Did you know that you can train a cat? Newtown Continuing Education (NCE) is offering a unique program called Cat Herding to teach residents skills to do just that.

There is a class scheduled for Tuesday, March 15, from 6 to 7:30 pm, and another on Wednesday, April 20, from 7 to 8:30 pm, both of which take place at Newtown High School, 12 Berkshire Road.

According to Newtown Continuing Education Director Jennifer Arnold, “From what I see, this is the first class of its kind being offered at NCE. We always try to offer a variety in educational courses and courses that will interest the community, at feasible prices.”

Cat Herding will be taught by Newtown resident Susan Johnson, who has worked as a veterinary technician. She is also a certified Feline Training & Behavior Specialist, certified Advanced Feline Training Specialist, and is certified in low stress handling of felines.

“The class is to help cat owners with the ‘everyday’ struggles of ‘training’ their felines to be better pets and to help cat owners with behaviors cats typically present with — like the struggles of getting cats to take medications or assisting them into carriers for vet visits, etc. All [are] common issues which we aren’t always sure where to seek help from,” Arnold explained.

Attendees are asked to keep their cats at home and not bring them to class. People are invited to bring a notepad and writing tool to take notes during the presentation.

Teens and adults ages 16 and older are eligible to sign up for NCE courses.

The class is $30 for Newtown residents and non-residents.

“We don’t charge separate fees. We also offer an early registration and senior discount on select courses, which will expire March 18 for the spring semester,” Arnold said.

People can register online at newtown-ce.revtrak.net, by phone at 203-270-6190, or by mailing their check and registration form to 12 Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook CT 06482.

“We can also help Spanish speaking residents who may be looking for class information or need help navigating the online portal, etc,” Arnold added.

For more information, visit newtown.k12.ct.us/adultandcontinuingeducation.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.