full

full
Published on:

31st Mar 2022

COS 128 Effective Enrichment For The Cat That Refuses To Play (HDYTT)

Gertrude is a 16lb obese cat who simply refuses to lose weight. She will not run, play, or exercise in any way. She refuses to eat anything but the food she wants. Her health is on the line and Dr. Andy Roark is out of ideas. Fortunately, Ingrid Johnson is here to talk about how she handles these cases. Let’s get into it!

LINKS: Fundamentally Feline: https://www.fundamentallyfeline.com/ Put on Your PANTS! Hold Meeting that Matter: https://unchartedvet.com/product/put-on-your-pants-meetings/ Uncharted April Conference: https://unchartedvet.com/uncharted-april-2022/ Uncharted Podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-uncharted-veterinary-podcast/id1449897688

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Ingrid Johnson is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (CCBC) through The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). Ingrid owns and operates Fundamentally Feline, providing in home consults for locals and virtual consultations worldwide for clients experiencing behavior challenges with their cat(s). In addition to behavior consults, Ingrid also offers medicating consultations to help clients overcome, or get ahead of, medicating challenges. Prevention and training, the best medicine! She makes her own line of feline foraging toys, scratching posts, vertical space, and litter boxes. She lectures nationwide on cat behavior at veterinary conferences such as AAFP, VMX, ACVC and the like. She is employed at Paws Whiskers and Claws, a feline only veterinary hospital, as a tech, groomer, and office manager and has been working exclusively with cats since 1999. In the Fall of 2016 a paper she co-authored, Food puzzles for cats: Feeding for physical and emotional well-being, was published in the JFMS (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery) and to compliment it she co-developed FoodPuzzlesforCats.com. To date it is the most popular and widely downloaded paper in the history of the journal! Ingrid’s home, cats, and environmental enrichment expertise has been featured on Animal Planet’s Cats101 show and featured in numerous publications including the website WebMD. She has created a series of educational How-To videos of her own, viewable on Fundamentally Feline’s website and YouTube channel. Ingrid regularly interviews and offers her expertise for various media outlets. She is Co-Director of Paw Project-Georgia, working towards ending the cruel practice of de-clawing cats. Cat Fancy magazine’s 2008 “Home Issue” showcased her feline friendly accommodations and the aesthetically pleasing ways you can provide for your cats innate basic needs while still having a home the humans can enjoy. Ingrid is a huge advocate for enrichment and is determined to thwart the belief that one’s home will look unsightly in efforts to provide it. Ingrid shares her home with husband Jake, five rescue cats, and Sebastian, a rescued Great Pyrenees Dog. Follow Fundamentally Feline on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube!

Mentioned in this episode:

Sign up for the Early Career Newsletter here!

Uncharted Practice Manager's Summit

Last Chance to Register is June 1st 2026 - Tell your managers! Registration is only $199 and they can save 20% with code MANAGER

Register for the Practice Manager's Summit here!

Learn more about Simparica Trio here!

Office Hours w/ Dr. Andy Roark

Inside the Uncharted Veterinary Community, Dr. Andy Roark hosts Office Hours where veterinary leaders can bring real-world challenges and get practical guidance from someone who understands the realities of practice life. These sessions give veterinarians, practice managers, and team leaders a chance to ask questions, workshop difficult situations, and gain perspective on issues like team dynamics, communication, burnout, and clinic operations. Instead of navigating leadership challenges alone, members get direct access to Andy’s insight along with the support of a community of veterinary professionals working through many of the same challenges.

Register for Office Hours here!

Listen for free

Show artwork for The Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast

About the Podcast

The Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast
The Cone of Shame Podcast is the podcast all about life in Veterinary Medicine. Dr Andy Roark covers medical related topics with help from experts in the veterinary industry.

About your host

Profile picture for Andy Roark

Andy Roark