Sarah Warner opened Kenmore’s first kitten kindergarten at the Aristocrats Feline Day Spa last month. Formerly a groomer and veterinary nurse, the 29-year-old Sarah talked about how she first came up with her unique idea.
While training in Sydney a few years back, Sarah heard about puppy preschools and kitten kindergartens. The kitten kindergarten and puppy preschool were pioneered by Kersti Seksel, an Australian veterinary behaviourist. Sarah observed that kitten kindergartens helped cats have a more positive behaviour.
Sarah began asking her clients questions about their cats and their needs. Using the data she had gathered, she decided to put up a local kitten kindergarten, anticipating the growing need in Kenmore for facilities to help educate owners about their pets, and focusing on first-time cat owners and those who are concerned with their cat’s behaviour.
“Things like, a lot of clients would say their adult cat has been jumping up on the bench for the past five years and they want to know how to stop it. The behaviours we want to see in the future are much easier if taught from early on,” she said.
The Kitten Kindergarten holds classes to provide opportunities for cats to socialise with other cats. Sarah also educates owners about basic medical care, de-sexing, nutrition, grooming, training and behavioural issues. Her classes also teach the owners to train their cats at home in things like training their kittens to use their scratching post.
The opening of the kitten kindergarten in Kenmore has caught the attention of many, including Ros Taber, the Director of Brisbane’s Pawsitive Connection. While she has been aware of the kitten kindergarten concept for quite some time, she believes that it has been only recently that cat owners have really considered it for their pets. She thinks that this shows that more people are establishing a stronger emotional connection with their cats.
The kitten kindergarten allows owners, specifically in Kenmore, to adhere to the Brisbane City Council’s cat ownership rules. Now that cat registration is no longer required by the Queensland Government, it is doubly important for owners to ensure their cat’s good behaviour.
With Kenmore’s kitty kindy, cats and their humans can benefit from a smoother integration in the home and outside, in the community. Good cat behaviour creates a “purr-fect” environment for our feline friends to flourish and thrive. And since learning works both ways, the kitty kindy also helps teach cat owners to take better care of their pets.
