Study for a successful career in the Pet Care Management
- Develop a solid foundation of the necessary skills and knowledge to provide effective management of the diverse pet industry.
You can direct your studies to your current area of expertise, or choose
a new direction for yourself. You can also make your course as
focused or as broad as you need it to be.
Through practical tasks, research, observation and networking; you are
guided to develop not only knowledge of science, but also
"understanding", "awareness" and the right "attitude" that is needed to
build either a sustainable career or business.
Work with your strengths
This course is different to many others. It is an "experiential based"
learning program; designed to get you involved with a variety of
industry professionals, while exploring the nature and scope of the pet
care industry and finding where you best fit.
For ongoing success, you need to become "connected". This networking
within the industry will provide the basis to remain "connected", so
that you can evolve and adapt to changes as your career moves forward.
Enrol now and get six free eBooks recommended by our Pet care tutors.
Modules
Note that each module in the Qualification - Advanced Certificate In Pet Industry Management is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
Opportunities abound to work with Pets.
According
to some industry sources, the pet industry in the US is worth in excess of $80bn.
And America is not alone, in Australia households are thought to own more than 8 million pets including over 4 million dogs and over3 million cats.
The scope of the industry is huge, and the opportunities for anyone with
a good understanding of pets, is expanding further every year.
Just Consider Cats
Retail and Manufacturing
There are manufacturing and retailing opportunities for producing and
selling pet products, specializing in cats, and this can either be done
by running a shop or online sales. Cat toys are usually quite limited
in smaller pet stores but this may give an opportunity to create
something new and different for the feline species, or find something
decent already on the market. All cats need food, and the supply of cat
food is in itself a significant industry.
Pet shop retailers also sell products and advise appropriate nutrition,
training techniques or devices, and stimulation. The retailer should
have extensive knowledge of animals, especially nutrition and husbandry,
with the correct licenses and this should be checked with local
councils prior to opening.
Cat Grooming
All cats, require a certain amount of grooming, and some breeds of cats
with certain coat types will most definitely require more grooming than
others. Pet owners may find it difficult to fit grooming maintenance in
to their busy lives, or may just prefer to take their cats to a
professional groomers.
Although cats usually do a good amount of self-grooming, it is important
that cats are kept clean and free from uncomfortable matted and loose
hair. Matted hair can pull tight on the skin, and can also hide
ectoparasites therefore any infestation may not be as visible as they
could be. Grooming cats no matter what the coat type has several
functions:
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Removes loose hair.
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Removal of loose hair prevents ingestion by the cat when self-grooming, therefore less hairballs.
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Detects, or aids in the removal of parasites.
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Improves muscle tone.
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Full body health check can be taken.
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Therapeutic for the cat, and perhaps the human.
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Social bonding between human and feline.
From a young age domesticated cats need to become accustomed to human
touch. Grooming sessions with owners can be a great way to achieve this
and is also good for some quality, human-cat bonding time. Any
professional working in cat grooming should encourage customers to do
supplementary grooming for bonding if nothing else. It is much easier
for groomers to deal with a cat that is used to grooming techniques and
the human hands.
Professional groomers should ensure grooming only occurs when the cat is
completely happy and relaxed. Start and finish on a positive note,
being sensitive to feline behaviours. If the cat becomes restless or
stressed, grooming should be stopped. If the cat exhibits the following
behaviours grooming should be paused, or stopped completely.
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Tail twitching, swishing or thumping particularly at the tip of tail.
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Rapid turns of the head in the direction of the comb.
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Skin twitching or tense body.
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Lip licking or head shaking.
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Ears flattened backwards.
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Sudden rapid self-grooming.
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Growl or hissing sounds.
As a groomer, it is unlikely that there will be a need to wash a cat
especially if the cat is healthy. For cats it is a stressful situation
to be washed in a bath and should only really need to be carried out if a
cat is heavily infested with ectoparasites, or the coat has been
contaminated in a harmful substance. If this is the case, it would be
best to refer to a veterinary practice for further care. If a cat is
healthy, then it should not need to be cleaned or washed.
Cat Breeding Industry
The cat breeding industry poses questions about pet population as there
are so many stray, or unwanted cats across the globe. Thousands of cats
are euthanized due to the lack of homes. For every purposely bred
kitten, there will be an unwanted animal that has lost a home. For this
reason; government bodies in some countries have placed regulations and
licenses on the breeding of cats. This varies from one authority to the
next.
As a cat breeder, you do not need a qualification but should have a good
knowledge of the breed of cat and their best interests at heart at all
times. The queen must have the proper care throughout pregnancy and
post pregnancy. A clean, appropriate environment must be provided with
the correct nutrition available.
The female cat should be fully grown to their adult size before breeding
occurs, and this is usually around 18 to 24 months of age. If the
female falls pregnant before she has chance to fully grow then all her
energy will go on the pregnancy, rather as her own growth. The male tom
should not be under the age of 18 months before being bred, and this
ensures he is in good health with a good temperament.
It is the breeder’s responsibility to ensure the female and the male cat
have both had full health evaluations, and this should be carried out
by a veterinary surgeon. Both cats should be checked prior to breeding
for;
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Full physical examinations.
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Full courses of vaccinations, or ensure they are up to date.
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Faecal and urinary analysis.
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Free from parasites or infections.
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Tested for FeLV (Feline Leukaemia Virus) and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus).
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Tested for genetic disorders, e.g. polycystic kidney disease, hip dysplasia, patellar luxations and heart disease.
It is also important to check with the vet for any tests which may be
relevant to their locality. Both cats should be an ideal, healthy
weight with good temperaments. It is a better trait, and easier
rehoming if the cats are laid back, and not aggressive.
It is the responsibility of the breeder to ensure good homes can be
found for all the kittens. This may be hard as there are so many cats
requiring homes, and less space in shelters. It is important to find
homes for lives, rather as a kitten ending up in a shelter. A vetting
can be undertaken of any prospectus owner to ensure that they are going
to good homes.
Professional Training and Handling
As a professional cat trainer, or behaviourist, you are required to
advise owners about behavioural problems their cats are exhibiting. You
will be required to draw up a programme and demonstrate this to the
client which involves excellent communication skills. These behaviours
may be anything from, unwanted noise, toilet training, destructive or
aggression.
Generally, cat trainers will be self-employed and should have completed
some type of course, whether this be a cat communication or behaviour
course. There are also associations which can be joined by
behaviourists which gives clients a piece of mind, and will also give
added benefits as a trainer.
Along with the theory it is important that it takes practice, and a lot
of hands on experience before you can become an expert in feline
behaviour. It is also valuable to remember that all cats will train
differently, and have different personalities, so a technique used on a
certain behaviour for one cat, may not work the same for another.
Day Care or Boarding
The popularity of cats has created a market for professional cat carers
or sitters. This job requires good general knowledge and care for cats,
with good management and husbandry skills. Some type of animal care or
husbandry study program is beneficial. It may be something some owners
look for in their cat carers.
Owners with busy work schedules may need cat carers for any length of
time; from an hour or two a day, to several days or even weeks at a
time. To cause less stress to a cat it may be appropriate to hire a
sitter or cat day care service on a regular basis to look after a cat in
a familiar environment on a regular basis. Some people may require a
cat sitter for longer while away on holiday or business, in which case
cat boarding at a cattery may be more appropriate.
Day Care
This would involve visiting the cats in their own houses for the agreed
time, as placing a cat in a day care centre would cause unnecessary
stress. Several cats could be visited in one day, and may be routine
customers or one offs. Sessions may include;
Cat Boarding
Owners may wish to place their cats in boarding whilst they are away
longer periods of time. This provides an opportunity to run, or work
within, a cattery. To set up a cattery, you will need an adequate
building to place a number of catteries and also offer a satisfactory
exercise area. Each individual cattery should include a warm bed, food,
water and stimulation. Local councils should be contacted to check
regulations and licenses for catteries. Staff should be available to
spend time with each individual cat to provide human-cat interaction.
Cat Rehoming Centre or Fostering
There are opportunities to volunteer with cat rehoming centres, or even
foster cats until long term homes can be found. Cats end up in
rehoming centres due to the large population of unwanted cats, strays
and litters of unwanted kittens. Unfortunately, not all get a happy
ending but the more people that make themselves available as cat
fosterers, or volunteer within a shelter, the higher the chance these
cats have of finding forever homes.
It is possible to set up your own cat rescue centre if you have adequate
ground or space. There are some things which would need to be
considered;
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The rehoming of the cats, how will this be achieved.
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Contact with local council – permission, license, regulations etc.
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Local vet available.
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Donations.
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Volunteers and staff.
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Equipment.
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Administration.
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Insurance.
To run a rehoming centre takes a lot of work, and there needs to be a
way of finding the cats suitable homes. This may be done through
website, social media, campaigns, newspaper publicity, sponsors and
radio stations.
Therapy Pets
There are charities available to join which concentrate on using cats as
therapy for hospital patients, nursing homes, and schools, children
with learning problems or even prisons. It has been shown from these
visits from therapy cats can relieve human stress. When humans stroke
animals the hormone oxytocin is released which triggers the ‘happy’
feeling.
The cat used as a therapy pet is required to have a good temperament and
laid back attitude, be accustomed to human touch, and cope well in
stressful situations such as, loud noises or unpredictable
circumstances. The cat should be at least one year old so you know the
temperament well. There may be further requirements and this should be
checked with an experienced “Pets as Therapy” group. You will also be
required to carry out further training and tests to ensure the cat is
able to cope well.
Health Care
There are opportunities to work with cats within the health care sector,
whether it be a veterinary surgeon, veterinary nurse or animal nursing
assistant. With either of these career opportunities you will need
extensive knowledge of animal health care. A veterinary surgeon will
train over a number of years before fully qualified, and it is then that
they can choose to specialize in the feline species if they wish. A
veterinary nurse or animal nursing assistant will get to work with a
variety of species, including cats.
Some veterinary care services may specialize more with cats than others.
Therapy for Cats
There are a number of therapies which can work alongside vet practices
to help improve the health of a cat. These therapies include
hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and massage. These techniques can be used
on older cats with health issues, post-op, arthritis, obesity and to
generally improve their health.
Hydrotherapy
Although this is less common with cats, it has had proven health
benefits for recovering injuries, arthritis or defects. The exercises
are completed in a controlled environment with a pool, and this really
depends on whether the cat will accept the treatment within water. A
qualification can be taken to become a hydro therapist, as well as
extensive knowledge of animal anatomy and physiology.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy involves stretching and flexing of the cat’s limbs and is
used for rehabilitation. It can be used to rehabilitate the cat from
injuries, post operation and problems such as arthritis. A
qualification is required to undertake physiotherapy, and the best route
to be taken seriously by vets is to complete a human physiotherapy
degree, then to specialize in a Masters course of veterinary
physiotherapy.
Massage
Pet massage is becoming increasingly popular, and has therapeutic
benefits as well as adding to the above techniques of improving health.
A qualification can be completed in massage, however, it is advisable
that you take a course with extensive hands on practical sessions.
Funeral or Memorial Service
There unfortunately has to be the moment in an owner’s life where they
say goodbye to their much beloved pet. This is always a sad time, but
does give an opportunity for a service to provide a unique business and
make their goodbye as special as they can.
This can be offered with a funeral service tailored to the client’s
needs and wishes, with also the outcome of memorial area and stone.
This all depends on the owner’s wishes, and offering a wide variety of
services will allow people with financial constraints even have a basic
package.
There will be regulations on burials and building, depending on local councils and if the owners owns their land.
A good course will grow your understanding of pets and how to care for them
-this course certainly does that
WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?
This is a significantly longer and more in depth pet course than most;
but the more you study, the more you learn, and the greater your
capacity will be to succeed and excel in the pet industry.
You have an opportunity to learn in greater depth about a greater variety of different types of pets, including:
This course will set you on a path to continuing growth in
understanding pet care, and a lifetime of continual growth in
experience and industry awareness.
You will not only be better when you finish your course; but will
continue to get better beyond that, every year that you continue
involvement with pets. This course does that too!
The nature of this industry has changed
The way in which the work is done has changed too; and will most likely continue changing.
People are increasingly looking for something new as well - new types of
pets, new pet products, new pet services. For some people, pets are a
very important part of their lives, and pets can become virtually
"substitute children". There is nothing too good for their pets, and no
expense they would not incur on their pets.
The good news for anyone with a knowledge of pet care and an awareness
of the industry is that this is a vibrant, growth industry that is
constantly presenting new exciting opportunities to build a business or
career.
- Develop a career or business with pets: in breeding and supplying pets, or supplying services or products to pet owners.
Remember, enrol today and also get six free eBooks recommended by our tutors.
When you buy this course, you are not just buying course notes, you will also receive -
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High quality, up to date learning materials
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Highly qualified, enthusiastic tutors who are there to help you every step of the way.
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You can contact your tutor with any questions throughout the course
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High quality, excellent administrative support
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Six free eBooks recommended by our tutors
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And an interesting learning journey to learn more about the pet care industry.
Any questions before you enrol?
Call -
01384 442752 (UK)
+44 (0)1384 442752 (outside UK)
Or click here to contact us.
