Meet Bonnie Still

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bonnie Still a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bonnie, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I found my purpose because of my love of animals. We had just moved to Missouri and needed a small dog park. At the time, the closest was at Wayside Waifs. I eventually started volunteering there and within a few months was fortunate enough to be hired to work in their Feline Care Department. I didn’t know a lot about cats except my experience with our own cats. Cats in a shelter environment are very different in their behaviors as this is not their familiar environment. A 7 year old cat that had been abandoned outside the shelter taught me one of the key ingredients to interacting with cats – patience. Any interaction is up to them every single time. She was teaching me how to approach appropriately, as well as what her preferences were for any interaction. I paid attention and learnt that every cat is unique in their preferences. Over the years I was promoted to manage the cat area, and helped create behavior programs for cats while in the shelter as well as to keep cats in their current homes. I also earned my specialized certification as a Feline Training and Behavior Specialist through the Animal Behavior Institute.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I do virtual cat behavior consultations with families that are experiencing conflict with their cat or cats. The reason for the conflict might be litterbox misuse, cat aggression towards a pet or person in the home, or the cat might require socialization towards people or other pets in the home. I start with a 1 hour history gathering video conference, preferably with all people involved. This helps me to understand in detail what is or isn’t happening, what the family wants as a result, and to understand what the family will be capable and willing to do to help their cat. After that, I create a detailed Behavior Modification Plan and offer ongoing support for a minimum of 1 month, depending on the situation. I review the Plan with the family to ensure they fully understand what needs to be done and the reason why it could help. Sometime the Plan is tweaked along the way so as not to overwhelm the family, especially if they have a busy household with work, school, etc… The most exciting part is when clients start to see results, especially when I suggest is something new to them. Ex: clicker training, pattern games or providing resources.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three qualities that were and still are the most impactful in my journey are: patience, listening and the openness to learn new training techniques as they evolve.
My advice to anyone early in their own journey is to find others in the same field that are currently successful. In my case, joining the Pet Professional Guild and IAABC has helped tremendously. They offer webinars, chats, and some of us meet online regularly to talk about anything currently on our minds. It could be about cat behavior, a current case, stress or personal struggles. It is helpful to have a support system that understands and will offer their own experiences and support.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

What I do any time I start to feel overwhelmed is to recognize it, acknowledge it and take a break. A break might mean a few minutes to a day or two. I need to process why or what is causing the overwhelming feeling, and decide what I can do differently to prevent feeling overwhelmed in the future. Often, it is my cats interrupting me for playtime. They usually know when I need a break before I do. When I feel overwhelmed, I usually struggle with putting thoughts together. Taking a break gives me the time to write down what it is I am trying to piece together, For example, when I create a Behavior Modification Plan, it is quite detailed as I include all the history given to me by the family. I know in my mind what the Plan will be. Putting it on paper takes more time as I want the family to be able to understand the exercise and assignments easily. It can be a lot of information to process. I also don’t want to overwhelm the client.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,