Dr. Freddie Hurly and Mrs Hanna Odendaal jointly present the Advanced Behaviour Course: Cats. This certificate course together with the required practical experience is required for registration as an Animal Behaviourist with the South African Board for Companion Animal Practitioners (SABCAP). For information on SABCAP please visit their website.

The Advanced Cat course is also recommended by The Animal Behaviour Consultants of South Africa (ABC)

Students who have successfully completed the Basic Animal Behaviour course: Cats are welcome to enrol for this course. Students are allowed to enrol simultaneously (that is in the same year) for both the Basic and Advanced Cat behaviour courses.

The Advanced Course: Cats is in many ways an application of the study material of the Basic Cat Course and sound knowledge of the content of the Basic Course is required to be successful in this course.  Students are encouraged to see behaviour and attempts to find successful resolutions for behavioural problems in a holistic framework and no generic recipes to solve behavioural problems are introduced. Aspects of behavioural practice management, research and ethics in practice, consultation skills and the use of behaviour altering medication are incorporated in the study material.

It is essentially a correspondence course, but attending a two – day seminar in either Pretoria or Cape Town is compulsory for all students.  To accommodate students who enrolled for both the Advanced Cat and the Advanced Dog course and due to the overlap in the management and consultation modules, all students will attend the same seminar. The Cat students will be required to attend only Day 1 and Day 2 of the three-day seminars.

The broad outline of the Advanced Behaviour Course: Cats is as follows:

The Advanced Course:  Cats course consists of four Modules:

• Handling techniques and Training methods.
• Analysis of cases of behavioural problems
• Behavioural practice management and communication skills
• Breeding programmes,  cattery evaluation and socialisation programmes

The student will be evaluated on written assignments, practical skills, and ability to apply the knowledge in theoretical case studies as well as in a real life case study. There is no formal written exam.

Registration for this course takes place from 7 January to 28 February every year. The enrolment fee for the Advanced Behaviour Course: Cats for 2010 is R5, 400 VAT inclusive. The fee includes the study material, attendance of the seminar and the examination fee. 

A student can enrol for both the Advanced Dog and the Advanced Cat courses in the same year provided that they have completed both the Basic courses. The Advanced Dog and Cat seminars will be presented jointly to accommodate students who enrol for both the Dog and Cat Advanced Courses and the fee for the Cat Advanced course will be reduced by 30%. 

Two seminars are scheduled for the Advanced Course – one in Pretoria (5, 6 and 7 August, cats students to attend 5 & 6 August) and Cape Town (1 - 3 September, cat students to attend 1 & 2 September)

Enrol here

Do not hesitate to get in touch should you need more information.