When shelter staff and volunteers talk about clicker training for cats, it’s mostly as a way to get the kitties to put their best paw forward for adopters. But what if it can be something more — even a tool to fight suffering and disease? That was the theory of researchers at Colorado State and North… Learn More

What if you could sprinkle magic fairy dust to reduce fighting between cats in a family? That would certainly help keep cats in their homes, and encourage people to adopt multiple cats, so we wish we could tell you magic anti-cat fight fairy dust was a thing. What we can tell you is there’s something… Learn More

An in-shelter behavior assessment is not a reliable way to determine whether dogs will or won’t be safe in adoptive homes, reports a new ASPCA position statement. Instead, such evaluations need to be based on multiple observations over time. That’s a position shared by Maddie’s Fund® Director of Research and board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Sheila D’Arpino.… Learn More

While the pet adoption world is becoming more and more adopter-friendly, concerns about making sure the adoptions are successful still crop up fairly often. A just-published study conducted in an Australian shelter found that most adoptions are successful and most adopters are satisfied with their pet’s behavior, even when the newly-acquired pet was reported to… Learn More

Can just a few hours outside the shelter make a difference for a dog? Data from an ongoing study suggests foster field trips can help improve welfare in dogs, increase adoption chances and create other advantages for the organization caring for the dogs. Here’s the background: About a year ago, Austin Animal Center received a… Learn More

Short of finding a magic wand, there’s really nothing better than foster care programs for boosting lifesaving, cutting costs and improving health in animal shelters. Unconvinced? Check out the results of a study just published in the peer-reviewed journal Animals, “Factors Associated with High Live Release for Dogs at a Large, Open-Admission, Municipal Shelter.” The… Learn More

Do you want to get more senior dogs and cats adopted? A new study reports that, to accomplish that goal, animal shelters and rescue organizations need to provide health care to pets already in the shelter, as well as veterinary support to help keep older pets in the homes they already have — whether it’s permanently,… Learn More

A rapid DNA test lets animal shelters know with certainty that a cat or kitten is negative for ringworm, allowing those kitties to head straight out to the adoption floor or into foster care without concern that they might be contagious. The test considered the “gold standard” for diagnosing ringworm (Microsporum canis dermatophytosis) in cats is… Learn More

Ever wonder why foster caregivers stop fostering? How can your organization increase retention? Maddie’s Fund® set out to answer these questions by sponsoring a recent study at UNC Charlotte on foster care. The results, and what your organization can do about the problem, may surprise you. “The purpose of this study was to better understand… Learn More

Can you imagine how terrifying it must feel for cats who are trapped for sterilization and returned to their outdoor habitat, especially when the cat is not socialized to humans? And you probably don’t need to imagine how much stress pet cats can experience when taken to the veterinarian — if you’ve ever owned a… Learn More