between humans and pet cats, and to allow them to coexist comfortably. There are various methods for training cats which employ different balances between reward and punishment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat café</span> Themed cafe

A cat café is a theme café whose attraction is cats who can be watched and played with. Patrons pay a cover fee, generally hourly, and thus cat cafés can be seen as a form of supervised indoor pet rental.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabby's Place</span> Cat sanctuary in New Jersey, United States

Tabby's Place is a cat sanctuary situated in Ringoes, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2003, it can house approximately 130 cats, which come primarily from high-volume public animal shelters where they have been scheduled to be killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Galaxy</span> American cat behaviourist and television personality

Jackson Galaxy is an American cat behaviorist, YouTuber, and was the host of the television show My Cat from Hell.

Gwen Cooper is a New York City-based American novelist and author of the 2009 New York Times bestselling memoir Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat, a memoir about her life with an abandoned, eyeless cat that she rescued when he was three weeks old and subsequently named Homer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Animal Protection Society</span> Canadian non-profit organization

Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is a no kill animal services agency in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. RAPS operates the RAPS Cat Sanctuary, a fostering network, social enterprise thrift stores, and the RAPS Animal Hospital, a full-service animal clinic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animals taking public transportation</span> Unassisted animal use of public transport

Some domestic pets, feral animals and wild animals have learned to use human public transportation to travel independently. This is tolerated or even celebrated by passengers, although most public transportation systems only allow service animals and forbid pets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dog-like cat</span> Behavioral pattern found in domestic cats

Dog-like cat is a term in popular culture that refers to specific breeds of domestic cats that have unusual behavioral tendencies that are reminiscent of young domestic dogs. These are within the scope of feline behavior, and may be enhanced through selective breeding. These behaviors, not specific to any breed, include following people around from room to room, the desire to receive frequent moments of physical affection such as being held and petted, a lack of aggression toward some fellow animals, and a placid nature. Certain owners may successfully attempt to train their cats to perform on command, such as via clicker training, akin to canines and other domesticated animals.

Cat behaviorists are individuals who specialize in working in close environments with not only the cats, but their owners, and dealing with managing the behavior of the cat. A cat behaviorist can be certified or certificated after years of academic study and practical case experience. However, it is also possible for a behaviorist to work locally without completing extensive training.

Homer the Blind Wonder Cat (1997-2013) was an eyeless cat who served as the inspiration for the 2009 New York Times bestselling memoir Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat, written by Gwen Cooper. It detailed Cooper's life with an abandoned, eyeless cat that she rescued when he was three weeks old and subsequently named Homer.

References

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  32. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2022-07-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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