Article
Courtesy of The Sun sentinel
By Diane C. Lade
Published
September 2, 2007
The
two therapists do their rounds in fur coats.
Sometimes, they'll stop and doze in a chair next to a patient's bedside.
Or they will sit in their laps — and purr.
Diesel and Charlie Girl, two Maine coon purebreds, are among the nation's
few registered and trained therapy cats. They practice a special breed of
medicine at a Fort Lauderdale hospital and a Miami veterans' nursing home,
where residents have been known to forgo scheduled activities to get a
dose of feline companionship. The pair still stops traffic in the
corridors, even though they've been making regular rounds for almost two
years.
Therapy
dogs have been seen in care facilities for decades, a natural offshoot of
the service animals that guide the blind and fetch for the disabled. But
cats? Persnickety, unpredictable, do-it-my-way cats?
Animal behaviorists say it's entirely possible — although it takes a
certain kind of kitty.
Cats raised more like dogs and breeds that have an easygoing temperament,
such as Maine coons, can make fine therapy animals, said Dr. Lisa Radosta,
a West Palm Beach veterinarian who is a board-certified veterinary
behaviorist. "For them, being petted or being next to someone warm is
rewarding. And their owners are giving them little treats, training them
to enjoy the visits," she said. "Of course the cats want to go
back."
Oscar, who has lived since he was a kitten in a Rhode Island nursing
home's Alzheimer's disease unit, was the subject of a widely reported
essay in the NewEngland Journal of Medicine. Dr. David Dosa noted
that Oscar had a knack for discerning when patients had only a few hours
to live, and would curl up next to them on their beds. Oscar's predictions
were so accurate that the staff began alerting family members that death
might be near, Dosa said.
Animal behaviorists have pointed out that the essay was not based on a
scientific study. And Radosta agreed that other factors, such as things
placed in the bed to keep body temperature elevated, probably have more to
do with Oscar's behavior than his desire to comfort the dying. "But I
still think it's an amazing story," she said.
Cats have bested dogs as America's most popular household pet: There are
73 million pet cats nationwide, according to the American Pet Products
Manufacturers Association, vs. 68 million dogs. But felines remain a
significant minority in the animal therapy movement, a broad term applied
to a variety of programs that support contact with animals as way to
relieve stress and bring comfort.
Many therapy animals, like Charlie Girl and Diesel, make regularly
scheduled visits to hospitals or care facilities, where patients can hold
or pet them. Another program has young children struggling with literacy
skills read to therapy dogs rather than a teacher, making lessons special
and less intimidating. Some nursing homes now have cats or dogs
permanently in residence.
The Delta Society, which has evaluated and registered therapy animals
since 1990 through its Pet Partners program, today has 206 cats on its
rolls, compared to 8,578 dogs. The organization also has certified birds,
llamas, rabbits and other animals.
Tom DeCicco, who runs the nonprofit Therapy Dogs of South Florida in Boca
Raton, is an evaluator for the Delta Society. He re-certified Diesel and
Charlie Girl, and their human partners Bruce and Sue Muntz, several months
ago. Delta requires an evaluation every two years.
Delta examiners put potential therapy animals through their paces,
squeezing their feet and petting them roughly to simulate how over-excited
children or nervous patients might handle them. They watch how the Pet
Partner candidates reacted when they ride in elevators, hear loud noises
or are picked up by strangers.
"It has to be a special cat to pass the test," DeCicco said.
"The main thing is the temperament and aptitude of the animal."
Humans are partially behind the differences between cats and dogs, Radosta
said. Dogs usually are socialized when they are puppies through being
walked, taken on car rides, and being exposed to different environments
and people. Kittens typically get none of this, she said.
That was not the case in the Muntz household. The couple, self-employed
computer consultants from Fort Lauderdale, have taken the brother and
sister feline pair every place a dog would go, and more. Charlie Girl and
Diesel enjoy shopping at home improvement stores (they ride peacefully in
a shopping basket's child seat) and having a bite at pet-friendly
restaurants. They even swim in the backyard pool, sometimes riding on
their own little surf boards.
Their laid-back personalities made them natural for pet therapy, the
Muntzes decided.
"We enjoy them, so we wanted to share them with others," said
Bruce Muntz. "We see this as a way for us to give back."
But cats have a reputation for being skittish, aloof and not afraid to use
their claws. The Muntzes said several hospitals turned them down when they
first offered pet therapy visits.
"People are afraid. There are a lot of stories that go along with
cats," said Lyn Blank, a certified therapeutic recreation specialist
at the Miami VA Medical Center. But she was sold after doing a checkout
interview with the Muntz Pet Partners in a busy store.
The
cats now are a popular fixture at the center's nursing home, where they go
every other week. The Muntzes don't charge for their services. They even
have participated in the Veterans Day parade there, riding in their
decorated pet strollers.
One elderly man at the nursing home, who was very withdrawn, has gone from
ignoring his feline therapists to asking if he can hold them.
"Bruce and Sue will hold the cats until the resident asks, 'Can you
put them down? Can I touch them?' It's like a breath of fresh air to see
someone who doesn't communicate smile at something a cat does," said
Blank.
Things have gone equally well at
North Ridge Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where the cats also visit
twice monthly.
"Is he sedated?" asked Stella Garamone, as Diesel curled up on a
towel draped over a chair in the visiting room where she was sitting. The
Deerfield Beach resident, recovering from hip replacement surgery,
tentatively touched the cat's massive head during a recent session.
"I've never seen such big cats."
Since the early 1980s, multiple studies have looked at how animal
companionship can ease loneliness, agitation and even chronic health
conditions like high blood pressure by relieving stress and, in some
cases, giving people a sense of purpose by caring for their pets. While
some were inconclusive, many in the medical community accept that
cats as well as dogs in care settings usually are a good thing, said Dr.
Ken Homer, North Ridge's chief medical officer.
"Relieving stress is a good way to help patients heal. Coming to a
hospital can be a frightening experience," said Homer, whose hospital
just started pet therapy a year ago. "It was a little more of an
unknown with the cats. But they have turned out to be just as
effective."
How they help
There are different terms for animals that provide
companionship and assistance:
Service animals: Usually are dogs, and are legally defined under
the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. They assist the blind and
disabled and legally are allowed in public places. They are not considered
pets.
Therapy animals: They often have been evaluated and work with
seniors or those with disabilities, but not always. They usually are the
personal pets of their handlers and are not service animals. Not a legally
defined term.
Social/therapy animals: Often are animals that did not complete
service animal training due to their disposition or health but are made
available as pets to people with disabilities. They might or might not
meet the definition of a service animal. Not a legally defined term.
Companion animal: Another term for "pet," which some
people reject as it implies ownership and dominance.
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