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THIS SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION: UPDATES COMING IN JANUARY

Welcome

The shelter is a scary place for any pet, especially cats. Cats exhibiting fearful or defensive behaviors in shelters are often misunderstood and mismanaged. This leads to long lengths of stay and emotional suffering. Without the right intervention and support, these cats are at high risk of euthanasia despite their potential to thrive in a home environment.

  It's time to change that!  

The Spicy Cat Project is an initiative aimed at transforming how shelters, vet clinics, and cat caregivers manage fearful and aggressive cats through innovative handling and socialization techniques, while deepening our understanding of feline behavior.

Throughout this website, you'll find helpful videos and information on how to handle and manage cats of all temperaments to better meet their needs and improve their quality of life. Because these cats are not mean, they're just scared.

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 Spicy Cat: This phrase is commonly used to describe a cat with “attitude” — hissing, growling, and letting you know they’re not happy. And while it’s the name of my project, it is not a term I ever use in practice. “Spicy cat” gives off a lighthearted and fun tone, when really it’s describing a cat that’s scared, anxious, or stressed — and that’s not so fun. Using words like “spicy,” “mean,” or “evil” can make us see these cats in a negative way, even though they’re just reacting normally to fear. If we shift to more understanding language, like calling them “fearful” or “misunderstood,” we can approach them with compassion instead of hostility.

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