Therapy cats speed up the recovery of ill people and comfort those who cannot get better. Therapy cats help to heal sick people by their presence. It works because it has been scientifically proven that the presence of a cat is beneficial to a person’s general welfare.
Because a therapy cat is called upon to enter strange places and meet strangers he or she must have a suitably affable and relaxed temperament. Therefore therapy cats are very well socialised in respect of interacting with people and other animals, particularly dogs.
A therapy provides his service in places such as hospitals, hospices, retirement homes, care homes and schools of all types. Children are particularly suited to receiving the benefits of meeting, stroking and generally interacting with therapy cats.
Therapy cats are able to help enhance a person’s mood, relax a person, lower a patient’s anxiety, put a smile on a sick person’s face and provide a moment of respite and distraction from the difficulties of being a patient or a disturbed child.
Scientific studies have firmly established that a person’s blood pressure can be lowered by the presence of a cat. The cat’s purr is believed to be beneficial in the healing process through its calming sound and its frequency.
Above all the other benefits, the gentle presence of a therapy cat allows a sick person to interact with nature again, to remind her that she is part of nature, to not be frightened and to find a natural, calming solace.
There are some famous therapy cats. Although a therapy cat does not have to be famous or a special sort of cat. They are all equally special. However, one therapy cat comes to my mind, Motzie. Motzie is in America. He is a very large cat. He is a second filial (two generations from the wild) Savannah cat. At one time, the world’s second largest domestic cat. Another exotic therapy cat is a first filial Bengal cat called: Striker.
On Facebook there are many therapy cats that have their own webpage. Here are some of them:
- Dexter – registered with Pet Partners – guardian: Wendy.
- Flash – certified with Love on a Leash – guardian: Jaetta Ferguson.
- Pliny – therapy cat for Furry Friends Pet Assisted Therapy Services.
- Smokey – Pet Partners registered.
- Skylar – registered. Works in nursing homes. Raised by a foster carer who decided to adopt her.
- Seven – registered with Pet Partners.
- Pandora – a Siamese cat that is herself a special needs cat because she has a disability concerning her eyesight. She works with at-risk kids in Phoenix, Arizona, US.
- Oscar – a famous cat who lives in a hospice and comforts residents who are dying. It is said that he can predict the onset of death.
- Spagetti-Bob – tailless cat (lost tail in accident). Registered with Pet Partners. Works with Animal Humane Societies and Animal Ambassadors.
- Jake – certified therapist. Works at Fort Collins, USA.
Dylan is an English fundraising cat. I think of him as a therapy cat as well. In the US therapy cats can be registered with an organisation called Pet Partners. At the date of this post, there are about 200 registered cats.
Strictly speaking, a therapy cat does not need special training – just evaluation. A cat just has to be himself because all the goodness and healing is within all domestic cats. However, to be registered a therapy cat has to be evaluated and Pet Partners provide training as well. Not all domestic cats are suited to the role.
When writing this, it occurred to me that vets who promote declawing of cats argue that one reason is to protect the elderly and vulnerable from scratches and yet I would be very surprised if any of the therapy cats mentioned on this page were declawed. I hope not because I would expect the cat’s guardian to be sensitive enough to realise that the declawing of cats is liable to make the cat less suited to her task as a therapy cat.
Associated: Benefits of animal assisted therapy
I’m Dexter the Therapy Cat’s mom and he is not declawed (none of my 8 cats are). We just make sure to trim his nails every 3-4 weeks. He has never scratched anyone (over 5 years of therapy work). He loves to knead soft things so his nails do come out while he does that but it is not for defense.
Charlie loves you as much as you love him, you are ‘in tune’
I don’t think I could have got through the many bad times without cats around to comfort me and when Babz lost her John, she had Popsy to share her grief with and they comforted each other. Then she lost her too and Walter gave her comfort and still does.
Cats are very sensitive and kind and loving beings and I wish everyone would realise that.
I think the hospital environment can have a negative impact on patient welfare (mood). I don’t know if she is in a hospital but any environment where one is surrounded by illness and sometimes death (especially on a ward) has to be depressing. A good therapy cat helps to cancel that out.
None of the pet cats owned by residents at the assisted living facility where I work on a regular basis are declawed. I was surprised at that, but I approve. Declawed cats are more likely to bite, so declawing a cat protects no one. Other places where I’ve worked and seen cats living there may or may not declaw them. I even stopped and stroked one of those kitties, but I couldn’t bear to check his paws to find out. I can say at least that not all places declaw cats provided for the residents.
Marc, where I grew up bicycles are allowed on the sidewalk so long as there are no parking meters. Lake Delton even made extra wide side walks for all the kids who work there in the summer to use them instead of the road to ride and walk to work. I wish they’d had them when I was young.
My cat is therapy to me all the time and on particular occasions when I feel bad. I guess all domestic cats are therapy cats.
What a beautiful story Ruth. The cat is a comfort to people under all kinds of situations. I was feeling down the other day and when in bed I called Charlie over and he came and rested on my legs and kept me company (I just tap on the bed and he comes). He stayed a while and then groomed himself against my legs. My mind relaxed and some of the negative emotion was washed away. Thanks Charles, old boy!