Contact details +6469518414
Dr Kat Littlewood BVSc(Dist), PGDipVCSc(Dist), PhD, AFHEA, FANZCVS(AWSEL)
Senior Lecturer - Veterinary Science
Doctoral Co-Supervisor School of Veterinary ScienceI am a Lecturer in Animal Welfare within T膩wharau Ora (School of Veterinary Science). I am a Registered Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare, Ethics, and Law.
My PhD research focused on the veterinarian’s role in end-of-life management of animals and I explored veterinary training and the perspectives of New Zealand cat owners. I am passionate about enhancing veterinarians’ understanding, and enactment, of their role as animal welfare experts.
My research employs social science approaches to better understand complex human-animal interactions and ethically challenging situations. I aim to develop a nuanced understanding of why and how people make the decisions they do about how animals are managed. I also work to operationalise the Five Domains Model for animal welfare assessment and training.
He aha te mea nui? M膩ku e kii atu, he t膩ngata, he t膩ngata, he t膩ngata.
What is the most important thing in the world? Well, let me tell you, it is people, it is people, it is people.
I have a diverse range of research interests. My major research themes include:
- Understanding how animal welfare is conceptualised by different people,
- Exploring how human values, attitudes, and behaviours influence animal welfare,
- Developing systematic scientific strategies to evaluate animal welfare, and
- Implementation of animal welfare policy and standards.
I am a Registered Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics, & Law and a member of the Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre (T膩wharau Ora / School of Veterinary Science). My research focuses on interactions between humans and animals to develop a nuanced understanding of why and how people make decisions about how animals are managed.
My major research themes include:
- What is animal welfare? i.e., how is animal welfare understood by different people?
- How human values, attitudes, and behaviours influence animal welfare
- Systematic scientific evaluation of animal welfare
- Animal welfare policy & standards
Professional
Contact details
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Location: 2.04, Collinson Village
Campus: Manawatu
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Veterinary Science with Distinction - 黑料网 (2013)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Veterinary Clinical Science with distinction - 黑料网 (2016)
- Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science - 黑料网 (2022)
Fellowships and Memberships
- Member, Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (Fellow) (2022)
- Member, Higher Education Academy (Associate Member/Fellow) (2017)
Certifications and Registrations
- Licence, Co-Supervisor, 黑料网
- Licence, Veterinary Council of New Zealand
- Licence, Veterinary Specialist, Veterinary Council of New Zealand
Research Expertise
Research Interests
Major research themes include:
- What is animal welfare? i.e., how is animal welfare understood by different people?
- How human values, attitudes, and behaviours influence animal welfare
- Systematic scientific evaluation of animal welfare
- Animal welfare policy & standards
Thematics
21st Century Citizenship, Health and Well-being
Area of Expertise
Field of research codes
Agricultural And Veterinary Sciences (070000):
Animal Production (070200):
Applied Ethics (220100):
Bioethics (human and animal) (220101):
Curriculum and Pedagogy (130200):
Education (130000):
Humane Animal Treatment (070207):
Philosophy And Religious Studies (220000):
Veterinary Sciences (070700)
Keywords
Animal welfare, animal wellbeing, quality of life, systematic scientific evaluation of animal welfare, Five Domains Model for animal welfare assessment, animal ethics and legal frameworks, bioethics, animal euthanasia, end-of-life decision-making for animals, companion animal behaviour and welfare, cat welfare, dog welfare, zoo animal welfare, owner-vet relationships, human-animal relationships, perceptions of animal welfare, human behaviour change for animals, social science research methods and qualitative data analysis, and veterinary education.
Research Outputs
Journal
[Journal article]Authored by: Littlewood, K.
[Journal article]Authored by: Gates, M., Kells, N., Littlewood, K.
[Journal article]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stockin, K.
[Journal article]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stockin, K.
[Book Review]Authored by: Littlewood, K.
[Journal article]Authored by: Littlewood, K.
[Journal article]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K.
[Journal article]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stephens, C.
[Journal article]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stephens, C.
[Journal article]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K.
[Journal article]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stephens, C.
[Journal article]Authored by: Gates, M., Littlewood, K., Odom, T., Sawicki, R.
[Journal article]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Godfrey, A., Johnson, C., Kells, N., Littlewood, K., Ward, R.
[Journal article]Authored by: Gates, M., Littlewood, K., Odom, T., Sawicki, R.
[Journal article]Authored by: Gates, M., Littlewood, K., Odom, T., Sawicki, R.
[Journal article]Authored by: Gates, M., Littlewood, K., Odom, T., Sawicki, R.
[Journal article]Authored by: Littlewood, K., Odom, T., Sawicki, R.
[Journal article]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stephens, C.
[Journal article]Authored by: Littlewood, K.
[Journal article]Authored by: Littlewood, K.
[Journal article]Authored by: Littlewood, K.
Conference
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Littlewood, K.
[Conference Abstract]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stephens, C.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stephens, C.
[Conference Abstract]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stephens, C.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stephens, C.
[Conference Poster]Authored by: Gates, M., Littlewood, K., Odom, T., Sawicki, R.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Beausoleil, N., Littlewood, K., Stephens, C.
Teaching and Supervision
Teaching Statement
Courses taught into:
193.305 Advanced Animal Behaviour
117.107/227.107 Animal Behaviour, Welfare, & Handling
117.331 Animal Welfare Science
117.332/227.226 Dilemmas in Animal Welfare
117.361 Companion Animal Science
117.371 Animal Production
227.414 Small Animal Medicine, Surgery & Therapeutics
227.511 Animal Welfare & Behaviour SPECIAL TOPIC
194.731 Animal Welfare Science
Graduate Supervision Statement
My research interests primarily relate to animal welfare. These include systematic scientific evaluation of animal welfare, animal ethics and legal frameworks, animal euthanasia, end-of-life decision-making for animals, companion animal behaviour and welfare, owner-vet relationships, human-animal relationships, perceptions of animal welfare, human behaviour change for animals, social science research methods and qualitative data analysis, and veterinary education. I am currently supervising research into various aspects of zoo animal welfare.
I enjoy working with enthusiastic people who are willing to think outside the box and think critically about how animals are managed and their welfare in a range of situations.
Dr Kat Littlewood is available for Masters and Doctorial supervision.
Media and Links
Media
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17 Oct 2021 - Online
New Zealanders are locking down their cats