Emotional support animals and therapy animals are not a new phenomena. The ancient Greeks were the first to use animals, specifically horses, to help brighten the days of those who were very ill. In medieval Belgium, animals and people were often rehabilitated together with the idea that interacting with humans gave the animals a companionship that mirrored what the animals could offer. The first formal research into animal therapy began in the 1960's with Dr. Boris Levinson. He noted that his mentally impaired patients were more likely to interact with dogs rather than other people. Animal-assisted therapy, as Dr. Beth Barba describes in her work "The Positive Influence of Animals: Animal-Assisted Therapy in Acute Care", is "a therapeutic nursing intervention that brings animals together with persons with
physical and/or emotional needs as a way of meeting those needs" (Barba 1). Animal-assisted therapy, or AAT, is an interdisciplinary treatment involving nursing, medicine, psychology, social work, as well as occupational, physical and recreational therapy. This isn't a one size fits all type of treatment. It is a case by case basis that follows specific guidelines are
provided for a responsible and outcome-oriented program.
Animals can provide such benefits for the sick, elderly, or isolated that there are dozens of programs nationwide and more springing up frequently. Barba notes that the benefits are not just mental or emotional. She writes,
AAT can also improve communication between the patients and their caregivers or family members. Animals can also serve as transitional objects in efforts to improve communication skills of withdrawn and isolated patients by facilitating interactions of patients with others. Barba notes that "patients
appear to others to be more human, less sick, and more treatable (Rossbach & Wilson, 1992)" (2). An example of the world of benefits that AAT can provide is detailed in UCLA and Paolo Castelli's work "COMPANION CATS AND THE SOCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS OF MEN WITH AIDS." Sixty male pet owners living with AIDS were given a formal questionnaire including items related to demographic, lifestyle, and pet ownership, as well as the Comfort from Companion Animals Scale, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the
General Health Questionnaire. Those living with AIDs often deal with decreasing abilities to function on their own as their illness progresses as well as social isolation and diminishing social support. Not to mention that loneliness seems to be an inevitable symptom of this virus. Castelli referenced an epidemiological study of 1,872 gay and bisexual men which showed that "the incidence of depression was influenced by the presence of AIDS and by
having relatively few confidants (Siegel, Angulo, Detels, Wesch, & Mullen,
1999)" (Castelli 178).
Because those living with AIDs may have more compromised abilities, having a dog which requires more physical activity might not be realistic. Having a cat is less demanding of physical interaction and attention from its owner which would be far more feasible. The purpose of the study conducted by UCLA and Castelli was to contrast the "contributions of cats versus dogs in the social support system and psycho-social well-being of men with AIDS by examining relationships among the extent of their pet attachment, human social support, psychological health, and loneliness" (179). They hypothesized that cats would be a better companion for this population.
A request for volunteer participation in the study was distributed to 500 individuals living in the San Francisco area in February 1992. All prospective participants were clients who had received assistance from Pets Are Wonderful Support. Written confirmation of an AIDS diagnosis from a physician or hospital was required for all clients. Of the 500 requested, 63 volunteered for the study. Most of the participants had cats, lived with other people, and were not employed. None of the participants were without a pet in the household. Below is a table measuring pet attachment, social support, and perceived loneliness from this study.
Thirty (47.6%) respondents listed their pets among their providers of emotional support. Many of these men listed their cats as means of social support as well. Their original hypothesis is cats being more compatible than dogs was true. For these participants, "cats were more effective than dogs in eliciting love, making the person feel needed, and serving as a source of constancy" (184).
It's not secret that having pets is extremely beneficial to people. But can the same be said for cats? Cats and humans have an interesting relationships. For one, once cats mature into adulthood, they don't meow to communicate with other cats. They really only meow when adults to communicate with humans. As for measuring how much cats actually enjoy interacting with humans in a positive way, we'll look to Preventative Veterinary Medicine's study "Effect of gentle stroking and vocalization on behaviour, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease in anxious shelter cats".
There has been little research on the effects of positive social interaction on cats in stressful situations, like those in shelters. In this study, 139 cats rated as anxious upon admission to an animal shelter were allocated to either a Gentled or Control group. "Gentling" is gentle stroking and vocalizations that this study strongly suggests helps cats emotionally, socially, and physically. Stressful situations can reactivate subclinical conditions and "inhibit the production of mucosal antibodies, particularly secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) (Gourkow et al., 2014), resulting in increased susceptibility to pathogens that cause Upper Respiratory Disease" (266). Cats were gentled four times daily for 10 min over a period of 10 days. Some cats that were too aggressive to handle were gentled with the aid of a tool. The cats’ mood was rated daily for 10 d as Anxious, Frustrated or Content. Gentled cats were less likely to have negative moods (Anxious or Frustrated) than Control cats. This study uses a lot of very technical terms since it was published for a veterinary journal so I'll do my best to simplify it.
Gentled cats showed an beneficial response in every positively associated antibody or enzyme as compared to the Control cats, which showed no consistent patterns.There was a significant increase in shedding over time in Control cats which can be a sign of stress. However, this increase was not seen in gentled cats. Control cats were 2.4 times more likely to develop upper respiratory disease over time than gentled cats. It was concluded that "gentling anxious cats in animal shelters can induce positive affect (contentment), increase production of S-IgA, and reduce the incidence of upper respiratory disease" (274).
Cats aren't the nasty, detached creatures they so often get the rap for being. They need positive social interaction from us as much as we need it from them. Cats can be such a valuable asset to our lives emotionally and even physically. Fostering these amazing animals enables even more people to be able to call a cat their own and benefit from all that cats have to offer.
Animals can provide such benefits for the sick, elderly, or isolated that there are dozens of programs nationwide and more springing up frequently. Barba notes that the benefits are not just mental or emotional. She writes,
Physical benefits of association with animals include lowered blood pressure and heart rate (Baun, Bergstrom, Langston & Thoma, 1984; Thomas & Friedmann, 1990) and decreased muscle rigidity. Psychological benefits are improved self-esteem, greater feelings of security (Messent, 1983), reduced stress and anxiety (Wilson, 1987, 1989), improved social interactions and communications (Brickel, 1980), and sensory stimulation (1).
AAT can also improve communication between the patients and their caregivers or family members. Animals can also serve as transitional objects in efforts to improve communication skills of withdrawn and isolated patients by facilitating interactions of patients with others. Barba notes that "patients
appear to others to be more human, less sick, and more treatable (Rossbach & Wilson, 1992)" (2). An example of the world of benefits that AAT can provide is detailed in UCLA and Paolo Castelli's work "COMPANION CATS AND THE SOCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS OF MEN WITH AIDS." Sixty male pet owners living with AIDS were given a formal questionnaire including items related to demographic, lifestyle, and pet ownership, as well as the Comfort from Companion Animals Scale, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the
General Health Questionnaire. Those living with AIDs often deal with decreasing abilities to function on their own as their illness progresses as well as social isolation and diminishing social support. Not to mention that loneliness seems to be an inevitable symptom of this virus. Castelli referenced an epidemiological study of 1,872 gay and bisexual men which showed that "the incidence of depression was influenced by the presence of AIDS and by
having relatively few confidants (Siegel, Angulo, Detels, Wesch, & Mullen,
1999)" (Castelli 178).Because those living with AIDs may have more compromised abilities, having a dog which requires more physical activity might not be realistic. Having a cat is less demanding of physical interaction and attention from its owner which would be far more feasible. The purpose of the study conducted by UCLA and Castelli was to contrast the "contributions of cats versus dogs in the social support system and psycho-social well-being of men with AIDS by examining relationships among the extent of their pet attachment, human social support, psychological health, and loneliness" (179). They hypothesized that cats would be a better companion for this population.
A request for volunteer participation in the study was distributed to 500 individuals living in the San Francisco area in February 1992. All prospective participants were clients who had received assistance from Pets Are Wonderful Support. Written confirmation of an AIDS diagnosis from a physician or hospital was required for all clients. Of the 500 requested, 63 volunteered for the study. Most of the participants had cats, lived with other people, and were not employed. None of the participants were without a pet in the household. Below is a table measuring pet attachment, social support, and perceived loneliness from this study.
Thirty (47.6%) respondents listed their pets among their providers of emotional support. Many of these men listed their cats as means of social support as well. Their original hypothesis is cats being more compatible than dogs was true. For these participants, "cats were more effective than dogs in eliciting love, making the person feel needed, and serving as a source of constancy" (184).
It's not secret that having pets is extremely beneficial to people. But can the same be said for cats? Cats and humans have an interesting relationships. For one, once cats mature into adulthood, they don't meow to communicate with other cats. They really only meow when adults to communicate with humans. As for measuring how much cats actually enjoy interacting with humans in a positive way, we'll look to Preventative Veterinary Medicine's study "Effect of gentle stroking and vocalization on behaviour, mucosal immunity and upper respiratory disease in anxious shelter cats".
There has been little research on the effects of positive social interaction on cats in stressful situations, like those in shelters. In this study, 139 cats rated as anxious upon admission to an animal shelter were allocated to either a Gentled or Control group. "Gentling" is gentle stroking and vocalizations that this study strongly suggests helps cats emotionally, socially, and physically. Stressful situations can reactivate subclinical conditions and "inhibit the production of mucosal antibodies, particularly secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) (Gourkow et al., 2014), resulting in increased susceptibility to pathogens that cause Upper Respiratory Disease" (266). Cats were gentled four times daily for 10 min over a period of 10 days. Some cats that were too aggressive to handle were gentled with the aid of a tool. The cats’ mood was rated daily for 10 d as Anxious, Frustrated or Content. Gentled cats were less likely to have negative moods (Anxious or Frustrated) than Control cats. This study uses a lot of very technical terms since it was published for a veterinary journal so I'll do my best to simplify it. Gentled cats showed an beneficial response in every positively associated antibody or enzyme as compared to the Control cats, which showed no consistent patterns.There was a significant increase in shedding over time in Control cats which can be a sign of stress. However, this increase was not seen in gentled cats. Control cats were 2.4 times more likely to develop upper respiratory disease over time than gentled cats. It was concluded that "gentling anxious cats in animal shelters can induce positive affect (contentment), increase production of S-IgA, and reduce the incidence of upper respiratory disease" (274).
Cats aren't the nasty, detached creatures they so often get the rap for being. They need positive social interaction from us as much as we need it from them. Cats can be such a valuable asset to our lives emotionally and even physically. Fostering these amazing animals enables even more people to be able to call a cat their own and benefit from all that cats have to offer.
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