Kids Bond With Cats Through Books - Paws to Read at Tabby's Place

 As usual, special things are happening at Tabby’s Place, a cage-free cat sanctuary in Ringoes, NJ (which also happens to be one of my favorite places of all time.) This past October I had the pleasure of observing their wonderful Paws to Read program. 

Paws to Read is run by Tabby’s Volunteer Sue, who is an elementary school teacher. After some of the Tabby’s staff went to the Best Friend’s conference and learned about programs such as this, they wanted to bring one to Tabby’s and thought Sue would be the perfect person to oversee it. 

Not only does Sue oversee the program, she incorporates the Tabby’s cats into her curriculum. One of the curriculum topics this school year is empathy, and she feels teaching her students about Tabby’s and the cats that live there is a great teaching tool. Her students love hearing about the cats and will pay attention to finish their studies so they can be rewarded with time to see their pictures and hear about what they’re up to. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived. I pretty much knew that I’d love seeing the children with the cats and that it would be cute, but it’s so much more than that. The enrichment that the cats receive and the human-animal bond that is strengthened is touching. I’ve visited Tabby’s many times, and I know many of the cats, and I have never seen them respond to people the way they did this day. 

Drinks and snacks are offered to the attendees. And of course there's a cozy place for cats to nap underneath the table. 

It was a bit of a slow day when I visited, but I got to visit with four children as they read to cats of their choice. This young lady (who is one of Sue’s pupils) chose to read to Louie. 

Louie was definitely enjoying her company. In photos I took from two different angles you can see that not only is he watching and listening to her intently, he’s calm and totally relaxed. He definitely welcomed her with open paws! 

She loves coming to Tabby’s because her brothers are allergic to cats so she can’t have a feline family member. 

This little cutie (whose Mom is a Tabby’s volunteer) chose to read his Star Wars book to the kittens. 

Would rambunctious kittens really be interested in listening to a Star Wars story? You bet they would! 

They loved hearing about Han Solo.

The program is a win-win for all involved. The children get to strengthen their reading skills while gaining confidence in their abilities to read aloud to their captive, non-judgmental audience. The cats don’t correct their pronunciation or snicker when they skip a line. They simply sit there with them, present in the moment, being encouraging without realizing it. In addition to their reading skills, I feel the children are learning important life lessons. They are learning kindness, compassion towards animals, and the importance of volunteering. 

The cats benefit as much as the children do. They get to bask in the calm presence of different people they don’t see every day, which helps many of them with socialization. Shelter cats who are socialized have a better chance at adoption. This is enrichment at its’ best. 

If the children don’t bring their own books they can choose one from this book box made by a local Girl Scout troop. 

After the children finish reading they receive a form that states the cat’s name and a cute little paw print sticker for every cat they read to. 

Then I witnessed something amazing. When the next two children arrived, they immediately knew which suite they wanted to go in and I eagerly followed. This young man wanted to read to Adam, who was excited to see his buddy arrive. 

Adam and his buddy.

Of course my Rosie, who I have been sponsoring for a couple of years now, had to get in on the action. 

I need to learn my words so I can write a letter to my sponsor sisters, Lola and Lexy!

This young lady started reading to Stephen.

But after a few minutes, both children put the books down and that’s when the bonding began.  

Adam and his friend share an amazing bond. 

This beautiful cat is Pepita. I have spent time with her on many occasions, but I’ve never seen her interact with someone like this. 

Then this happened: 

I was speechless, and I’m still having a hard time finding the words to describe what it felt like to witness Pepita's love and contentment in that moment. 

The Paws to Read program takes place twice a month on Saturdays from Noon to 3:00pm and is open to children ages 6 – 10.  

If you know a child who would like to participate contact Karina Jewitt, Volunteer Coordinator, at (908) 237-5300 Ext. 605 or via email at KJ@TabbysPlace.org.

Paws to Read is an amazing program that would benefit any shelter. If you know of a similar program please let me know in the comments! 
Dawn