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Olwyn, shoulder & couch cat

Emotions are important.

health, period

The more science studies the subject, the more mental health becomes, simply, “health.” It’s now clear that stress has a large impact on physical health, and physical illness affects our mental state.

Enter the Paw of Compassion.

When Shane rescued a poor moggy from a horrific attack, he gained a feline friend that turned his life around.

Since he took Baby in, a homeless charity with support workers has helped Shane move into social housing, complete with a communal garden that’s perfect for a cat to explore. Although the landlord has a ‘no pets’ policy, they’ve made an exception for Baby because of the way this wonderful cat has helped to transform Shane’s life for the better.

Rescued cat saves his new owner’s life in return

The power of loving, and being loved, can transform lives. Cats are only one of the conduits. But when we consider the low-maintenance requirements of their physical care, combined with the high maintenance of their emotional needs, we see how cats are one of the best choices for an emotional assistance animal.

I deal with skepticism from the pet-unfriendly about this issue, but then again, these tend to be the same people who scorn emotional needs… unless those are their own. I am certain there are people who are not drawn to pets but also do not use them as a lever for abuse, but these people do not write me or comment on this blog.

When we combine understandable communication and a close partnership with our cats, we get many of the benefits of human social interaction. Cats can provide support with the validation of our feelings, a sense of being cared about, and mutual interests in shared activities. I discovered this when I made it a specialty to move my rescued Only Cats into homes with people who did not have a rich social network available.

Having a devoted friend turned into a great thing for both parties.

legitimate, actually

It is a concern that trained service animals have the skills to move freely in places they are needed. But as the range of services animals could perform widened, the animals themselves became more diverse. Dogs are more suited to be a sight-assistance animal, but for someone with mobility difficulties and emotional needs, a cat who doesn’t need to be walked might be a better choice.

The rise of animals who detect their person’s seizures, low blood sugar, or panic attacks continues to expand the definition of “service animal.”

An assistance animal can be a cat, dog or other type of companion animal, and does not need to be trained to perform a service. The emotional and/or physical benefits from the animal living in the home are what qualify the animal as an assistance animal.

The Fair Housing Act and Assistance Animals

It’s important for anyone seeking legal protections for their assistance animal that they have a documented issue, and that their pet can adapt to different circumstances they might need to encounter. A pet who performs happily at home might find the outside world upsetting enough for them to need emotional assistance.

Cats, who rely on their sense of territory to be comfortable, might not be the first animal people think of when it comes to visiting people in need. But some cats adapt beautifully to such requirements, becoming true Therapy Cats.

soothing, always

One of my favorite episodes of Star Trek, the original series, is the one about the Tribbles. These balls of fur can be cuddled while they emit a purring noise. In the views of the human crew of the Starship Enterprise, this is enough to justify their existence.

Any Cat Appreciator can see their point.

One of the reasons I have four cats is how this avoids a Cat Gap, where a human needs a cat and the cat is not available. Most of the time, there is a cat up for chat and petting, cuddling and play. Tristan is especially flexible, dragging himself out of a nap when I come home, or checking in with me frequently if I am busy with some home activity.

It turns out, having cat attention can be of great comfort to humans. The website Tails of Kali-Ma is about rescue Kali-Ma’s work as a therapy cat.

Many people ask me “how can I train my cat to be a therapy cat”? I have outlined all of the cat therapy training tips you will need to know to make that decision based on my personal experience. It takes a special “team” to do animal therapy work. Both the cat owner and the cat, have to have a unique temperament. The rewards are extraordinary, so if you think you may have those qualities here is everything you need to know.

Cat Therapy Training Tips – Everything You Need To Know

A cat who is confident and friendly is a fine base to build a therapy cat upon. Reach out to Pet Partners, a non-profit organization which supports and encourages animal therapy partners.

Mr WayofCats has a chronic illness, and he’s fortunate to have all four of our cats as his therapy animals. While the Internet has brought him many friends online, and he can get out to see our local friends when he can, I feel good knowing he has attentive and caring beings with him when I’m not home. As in the instance where they signaled he was more ill than we thought, cats are excellent monitors of our physical, and mental, states.

Most of all, they care.

Find out more about how helpful cats can be with my post, Cats for People’s Problems.

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There’s more ways to get our cat to be affectionate in The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my CAT AFFECTION posts.