Although dementia and Alzheimer’s disease can’t be cured, their progression can be slowed with treatment and care, including creative treatments like looking after kittens.
The residents of Catalina Springs Memory Care Facility had some free time in their schedule and were happy to help the poor, orphaned kittens. And not only did the arrangement help the kittens, it also benefitted the seniors, as well.
The first kittens to participate in the program were named Peaches and Turtle. They were scrawny and malnourished when they arrived, so volunteers bottle fed them and took them under their wing.
Besides being nice to snuggle up with, the kittens are stimulating and affectionate. And they also help reduce stress and give the seniors a sense of purpose.
The residents at Catalina Springs will feed and care the kittens until they’re big enough to be adopted.
Kittens that receive a lot of human contact at an early age do better than kittens that don’t interact with humans when they’re eventually adopted by their forever families. So whoever ends up adopting the kittens that have been cared for by residents of Catalina Springs Memory Care Facility will be getting some truly lovely cats!
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