Meghan Herron, DVM, DACVB, FFCV
Meghan Herron, DVM, DACVB, FFCV, senior director of behavior, education, and outreach at Gigi’s, a shelter organization in Ohio, presented a continuing education session on “Feline Behavior Myths” at the 2025 Fetch dvm360 Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. During the talk, she debunked common notions about the behavior of cats that aren’t supported by science.
What’s one myth about feline behavior that veterinary teams can communicate to clients that might help them understand a cat’s actions? In a dvm360 interview, Herron noted that natural feline actions can be mistaken for misbehavior. In this video, she discussed how that misconception can drive pet owners’ responses, how it affects the human-animal bond and ways to better support these pets.
The following is a transcript of the video:
Meghan Herron, DVM, DACVB, FFCV: Most feline behaviors that our clients are going to complain to us about are probably normal, natural behaviors. What a lot of our clients don't realize is that the domestic cat, Felis, that is living in our homes, is almost identical to their wild ancestor, the African wild cat that is living today, and is quite the stealth predator. So it's like putting a wild animal into our homes, and if we're not prepared for that, it's going to wreak havoc naturally—and it's normal. And so, then we get our squirt bottles, or we start yelling and chasing and damaging our bond for cats that are just being cats, right? And so we got to think back: why are they doing this? And how can I create outlets for this? How can I create a resting place that's elevated, that's warm, that's more appealing than lounging on my countertops. How can I create a scratching option that is stable, that makes a mess when a cat scratches it. So there's a big visual marker there, and it is Grand Central Station of our home, so that they're not scratching up our couch, which is what's most appealing. So thinking about all these things as probably normal behaviors and really setting up our clients for success. If only they would come to us before they got that kitten so we could help them set that up [it] would be great. For now, we just work on helping them understand how to really provide outlets so they're not going haywire with it.
For more coverage of the Fetch Kansas City conference, visit the dvm360 conference news page. .