therapy cats

Dying man with dementia comforted by the presence of a cat

Daughter gave a cat to her dying dad with dementia

The story, presented in the form of an infographic, is instructive. It tells us that when we can’t give a dying relative with dementia a present because they won’t understand what it’s for, they will instinctively respond to the presence of a cat or dog. Dementia or not, it seems that humans respond positively to …

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ESAs for uni students. Cats are good for students with high emotionality

Discussion on the rights of therapy cats

A recent study from Washington State University found “that students who exhibit the big five emotionality trait[s] are especially interested in cat visitations” according to MEDICAL NEWS TODAY. The Big five personality traits are openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism”. “Emotionality” means the strength of a person’s emotional response to stimulus. A high score on …

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Ian Fenn and Chloe

Can cats be support animals? Yes, of course, but does the law recognise it?

Can cats be support animals? Or can they be assistance animals? Or can they be emotional support animals? Or can they be service animals? The language and the law are muddled. It depends where you live. An American pet insurance company says that cats cannot be service animals because cats are not recognised by current …

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Animal assisted therapy for PTSD

Can cats help with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Yes.

The question is asking whether domestic cats can help a person get over PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). And the answer is going to be a qualified yes. The reason why I have introduced the word “qualified” into the last sentence is because people reading this want hard evidence through a scientific study that cats can …

Can cats help with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Yes. Read More »

Fel d1

Dilemma: daughter needs her therapy cat but baby sibling is allergic to cats

A teenage girl who lived with foster parents moved in with her real parents in 2019. Before the move she adopted a kitten. Her parents agreed that it would calm her down. She bonded with the kitten and the relationship calmed her. She said, “I bonded quickly and she helped me a lot with adjusting.” …

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Lt. Jennifer Stevens with a foster cat Sully inside Laramie County jail

How do domestic cats help to rehabilitate prisoners in jail?

The question in the title was prompted because of a story currently in the online news media (San Francisco Chronicle) about a program at Laramie County jail in which domestic cats are being introduced into the jail to help rehabilitate selected prisoners. Black Dog Animal Rescue and the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department created the “Meow …

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Speedy a therapy cat

Dainty female cat acts like an alarm clock to help mother of severely handicapped girl

Introduction This is the story of Speedy. There are two things about the story that need to be mentioned at the outset. Firstly, the story was published in a book entitled Wonder Cats in 2010 and Speedy was honoured by Cats Protection with a Rescue Cat Award in the Hero Cat category in 2008. Therefore, …

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Hazel and Walter

Cat detects when his sleeping owner’s blood sugar is low and wakes her

“The National Cat Awards is a wonderful celebration of everything we love about cats. In particular it shines a spotlight on the incredible bond that can exist between pets and owners.” – Calum Macrae, Regional Director UK & Ireland at Purina. Walter, a 9-year-old black cat, is a contender for the Cats Protection Hero Award. …

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Wobbly and blind therapy cat provides emotional support to 88-year-old cancer patient

Donny is his name. He is a grey-and-white tabby described as ‘the most charming cat in the world’ by North Shore Animal League America. What’s remarkable is that he is a certified therapy cat. He is a cat giving his time to help others when a lot of people might think that he needs help …

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Evie

Meet Genie: the cancer-nursing cat who inspired a Christmas video

The Cats Protection’s Christmas promotion of 2018 in the form of an animated video was inspired by Evie and Genie. Genie, a cancer-nursing cat was named Cat of the Year 2017 by Cats Protection. Genie is a tuxedo, rescue cat. She helped her owner, Evie, through bone cancer treatment. Evie was diagnosed with bone cancer …

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Professors and students LOVE Carlton the university campus cat

Professors and students LOVE Carlton the university campus cat

This is another great example of how a domestic cat can brighten up the lives of people in the workplace. In this case it happens to be St Mary’s University. As often happens Carlton has become an international celebrity. Staff and students at the university derive a lot of pleasure from Carlton’s presence. You can’t …

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Royal College of Nursing say pets have a place in hospitals

The Royal College of Nursing is running a trial on selected wards in hospitals to investigate the benefits of “one-to-one animal therapy” for patients. There are numerous articles on this website about the benefits of cats and dogs to a wide spectrum of people including those at work, those in hospital, elderly people, patients in …

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Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.
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