Bethany Harvest Hills recently welcomed some very special short-term residents, a litter of foster kittens. The experience was very positive for residents, families, staff members and the kittens! Community member Amanda Bond started the PURR project in Calgary after hearing about a similar program with Pima Animal Care Centre in Arizona. Amanda works in health care and cared for her own mother for 10 years after her dementia diagnosis – she is also a huge cat lover, so the program sounded like something she needed to do.
Amanda matched Bethany Harvest Hills with ARF for the PURR Project and their first four, four-week-old kittens arrived in late May and residents and staff named them Lucy, Angus, Pippi and Chloe. Happily, all were adopted by staff or resident families.
Amanda says, “The most poignant thing we experienced with the kittens was the family who adopted Angus (black male kitten). The adult daughter of a resident was coming to the care centre daily because her loved one
was palliative. She would take Angus from the kitten cage to the room and nestle him close to her loved one and his loud purring had a calming effect. Angus also snuggled and played with her in the room which helped her during this difficult time. She formed a strong bond with Angus and, on the day her loved one passed away, she applied to adopt Angus. Now he is a happy, healthy kitten in their home shared with two other cats.”
The program has brought awareness to the cat overpopulation in Alberta, the need for foster and adoptive homes, and the positive impact on both kittens and dementia care residents alike. To read the full article click here.
Leave a Reply