VMLL 2359 - Understanding Your Fearful Cat

Some cats take special understanding and care to become the pet you want. A fearful cat is one of those. This 2-hour course will help you understand and manage your fearful cat by:

• Explaining the difference between fear, anxiety and phobia and give examples of each,
• Compare and contrast the roles of the limbic system with the cerebral cortex in responding to different stimuli in a fear situation,
• Describe the cascade of physiological events that occurs when a fearful stimulus is presented,
• Explain the role of the different types of sensory neurons in processing in loud noise phobia, and
• Describe at least 3 identifying characteristics of generalized anxiety.

Noncredit courses do not produce academic credit nor appear on a Colorado State University academic transcript.

Instructors

Jennie Willis Jamtgaard
(970) 481-4252
DogBehaviorist@aol.com

Jennie Willis Jamtgaard has a Ph.D. in Zoology, with an emphasis in animal behavior. Her doctoral research was on learning and cognition in the domestic dog. She received her M.S. degree also in Zoology , but with an emphasis in genetics. Jennie has been teaching at CSU as an instructor in many varied behavior and genetics courses, as well as introductory biology. Jennie is affiliated with the Department of Clinical Sciences, where she is instructor for a course in professional veterinary medicine.

Jennie owns a private consulting business, Animal Behavior Insights, and has been a professional consultant in companion animal behavior problems since 2000. During graduate school, she worked at Rocky Mountain National Park as an interpretive park ranger, educating the public on the biology of wild canines. Jennie is a board member of Colorado Greyhound Companions, a local greyhound rescue group, where she volunteers her services to decrease the relinquishment rate of animals due to behavior problems.