Cat Behavior and Humane Handling: Why Behavior Comes First with Alana Stevenson

Cats are often handled in ways that prioritize speed and physical restraint over emotional safety and behavioral understanding. While this may appear efficient in the moment, it increases fear and defensive behavior, the risk of injury, lasting negative associations, and long-term handling problems.
This webinar focuses on how cats communicate stress, how feline social behavior differs from dogs and other social species, and how small changes in environment and handling can dramatically improve feline welfare and safety.
Many cats labeled as “difficult” or “aggressive” are simply frightened, overwhelmed, or responding normally to poor handling practices. This presentation reframes feline handling through a behavioral lens, showing how humane, behavior-informed approaches produce calmer cats, greater cooperation, and better long-term outcomes.
Participants will learn to recognize both obvious and subtle signs of fear and anxiety, understand why practices such as scruffing and forceful restraint reliably worsen behavior, and apply practical, humane handling strategies that reduce fear and increase cooperation.
By shifting the focus from “getting it done quickly” to working with the cat’s emotional and behavioral health, professionals can achieve safer handling, better outcomes, and more reliable long-term cooperation—often in less time, not more.

• Recognize how cats communicate stress, fear, and discomfort, including subtle body language signals that are commonly missed
• Understand how feline behavior and coping strategies differ from dogs and other social species, and why dog-based approaches often fail with cats
• Identify how negative stereotypes (e.g., “mean,” “angry,” “difficult”) and misinterpretation of feline behavior directly contribute to poor handling choices and outcomes
•  Understand why scruffing and force-based restraint increase fear, defensive behavior, and long-term handling problems
• Apply simple environmental and procedural adjustments that significantly reduce feline anxiety and injury risk
• Connect handling methods to behavioral outcomes, reducing both immediate stress responses and chronic behavior problems

Your Presenters- Alana Linsay Stevenson

Alana Stevenson, MS, is a cat behaviorist, author, and educator specializing in feline behavior and humane handling. She is the author of The Good Cat Parent’s Guide to Feline Behavior Modification, served on the Cat Friendly Practice Advisory Council for the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and is Elite Fear Free and Low-Stress Handling Certified. Alana integrates her training in biology, animal behavior, learning theory, and ethology, with additional certification in small animal massage therapy.

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