The program is designed to increase the number of cat adoptions and decrease the length of stay in shelters.

PINELLAS COUNTY – Save Our Strays has been chosen by the Jackson Galaxy Project, a Signature Program of GreaterGood.org, to participate in the Spring 2019 Semester of Cat Pawsitive, a life-saving initiative that introduces positive-reinforcement training to cats in shelters and rescues.

Supported by the Petco Foundation and Halo® pet food, this innovative training program for cats aims to increase feline adoption rates and maintain cat “mojo.”

Jackson Galaxy, star of the television show My Cat from Hell on Animal Planet and founder of JGP, developed Cat Pawsitive with a team of feline behavior experts. Highlights of the program include:

• Maintaining cat “adoptability” and feline social skills by enriching cats’ day-to-day lives
• Increasing adoptions
• Decreasing length of stay
• Engaging and empowering volunteers and staff
• Showing potential adopters that cats are cool and can even be trained!

“The genesis of Cat Pawsitive stemmed from the simple desire to duplicate the ‘AHA!’ moment I had in the early stages of my life with cats as a shelter worker,” Galaxy said. “By utilizing the training concepts that were, to that point, only used for the dogs in our care, not only were the cats stimulated, motivated and energized, but so was I. That, along with the most important result, lives being saved, was the win-win I envisioned passing on to as many cats, shelters, and rescues as I possibly could. So today I am filled with an indescribable mix of joy and anticipation as we enter the Spring 2019 semester of the Jackson Galaxy Project’s Cat Pawsitive program.”

The Cat Pawsitive program is designed to keep adoptable cats mentally and physically active in a shelter or rescue environment. The focus is on fun, positive reinforcement-based training sessions that go beyond playtime-as-usual to help cats maintain their mojo and connect more quickly with potential adopters. From teaching high fives and head bumps to “sit” and “come when called,” caregivers at Cat Pawsitive participating organizations engage with cats in a brand new way to really help cats to “click” with adopters.

Save Our Strays said it is excited to take part in the Jackson Galaxy Cat Pawsitive Program to enrich the lives of the cats in the orgranization’s care, and hopefully allowing SOS to be able to care for many more cats in Pinellas County. When cats come to SOS, they are often traumatized by being in an unfamiliar environment, and in many cases, they have lost their families and everything they were familiar with. This program should give the kitties the confidence to let their personalities shine and help them find a family that will love them forever.

Galaxy will be sharing highlights of the program on the Jackson Galaxy Project Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

Save Our Strays is a non-profit, all volunteer, no kill humane organization whose mission is sheltering and finding homes for abandoned or homeless cats and kittens in Pinellas County.

The Jackson Galaxy Project, founded in 2014, is a Signature Program of GreaterGood.org, a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Project is the realization of Jackson’s long-standing dream of improving the lives of animals at risk and helping the people who care for them.

GreaterGood.org is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that works to improve the health and well-being of people, pets, and the planet. Over the past 11 years, GreaterGood.org has given over $175 million in cash and in-kind grants to more than 3,000 charitable partners worldwide.

Jackson Galaxy | Save Our Strays | Cats | Homeless Cats | Pets | Tampabay News

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