Meet Casey – The World’s Busiest Pet Safety Cat!
Some cats win ribbons for their pedigree markings at acclaimed cat shows. Some felines light up TikTok with their silly antics in bathroom sinks.
And then there is my confident, can-do orange tabby named Casey. What’s his superpower? He is arguably the busiest pet safety cat on the planet. That’s because he teams up with me to deliver lifesaving, practical pet first aid skills to pet professionals and pet parents all over the world.
Since I adopted him from the San Diego Humane Society when he was a kitten a decade ago, he has traveled with me by airplane and by car to 16 states to help me teach pet first aid/CPR and pet behavior classes. He is also with me during our live, interactive ZOOM classes and now with our third option to learn: self-paced online courses. We have two of these: a dog-cat pet first aid/CPR online course and a cat-only first aid/CPR online course. Casey is in both.
Casey is a Safety Cat AND a Therapy Cat
And, when he isn’t teaching with me, he brings cheer to people at memory care centers, schools, libraries and other places as a certified therapy pet with Love on a Leash.
Talk about Me-WOW!
Affectionately, I refer to Casey as a feline George Clooney because women love him and so do men. Casey is that rare cat who seems to have never met a stranger or felt like he is in a strange place. He doesn’t run and hide.
He prefers entering classrooms and pet events riding happily in a pet stroller, often touting a cowboy hat. He enjoys walking outings when fitted in his harness. On cue, he will sit, touch paws, do a little circle and maybe, answer your question with a meow.
Casey happily allows people in my classes to hone their skills in many areas of pet first aid and CPR. He steps into the role of an ‘injured’ cat so students can quickly wrap him in a large bath towel and place him inside the top opening of a pet carrier. He often purrs when people practice the kitty Heimlich maneuver on him as I teach them the right way to aid a cat who is choking.
One of my favorite teaching memories is when Casey walked in the front door of the What A Great Dog center in Frisco, Texas. We came to teach a pet parent first aid class. I placed Casey on the front counter, and I encouraged one of the dog trainers to tell Casey to sit on cue. He did. He also touched the trainer’s open palm on cue. Yes, he is a cool cat.
Casey likes to greet students in class and will often jump up on the demo table when I asked to do so. He is good about demonstrate the latest veterinarian-approved one-handed and two-handed CPR techniques. Yes, we teach how to at demonstratingcat – a real cat -- and not a stuffed animal.
Casey is one big reason why our Pet First Aid 4U program is well, the cat’s meow. There are no rules that say pet first aid classes must be boring, scary, or worse, out of date. That’s why since I created Pet First Aid 4U, I have always made sure that my classes feature a real cat – that’s Casey. We also feature a real dog. That’s the lovable, well-trained Pet Safety Dog Kona, a terrier mix who is also a certified therapy dog.
Together, we at Pet First Aid 4U offer not one or two but three different ways to learn and earn veterinarian-approved two-year certificates in pet first aid/CPR:
In person classes primarily aimed at pet professionals;
Interactive via ZOOM classes are offered once a month and on demand. We have now taught students in New Zealand, South Africa, Egypt, Greece and many other countries;
Self-paced online for those who prefer to learn any time, anywhere on their own schedule. This is our latest option because we are on a mission to get more people – pet professionals and pet parents to really learn first aid and to know what to do – and what NOT to do – in a pet emergency.
When Pet Safety Cat Casey is not on the job, he is not far from me, or he is purring on my lap.
Got cat? Or dog? Or both? Sign up for one of our Pet First Aid 4U classes! And, say hi to Casey!
About the Author:
Arden Moore, founder of Pet First Aid 4 U, is a Master Pet First Aid/CPR Instructor who teaches veterinarian-approved, hands-on safety courses alongside her teaching team of Kona (dog) and Casey (cat). Known as “The Pet First Aid & Safety Coach,” Arden is also a nationally recognized behavior consultant, bestselling author of over 25 pet books, and the award-winning host of the “Oh Behave!” podcast. A Fear Free Certified Professional, she brings decades of pet expertise to all her endeavors — with a mission to help pets live safer, longer and healthier lives.
