Cat therapy acts as a calming influence

Animal voice - Ginny, a 73-year-old resident of the Oakwood Terrace nursing home in Dartmouth, smiles delightedly as she eagerly reaches for the two cats on her bed. Her eyes shine as she cuddles Twister, a five-month-old blue cream Persian, and Gordon, a three-year-old cream and white Norwegian Forest cat.

Twister and Gordon are part of the Bluenose Cat Club's cat therapy program, which has been active for the past eight years. The Bluenose Cat Club is a non-profit organization, which has been sponsoring and promoting the welfare of all cats for more than 30 years.

Club president Nancy Kerr says her cat, Gordon, is an old pro at these visits to the seniors, and is quite the social butterfly. He loves people and enjoys coming to Oakwood.

Isabel Christie, a founding member of the club, says that this is her cat Twister's first visit. The Persian handles the attention from the Oakwood residents with calmness, interest, and a lot of purring ... a natural for the job even at her young age.

Twister and Gordon are a big hit with an elderly gentleman, who fondly remembers a cat he once had. Another lady, her room covered with cat pictures, laughs with pleasure as she hugs the cats and pats them constantly.

The nursing staff at Oakwood say many of the seniors look forward to the cats' visits each month. The cats have a calming influence on the residents and cause them to talk animatedly about animals they have owned.

The seniors are effusive in their show of gratitude for the time with the cats, and Kerr and Christie leave with a great sense of satisfaction at another successful visit.

The Bluenose Cat Club is holding its annual cat show at the Dartmouth Sportsplex on Saturday, April 12, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

llane@ns.sympatico.ca