Our question this week was:Dr. Jon – I have a cat and would love to do visits to a local nursing home. How can I tell if this would be right for him?
Danielle C.AnswerHi – thanks for your email. You wrote asking how to determine if your cat would be a good therapy cat. I'd recommend that you contact a few nursing homes or therapy groups to determine what their qualifications are. They may differ slightly but would expect them to require:
Healthy and up-to-date on all vaccines
Free of parasites such as fleas
Spayed or neutered
No history of aggression or behavioral problems that could impact your visits
Be a social "people" cat – that is a cat that likes to socialize and meet new people
Not be particularly frightened by different sounds or things (such as wheel chair or electric bed, etc).
You have the time to take your cat
For more information, you may want to go to: Delta Society Pet Partners
Dr. Jon
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