Therapy cats

[bfguru]

I hope this is the right forum.
Has anyone got information on this? I've heard it can be done. I don't have room for a dog so a therapy dog is not possible.

My son has autism and melts down often, and has been known to elope in public. I'm hoping my young juvenile can be trained to help him calm.

She already obeys "come here" and usually "lay down". It just sort of happened. We didn't work with her to do it. She seemed to just understand us and comply.

So, has anyone heard of this sort of training with cats?

 

[hatchytt]

Some cats learn some commands. My old cat, Juno, learned that "claws" meant that he needed to retract his. My nephew is autistic, and simply having a cat around helped keep him happier, thus, fewer meltdowns. Not zero meltdowns, but fewer. He liked having the fuzzy cat cuddle with him.

 

[luna tuna]

It'd be good to train the kitty to wear a harness (my cat hates them) so your son can take her out of the house. Otherwise, you can absolutely train your cat, especially if she already obeys commands. I don't know if you want to train her to come to the rescue, so to speak, when your son is having a meltdown, but if you are that may be a little difficult.

Cats can be trained and even certified as therapy animals. If your cat is young, it shouldn't be too hard to train her.
Cats are really good emotional support animals, too, which could also help your son, like Hatchytt said. My kitty is an ESA because I have severe depression and a panic disorder and having her has reduced my tendency to have panic attacks immensely even though she is untrained. Cats that are more laidback and docile work better as ESAs. If she responds to some commands already she'd probably work well.
Maybe talk to your vet or look for resources on therapy animals and training cats, I'm not sure where to find that kind of thing. I think most of the training tips on these forums are about deterring unwanted behavior instead of promoting/teaching good behaviors.

 

[LTS3]

Here are some organizations for therapy animals and certification:

https://petpartners.org/

https://www.nsarco.com/therapy-animal-info.html

http://www.petsandpeoplefoundation.org/

Therapy animals tend to visit the elderly in nursing homes, hospitals, schools, etc. If the cat is solely for helping your son calm down, look into Emotional Support Animals. I don't think there's any particular training or certification needed other than a doctor's note. ESAs ad therapy animals aren't allowed the same full public access that service animals do (guide dogs for the blind, etc) so I'm not sure how your cat would be able to help if your son has a meltdown in a public place like the mall.

 

[luna tuna]

ESAs don't have to be certified or trained at all. Rules for therapy animals are different in different places, but there are also service animals for psychological things, so you may even be able to get your son a service animal who could accompany him to public places. Service animals are usually dogs or miniature horses, but it's possible you could have a service cat, too.
Service animals require a lot more training than therapy animals, but they are protected by law and must be allowed to accompany their humans. Therapy animals are allowed in more places than ESAs, but don't have full access like service animals.

If you don't want your cat to go into public with your son, you don't need any certification or formal training. If you do, you'll need to get her certified as a therapy or service animal.

 

[bfguru]

I did actually know that about ESA vs service animals. Thanks. I have been putting a harness on her in doors to get her used to it. We haven't attached a lead yet biut the harness doesn't seem to bother her.

I'd like to bring her with us if I have to take him to the store since I think focusing on her may help avoid the melt downs over wanting everything.maybe.hopefully.

I'll check the links. She's due for a Vet check up anyway.

She's really a sweet girl. I can't do another animal in my apartment since we already are at our allowed pet limit and It's 2 bedrooms for 4 of us. It's just not enough room. So if I do this, she is the pet I need to work with.

I'll keep you posted.