Cat Chow Wants You To Think Therapy Cats, Not Dogs

Purina Cat Chow wants you to think therapy cats, not dogs. There’s a reason for this. A new Cat Chow study found that cats can be “purrfect” therapy animals, too. The research shows that humans consider their cats wonderful companions who improve their physical and mental health. This information prompted Cat Chow to team up with Pet Partners to increase the number of therapy cats available to visit people who need them. Do you live with a potential therapy cat? Keep reading to find out.

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Ginger makes herself right at home on the dollhouse on a neighbor’s porch. Fortunately, the neighbor likes cats!

As I’m typing, Ginger is sitting on a counter scowling at me. A minute ago, she was rubbing against me and purring. Now, she wants to shred my arms into ribbons. She can turn on a dime from sweet, cuddly kitty to a ferocious tiny tiger with multicolored long hair. A therapy cat she’s not!

But like most of the cat moms in Purina’s study, I adore her. And she does improve my mental and physical health. When several claws aren’t stuck in my arm. Her eccentricities and determination to be exactly who she wants to be no matter what humans and the other cats think makes me laugh, and as they say, laughter is the best medicine.

In the Cat Chow study, 85 percent of the people interviewed said their cats provide therapeutic benefits. Eighty-six percent said living with a cat improves their quality of life. And 94 percent said most people could benefit from spending time with a cat.

But cat people tend to suffer from hurt feelings. Three-quarters of the people who participated in the survey said society doesn’t appreciate the benefits of living with a cat.

The survey results prompted Purina Cat Chow to team up with Pet Partners, a national therapy animal program, to increase awareness and advocacy for cats as therapy animals. The brand also made a $30,000 donation to help fund training and registering therapy cats.

Do You Live With A Therapy Cat?

Some cats, like Katie, are therapy cats for just one person.

Katie’s my therapy cat.

Katie is my personal therapy cat. She knows when my fragile back hurts and curls up against it and purrs. When I can’t sleep, she stretches out beside me and purrs in a different way. Although she has little to no interest in science, she’d be happy to know that cats purr in the range that relieves pain, promotes healing and lowers human blood pressure.

But she wouldn’t want to be anyone else’s therapy cat. She’s way too shy to visit nursing home residents or classrooms. Above all else, therapy cats need to be confident and love being touched and hanging out with people, even people they don’t know.

Here’s a portrait of the perfect therapy cat.

Friendly
Confident
Loves people, even people she doesn't know
Loves pets and cuddles
Willing to wear plastic nail caps
Doesn't mind being in a carrier or riding in the car
Willing to wear a harness and leash
Is at least a year old and has lived with you for at least six months
Gets along with other animals
Isn't on a raw food diet
Has a clean bill of health and no parasites or fleas

Therapy Cat In Training

Being the perfect therapy cat doesn’t always come naturally. But with some patience and training, your cat can become one. These are the most important things to work on.

Socialization: Some cats are just naturally friendly, but others need some encouragement. You might be able to transform your cat from wallflower to social butterfly by inviting friends of all ages, including children, over to play and cuddle with her. Keep the visits short at first, and don't force the cat to hang out with people if she doesn't want to. Another way to socialize a cat is to go outside with her and stop to talk with all your human and animal neighbors. If she's a strictly indoor cat, take her out on a harness and leash or in a cat stroller. If, after doing this for several weeks, she's still not comfortable with all those people, she's probably not meant to be a therapy cat.
Being Touched Everywhere: The people you and your therapy cat visit may not be as gentle and careful as you are. Touch your cat everywhere (you might want to skip the belly rubs) and rub her fur the wrong way once or twice to get her used to being handled differently.

Walking With A Harness And Leash: This will take some practice and a lot of patience. Don't be surprised if she lies down and refuses to move the first few times. She'll catch on eventually and enjoy walking with you. The safest harnesses are the ones with Velcro closures, not the ones with plastic push-in buckles.
Learning some basic commands like "sit," "stay" and "get down," as in "get off that shelf before you break all the nice lady's collectibles." Clicker training is a great way to do this, and you can even teach your cat to do tricks.
Putting On Plastic Nail Caps: This, too, will take some time and patience. At first, you might be able to do just one or two nails at a time. But it would be good to practice before your first therapy cat appointment so struggling with your cat doesn't make you late.
Riding In The Car: Back in and out of the driveway a few times or go for some short spins around the block so she learns that riding in the car doesn't necessarily mean she's going to the vet.
You'll Need Training, Too: Most places where you and your cat will work will want you to be to be a certified animal handler. You can take the course and earn certification online at the ASPCA's website.

Therapy Cats At Work

Once you’re certified and your cat is trained, you’ll find lots of places where you can volunteer. Therapy cats don’t just visit nursing home residents. Some physical and occupational therapists at rehabilitation facilities ask them to help patients improve fine motor control, gain motion in their limbs and regain the skills they need to care for their own animal companions at home.

Therapy cats can also help children with developmental disabilities. And they visit detention facilities, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities.

Wherever you volunteer, don’t overdo it. Helping total strangers is a lot of work for a cat, and yours will need breaks between workdays. Volunteering two or three days a month will probably be more than enough for her. And she’ll want lots of treats and need a long nap after each visit.