at proves purrrfect for therapy
Published: August 25, 2005
Mikie likes his time in a lap. It’s the perfect place for a nap and a scratch.
Mikie, a Siamese cat, may not realize it, but his enjoyment is perfect therapy for the hundreds of seniors he visits every other week.
“Mikie is the first therapy cat up here in the High Desert,” said his owner, Penny Woodbury.
A “throw-away cat,” Mikie was adopted when Woodbury’s ex-husband was about to drop him off at the shelter. Immediately she noticed his calm and soothing mannerisms. While attending a Pet Partners of San Bernardino County cat show, she found out about therapy pets and wondered if Mikie would be up for the job. Eight hours of training, offered over a three-day period by the Delta Society, and Mikie was certified as an official therapy cat.
“He is really laid back,” Woodbury said. “I just thought it was a good idea to do this and visit people.”
Since July, Alzheimer’s patients and residents of the Hesperia Senior Campus, formerly known as the Foremost Senior Apartments, have been receiving visits from Mikie every other Wednesday.
“He’s wonderful; he’s perfect,” said a smiling Alice Fredrick as Mikie purred in her lap and curled up for a nap. “Cats communicate in more ways than anyone knows. It’s just a feeling between you and the cat.”
His partner in therapy is 8-year-old Brandy, a golden retriever. Together the two paw their way through the hallways and sniff out and play and visit with seniors. With each visit, faces light up, and seniors recall happier times when they were young and perhaps had a pet of their own.
“They are for petting and loving,” Linda Amrein, Brandy’s owner, said.
Brandy was also a throw-away pet. Amrein said Brandy was found wandering the woods of Wrightwood, released by her former owner to fend for herself. Almost immediately she noticed Brandy’s kind and playful nature and decided to make her a therapy dog.
“At one point in time, they were just normal pets, but then we realized they love everybody,” Amrein said.
Pet Partners is currently in need of more therapy pets. Amrein said almost any animal that is gentle could become a therapy animal.
“We are looking for more people that have animals,” she said. The animal “could be a rabbit, a horse, a llama, but no rats — people don’t like rats.”
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
If you like this, you'll love Good Animal News:
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: