Animal assisted interventions
with cats
Share the love and joy your cat gives you!
Get your certification as
Therapy cat
Online theory course, the first step to become a certified visiting team, but is also the starter course for therapy cats and school cats certification.
A personality test of your cat to evaluate wether or not your cat is suitable and will enjoy work in close proximity to people and unpredictable environments.
As a visiting team - animal-assisted activities AAA
you and your cat can help a wide range of user groups of all ages and with different challenges in life. You do not need a profession in education or public health but you need to collaborate with someone who does when planning your interventions with users.
For a school cat or therapy cat -
Animal-assisted education/therapy AAE/AAT
you need a profession in education or public health and you can use your cat as an aid in your work with students, patients, or clients.
Cats suitable for AAS already have natural abilities as therapy animals.
Often they require no training other then to learn to be comfortable in different environments.
Certification steps
Certification consists of 3 elements
1
PADA suitability assessment
A personality test of your cat to evaluate wether or not your cat is suitable and will enjoy work in close proximity to people and unpredictable environments.
4
Practical exam
A simulated intervention where your skills will be tested with someone acting as the user groups you will work with.
High quality
courses
Our courses have high quality and expertise and are based on the latest research in ethology, anthrozoology (human-animal interaction), pedagogy, and public health. The courses are also individually adapted to suit each student's ambitions and skills.
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Emphasis on animal welfare
We use positive training methods for animal training and the suitability test - PADA personality assessment - to determine if animals are suitable for work in animal-assisted interventions.
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Cat assisted interventions help counteract isolation and loneliness
For example, for patients with Alzheimer's who have previously owned a cat, cat-assisted interventions can also evoke memories and positive emotions.
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Moreover, individuals with autism who struggle to interact with therapists can particularly benefit from having a cat present during treatment.
Online theory course, the first step to become a certified visiting team, but is also the starter course for therapy cats and school cats certification.
A personality test of your cat to evaluate wether or not your cat is suitable and will enjoy work in close proximity to people and unpredictable environments.
A simulated intervention where your skills will be tested with someone acting as the user groups you will work with.
A new training method based on a cat’s social cognitive skills, particularly on their predisposition to learn from humans.
A simulated intervention where your skills will be tested with someone acting as the user groups you will work with.
A cat can give a break from difficult emotions and reduces anxiety
For example, chronically and terminally ill patients being treated with cat-assisted services may find it easier to cope with their situation. The presence of the cat can help them shift their focus away from the difficulties they are facing, and the bond with the cat can alleviate the fear of death.
Increases motivation and desire to learn in children.
Cat-assisted services have been used with great success in children, both in hospitals and in schools and kindergartens. The cat helps reduce stress and anxiety in children and improves their communication with each other.
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Cats can also be used in physical activities.
Some users will prefer a cat over a dog
Even people who initially don't like animals can often find joy in interacting with cats. Horses and dogs can appear large and intimidating to some, and some people are outright afraid of them.
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Cats, on the other hand, come across as softer, gentler, and more hygienic.
Cats can provide people with a sense of well-being and can have a stress-reducing effect
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Both the presence of a cat, the sounds it makes, petting it, and playing with it seem to have positive effects on many people. Even just brief moments of play with a cat can be calming. Cat-assisted services promote mental health, enhance cognitive abilities, and can also be used for physical exercise.
Research shows that animal-assisted interventions with cats can be beneficial for many people in various therapeutic situations, such as patients in nursing homes, treatment facilities, and hospitals, inmates in prisons, and children in schools and kindergarten.
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Source: Feline-assisted therapy: Integrating contact with cats into treatment plans.Katarzyna TomaszewskaIga, Bomert Elżbieta og Wilkiewicz-Wawrohttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.poamed.2016.11.011
