We won a Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writers Association!

Lola: Hello and Happy Wednesday! We have exciting news for you today!  *chases tail in a circle*

Lexy: Lola, calm down! You'll  make yourself dizzy!

Lola: *plops down* I'm just so excited! You tell everyone, Lexy, while I catch my breath.

Lexy: Ahem... We are happy to announce that Lola The Rescued Cat has won two Certificates of Excellence from the Cat Writer's Association for two of our blog posts.

Cats Helping Children with Autism

April is National Autism Awareness Month. This is an opportunity to promote autism awareness, autism acceptance, and to draw attention to the tens of thousands facing an autism diagnosis each year. The aim of this month is to educate the public about autism, which is a complex, lifelong, condition and developmental disability characterized by difficulties in the way a person communicates and interacts with other people. I’ve been working with adults and children on the Autism Spectrum since 1988, and in one of the many newsletters I get at work I saw a brief mention about cats improving social skills in children with Autism. This piqued my interest so I decided to read more about it.  

Animal Assisted Therapy or AAT (also known as Pet Therapy) is a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. 

In general, AAT has many benefits which include improved interactions with others.  There is a growing body of research which suggests that this dynamic may be helpful for children with autism and could account for increased social interaction when the children are living in a home with pets. There are also many articles written about it, however, most of the information relates to dogs and horses.  I didn’t find any empirical research related to cats being used in AAT with children or adults with Autism. I did, however, find some anecdotal stories about cats helping children on the spectrum. 

Iris Grace Halmshaw is a young Autistic girl who is a talented painter. The behind the scenes assistant is her therapy cat, Thula. Thula has decreased Iris Grace’s anxiety over daily life activities and has also encouraged her to be more social. Thula offers Iris Grace her companionship, friendship and supports Iris Grace’s mother in encouraging her to interact. 

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

Something is Amiss!

Lola: Hello, and Happy Tuesday! Yesterday morning I was taking a stroll around the living room and I noticed that something wasn't right. 

My Cats Write My Blog. I'm Just Along for the Ride!

Not all blogs are created equal. Writing can be done in different forms, one of which is done from the animal’s perspective. Today I’m sharing how I developed the voice of my blog and my feelings about writing from a pet’s point of view. 

Keep Your Indoor Cat Happy and Healthy with Rachael Ray Nutrish Indoor Complete - #ChewyInfluencer

Hello, everyone. This is Lexy checking in with our monthly Chewy Influencer review. I picked a fab product for us to review this month!  I chose Rachael Ray Nutrish Indoor Complete Chicken with Lentils & Salmon Recipe Natural Dry Cat Food. 

"Lola! Our Chewy box is here! Yep, just what I ordered."

Selfie Sunday- Uncooperative at a Photo Shoot Selfies

Lola: Hello and Happy Sunday! Today Lexy and I have some selfies that we took on set during a photo shoot. 

Lexy: We were doing a photo shoot for a review, and Lola and I just did not feel like cooperating with posing this way or that. 

Lola: So we decided to take selfies instead! 

Lexy: Here I am on set. As you can see, I was not posing with the product. 

And here I am with my "I really can't be bothered with this right now" look. 

Cat Camp NYC - A Cat Lover's Delight

Living in New York City definitely has its perks. Admittedly, at times I am a “jaded New Yorker”, not being able to see past the traffic that takes me an hour to navigate the 10 miles to my office, or the train delays that turn a 50-minute commute into 90 minutes. But when Cat Camp NYC was announced, right here in my backyard, I was happier than ever to live here. 

New York City’s first feline-focused symposium.