When clients visit the cat adoption room at Larimer Humane Society
they are able to read the colorful Feline-ality descriptions for each
cat and then visit with those that might be their match. In addition,
some of the adoptable cats are also photographed with a colored
bandana, matching their personality, for the website which can assist
potential adopters before they visit the shelter.
View adoptable animals looking for their loving new homes!
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To create Feline-ality, the ASPCA conducted 2 years of research. The first two phases of research focused on prediction of cat behavior. The third and final phase was beta testing the entire matching process. Five shelters beta tested the program: Animal Refuge League, Portland, Maine; Kansas Humane Society, Wichita, Kan.; Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Boulder, Colo.; Animal Welfare Association, Voorhees, N.J.; and the Hamilton-Burlington SPCA, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Adopters do choose animals outside their recommended color range but with the Meet Your Match tools they go home with the right expectations to make a good match regardless.
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Like Canine-ality does for dogs, Feline-ality identifies distinct “feline-alities” for cats, and matches them with potential adopters whose personality and lifestyle fit them best. Meet Your Match Feline-ality uses research-based surveys and behavior assessments, both for cats and potential adopters, to make the best matches possible between the two. The cat assessment reliably predicts, based on its “feline-ality,” how an individual cat is likely to behave in its new home. An adopter’s survey identifies the adopter’s personal preferences and lifestyle that correlate with specific feline-alities. Adopters can then look for the cats with feline-alities that would be a good fit for their household and identify them by colors and feline-ality descriptions.
For example, a cat with a green color-coded description would be a “Party Animal”, “MVP” or “Leader of the Band.” Green cats are savvy, unflappable and adventurous. A cat with an orange classification makes a great companion cat, and would be called a “Sidekick,” “Executive” or “Personal Assistant.” A cat with a purple classification is one that seeks affection, is quiet and stays out of trouble. It could be called a “Secret Admirer,” “Love Bug” or “Private Investigator.”
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Meet Your Match Feline-ality |
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On the heels, or should we say paws, of the successful implementation of the ASPCA Meet Your Match Canine-ality program at Larimer Humane Society, the shelter has also recently implemented Feline-ality, the latest addition to the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match adoption programs that include research-based animal behavior assessments—all aimed at increasing adoption rates, and reducing return rates at shelters.
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Meet Your Match Canine-ality |
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Have you wondered why our adoptable dogs have different colors of
cage cards and are wearing purple, orange, and green bandanas in their
pictures on the website? The answer is the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match™
Adoption Program. In June 2005, Larimer Humane Society implemented
the program. It was first developed and
tested by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Dr. Emily Weiss for the
Kansas Humane Society of Wichita. The underlying goal of the program is
to increase the likelihood that adopted shelter dogs will match the
lifestyles of their new families.
To find the Canine-ality™ of each dog, Larimer Humane Society
staff and volunteers administer five tests that identify friendliness,
playfulness, energy level, motivation and basic manners.
The dogs are then placed into one of three categories:
- Easy (purple)
- Average (orange)
- High maintenance (green)
Puppies under 6 months go through a similar test called Puppy-ality™.
To find the canine-ality of
each dog, the Larimer Humane Society staff and volunteers administer
five tests that identify friendliness, playfulness, energy level,
motivation and basic manners. The dogs are then placed into one of
three categories as easy (purple), average (orange) or high maintenance
(green)
Each dog is also given a description based on their source of
motivation. Socially motivated dogs will work for human contact and
attention. (Life of the Party, Goofball, and Constant Companion)
Internally motivated dogs are motivated by things that are difficult to
control. They tend to be more independent dogs. (Free Spirit,
Wallflower, and Couch Potato) Externally motivated dogs will learn best
when trying to earn human contact, treats and toy time. (Go-getter,
Busy Bee, and Teacher’s Pet)
Are you interested in finding your perfect match? Head to the
service desk and complete the simple Meet Your Match survey. This will
help you to identify how you envision a new dog fitting into your home
and family. Following a review of the survey, our staff will give you a
color-coded Guest Pass and direct you to the dogs that match your
color.This will ensure the best match for both you and the dogs.
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