Domestic Cat Care Course Online

If you’re thinking about cat care specifically as a new income stream or employment option, this course will assist you to demonstrate your ability to work with cats and understand the industry without question.

Domestic Cat Care is a comprehensive 100 hour course covering all aspects of diet and nutrition, preventative health care and treating illnesses, understanding feline behavior, breeding, business planning and more!

You will learn:

• • Investigate aspects of domestic cat care and the basic duties of owners and professional carers.
  • Develop understanding of basic biology – anatomy and physiology – and associated processes.
  • Examine variations between different breeds by focusing on common health issues, temperaments and characteristics.
  • Recommend different preventative care schedules and learn how to recognise and treat ill health.
  • Develop clear understanding of parasites, ailments and disease, treatment options available and the significance of veterinary assistance.
  • Investigate feline nutrition and outline an appropriate diet for the domestic cat specific to their needs.
  • Distinguish between normal and abnormal cat behaviour, extending this to develop appropriate strategies for dealing with problem or undesirable behaviours.
  • Assess the current breeding industry and demonstrate ethical standards in cat breeding and rearing kittens.
  • Investigate and evaluate services which exist in the current cat industry and propose a small business idea which is of personal interest.

Detailed Course Outline

This course is made up a number of lessons or units. Each having self assessment questions, set tasks (practical homework), and an assignment which you can upload online.

There are 9 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction

• • Basic Feline Needs – Basic Duties of the Cat Owner
  • Food and water
  • Shelter and Containment
  • Health care for sick cat
  • Grooming
  • Claw trimming
  • Bathing
  • Travel
  • Housebreaking
  • Introducing a new cat at home
  • Cats with babies and children
  • Cats and dogs
  • Cat breeds – pedigrees and non-pedigrees

2. Feline Biology

• • Skin
  • Eyes
  • Ears
  • Nose
  • Mouth
  • Digestive system
  • Reproductive system

3. Breeds

• • Domestic cat breeds
  • International and national associations
  • Long haired breeds – characteristics, common health problems, temperaments, care, history
  • Semi-long haired breeds – characteristics, common health problems, temperaments, care, history
  • Short haired breeds – characteristics, common health problems, temperaments, care, history

4. Feline Health Care

• • Preventative care
  • Vaccinations
  • Recognising ill-health
  • Dealing with emergencies
  • Artificial breathing and heart massage
  • How to induce vomiting
  • Specific situations to deal with e.g. burns, wounds, dehydration, hypothermia (and many more)
  • Poisoning
  • Wounds
  • Bandaging
  • Restraining for treatment
  • Transportation of the injured cat
  • Desexing

5. Feline Illnesses

• • Internal parasites
  • Roundworms
  • Hookworms
  • Tapeworms
  • Whipworms
  • Lungworms
  • Stomach worms
  • Bladder worms
  • Flukes
  • Worm control
  • External parasite
  • Ticks
  • Fleas
  • Mites
  • Common ailments and diseases (numerous)
  • Skin disorders

6. Feline Diet

• • Introduction to foods and feedings
  • Dietary options
  • Free feeding
  • Scheduled, portion controlled feeding
  • Understanding dietary requirements
  • Kittens (0-12 months)
  • Pregnant and lactating cats
  • Fussy cats
  • Obesity and overweight cats
  • Underweight cats
  • Geriatric cats
  • Raw diets
  • Toxic foods

7. Feline Behaviour

• • Understanding the cats mind
  • Personality and temperament differences
  • How cats communicate
  • Body language
  • Sleeping routines and circadian rhythms
  • Play
  • Behavioural problems
  • Recognise and understand aggression
  • Dealing with aggression
  • Inappropriate elimination
  • Excessive vocalization
  • Geriatric dysfunction
  • Controlling killing wildlife
  • Eating disorder
  • Abnormal suckling
  • Separation anxiety

8. Breeding and Raising Kittens (includes PBL Project)

• • Cat breeding industry
  • Ethics in animal breeding
  • A brief look at genes
  • Sexual behaviour
  • Socialisation of kittens
  • Problem based learning project – Improving Standards for Ethical Breeding

9. Feline Services (includes PBL Project)

• • Grooming services
  • Professional training and handling
  • Day care or boarding facilities
  • Rehoming and fostering
  • Using cats as therapy pets
  • Health care industry
  • Feline therapy services – hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, massage
  • Retail and manufacturing industry
  • Pet funerals and memorials
  • Business basics for self-employment in the feline industry
  • Laws and small business
  • The importance of keeping records
  • Buying an established business
  • Buying a franchise
  • Approaches to business planning
  • Problem based learning project – Starting a Small Business in the Cat Industry

When you have completed the lessons of your Certificate course, you will be given the option of taking the optional exam. It’s okay if you don’t want the exam, we still issue your Careerline Certificate. For Advanced Certificates however, the exam is compulsory (per module) and are included in the course fee.