Felinotherapy or cat therapy. Cats reproduce for felinotherapy | senado.online

It hasn’t been known for a long time that being with a cat has comforted it, has a positive effect on people’s health and well -being and allows them to forget daily problems. It has been shown to have a calming, antidepressant and relaxing effect on stressed people and suffers from chronic fatigue or insomnia.

However, these are not all the advantages of the slopes.

What is felinotherapy?

It is a young animal therapy area, that is to say therapeutic and physical and mental rehabilitation activities of people in difficulty, with the participation of animals. In Poland, this type of therapy has been used since December 2005, in the United Kingdom, the United States or Sweden are a well -known activity in prisons, houses or hospital, for several decades.

Cat therapy is the most recommended for the elderly, people with disabilities, single people, those exposed to high and frequent stress. It can be performed individually or in small groups of different people. In addition, travel courses are offered more and more often, but are addressed to special places: old houses, children’s houses, hospital.

Velatherapy in theory and practice

There are two types of cat therapy: animal assisted therapy (AAT) and activities assisted by animals (AAA). AAT activities are always carried out in the same way, they are planned from start to finish and have a more serious and formal character. AAA, or the activities assisted by animals, on the other hand, involve the creation of connections with the cat, a lot plays together, toilet, learning and stories about cats, in order to remove the patient from his world.

These activities are often combined with music, design or therapy with library. In the case of people with diagnosis of autism, AAT Felinotherapy is more recommended.
Meetings usually require an hour. The first is shorter and only involves the cat’s presentation in his future companion.

Course or training in the slices

Both the custodian and the feline therapist must obtain a certificate and pass the tests. In Poland, this is possible with the help of different bases and felinological organizations. The costs range from 1,500 to 2,500 Ron. The test that the cat must pass through future work conditions: noise, violent movements, presence and comfort of foreigners. To obtain the certificate, the cat must be at least one year old, for the vet to certify that the cat is in excellent physical and hygienic condition and present a vaccination and deworming book. The therapeutic cat can carry out its duties up to about 12 years or until its conditions are deteriorated, mentally or physically.

The cat therapy professional must be extremely patient, calm and easy to approach. The main task of these people is to observe and control the entire meeting. An absolute requirement is to know the body language of cats, the signs that cats send. Each shade of a cat’s behavior, such as the position of the ears, the movements of the tail, the dilation of the pupils, says on the emotional state of the cat, if tired or impatient. The timely capture can prevent an unpleasant situation. The same goes for empathy with people: a needy person can be less willing to speak or be active on a certain day.

Online courses are not suitable for felinotherapy, due to the need for practical training for this topic and the high complexity of the activities.

Cats reproduce for felinotherapy

The choice of a cat for feline therapy involves a great responsibility: the patient must not be scratched or bite. Therefore, the most important thing is that the cat does not react with aggression in stressful and uncertain situations, but with escape.

What the breeds for feline therapy will certainly work is not clearly defined. The predispositions of the individual and his character are very important here – even among the most calm races of cats they can be some that are erroneously socialized or too energetic and avoid comfort. However, it is possible to identify the breeds that have predispositions as kittens and these are Ragdoll, Maine Coon, Munchkin.

From kittens it is necessary to observe the chicks, their social behavior, their submission, the desire to seek contacts with people, the total lack of aggression, their calm character. A desirable feature of the animal is the delicate and stable personality, the resistance to sudden changes, gestures, noises, flashes of light. The cat should be used for smear and leash. Cats must be cut by the claws before each therapy session and can be brushed during the session, so you have to love this cure.

It is positive for the cat tolerating the car races and not being afraid of the stroller. It is important for the cat to meet many new people and like visitors. It should be familiar with many smells.

The benefits of the slopes

The simple presence of the cat removes the feeling of loneliness, distracts attention from pain and mobilizes for the action – no one will refuse the cat’s prayer eyes and the delicate mood. The cheerful and cheerful jumps of the cat bring a smile on the face of the patients and, above all, summarize the conversation and comments on the often fun actions of the cat. All this helps to break down uncertain people, closed in themselves and who have difficulty making friends.

Children who participate in feline therapy learn patience, opening, empathy, responsibility and sweetness towards another living being. Cats activities also have a positive effect on the emotional development of children, the desire to learn: cat behavior, physiognomy. The elderly, on the other hand, find warmth, altruistic love and, often, a feeling of meaning in therapeutic cats. These people support the treatment more easily and their mood improves. Sitting a cat, wear it in the arms and play with it warms the weak muscles and wrists and has a calming effect on rheumatic disorders. It has been shown that comfort, the cat torso and their body temperature compared to the human, about 38 degrees Celsius, accelerate the healing of wounds, improve various types of pain, lesser blood pressure and cholesterol. In the case of regular contact with a cat, the risk of cardiovascular diseases decreases by 3%.

According to scientists, the comfort of cats triggers the release of the hormone of happiness, endorphins, in the human body, which is probably the best recommendation for the development and promotion of feline therapy.

Karolina łuszczyk