Cats As Therapy Animals

When people think of therapy animals, theywith people than others. It's a matter of finding
almost immediately think of therapy dogs, usuallythe right cat for the job of therapy cat.
Golden Retrievers or Labradors of some kind,Of course it goes without saying that the cat
however, they would be wrong in thinking thatmust be kept up on all its shots, flea medications
these are the only animals that can help theand worming. The cat must be healthy so that it
disabled and the elderly. Cats are fast becomingdoes not get any of the diseases that might be
therapy animals and helpers for those who cancirculating within the nursing home.
not do for themselves.Now a cat can not open doors or walk in front of
Cats have always been around nursing homes anda wheel chair, but they do make great companion
some rehabilitation centers to interact with theanimals for those people who don't get out of
patience. Study after study have shown thattheir houses because of a mental or physical
interaction with animals brighten the days of thosedisability. Sometimes, cats can be trained to pull
who are living in nursing facilities and do noton a piece of fabric to open a cabinet or a
regularly have any visitors. Even if they do havedrawer if it is light.
regular visitors, it's nice to have a furry friendThey can also be a type of alarm clock for
come by your room for a visit.medications, pushing the bottles off the table into
There are several criteria that a cat must posesthe persons lap. Of course all this takes time,
before being chosen for the therapy assistant job.training and a lot of patience but it can be done
They must be over a year old and usually, therewith the right cat and the right person willing to
are certain breeds that have a better dispositionput in the time and love the cat needs to be
and temperament for this type of work. Severaltrained to assist someone.
of the working assistant cats have been formerCats, just as dogs, need to be recertified each
show cats and are now retired from adventuresyear as an assistance dog. The test are rather
of shows.simple for a cat, they must be able to hold still
The cat must be able to remain still and calm inwhile being touched by many hands at the same
situations where many people are vying for itstime. They must not be aggressive at any point in
attention and affection. Everyone wants to pet itthe testing or any time within its visits to the
or hold it at the same time and the cat must benursing homes or any home it is placed in. the cat
calm and not be wanting to jump away from this.must be current with all it's vet records and must
Again, there are certain breeds that work bettermaintain an even disposition.