www.felinoterapia.sk

Introducing

How it all started

My journey to felinotherapy began in my early childhood, which I spent in the countryside in constant contact with animals. But most of all, I was drawn to cats. I could watch them for hours, fascinated by their beauty, their sublime body language, their spinning, their cleanliness, their gentleness and their temperament.

Since then, cats of different breeds have accompanied me all my life.

Gradually I began to intuitively perceive more and more how the presence of a cat relieves tension, evokes pleasant feelings and transforms a person into a sensitive, kind being, even helping with physical ailments. I later began to use these qualities deliberately with myself and my loved ones. It was only later that I learned that it was actually felinotherapy.

About 8 years ago I was charmed by a Devon Rex at a show, and after the first touches I knew that this was the cat of my dreams, and I had to have one. He intrigued me with his warm velvety fur, big inquisitive eyes and XXL ears, affectionate and communicative.

So after some time I finally got my first Devon Rex - Rudy - along with a British cat.

He was an explosion of playfulness, affection, curiosity and fun. Without hesitation, he joined the children in every game they played and enjoyed life with us to the full.

After some time, I saw Felix at my breeder's house, and it wasn't long before we knew that one Devon just wasn't enough for us. When we brought Felix home, after a short "cuddle" and a little hiss, they both settled into our daughter's doll stroller, and they have been inseparable ever since.

Later, by a strange play of circumstances, we were joined by Hugo the cat, who is a true feline phenomenon.

On my journey through life, I have gained considerable experience with autism, which is why fate brought into my path Mrs. Helena Vlnková, the founder and soul of the Pro Autis Autism Centre in Trenčín. Word was given, we agreed to try activities with my cats for autistic children at the centre. Gradually, these activities were such a great success that they gradually became an integral part of the program at the center since the autumn of 2014.

Pro Autis

The Pro Autis Centre is located in the beautiful mountain surroundings of the village of Soblahov, not far from Trenčín, in the building of a former mining plant. It is a day care centre - de facto kindergarten for autistic children and children with other developmental disorders aged 3 - 8 years. The centre has a large plot of land with a playground. There are several therapeutic and leisure activities in the centre.

In 2015, a primary school for children with autism was established in Trencin, part of Zlatovce, where I also perform felinotherapy.

Autism

Do you remember the movie Rain Man? In it, Dustin Hoffman played an autistic man with an excellent memory and special abilities - in his case it was the so-called high-functioning autism.

Autism is not a disease, but a lifelong condition that affects all areas of the affected person's life. That is why we say that it is a pervasive disorder. Autism cannot be cured, only its manifestations can be alleviated, the quality of life of the autistic person (but also that of his/her loved ones) can be improved, and attempts can be made to develop it.

So how does a typical autistic child behave?

The word "typical" does not stand here. A child with so-called infantile autism is isolated, unable to communicate in a normal way. Most of the time, he behaves as if he does not perceive his surroundings and is in a world of his own. He often seeks satisfaction and security in his repetitive 'rituals'. Some do not develop speech at all, or the child does not use words to communicate fully, but this is called echolalia - the repetition of the ends of sentences.

At the other end of the spectrum are children with Asperger's Syndrome, who are often above average intelligence and can excel greatly in their narrowly defined interests. They are capable of full communication, but may shy away from it or, conversely, communicate in an exaggerated manner, and it is often odd. Their view of the world is different from that of ordinary so-called neurotypical children, and they therefore have difficulty in finding a career.

What all these children have in common, however, is that they experience a lot of fear, anxiety and frustration in their lives, which can escalate into aggression. That is why fellinotherapy is so important for them. Again, the presence of a cat relieves tension, evokes pleasant feelings and transforms a person into a sensitive, kind being.

Why Devon Rex

Of the several breeds of cats I have known, the Devon Rex is the one best suited for felinotherapy with children and people with autism spectrum disorders. It manifests itself with a lower level of shyness, and sociability. Their relationship with people can be called devotion and adoration. Devon is characterized by a high but appropriate level of activity, is playful, curious, responsive to stimuli

The Devon Rex is excellent with physical handling, and will tolerate without reservation repeated touching on the belly and rear of the body, or rougher handling, which may usually be inappropriate even in an otherwise affectionate cat..

He is very resistant to noise, which autistic cats often cause.

His physical attributes for felinotherapy are great - he is subtle, smaller in stature, which makes him easy to handle even by a child or handicapped person. These include a higher physical temperature than other cats (39°C) - used when applied to affected body parts.

And finally - Devon Rex has an unusual exotic appearance (resembling a leprechaun), which enchants and greatly interests not only children, but also adults.

Felinotherapy - my methods

I carry out Felinotherapy either in an autistic nursery or even a school in a dedicated room, 4 times a week for 3,5 hours in the morning. The children are mainly affected by autism spectrum disorders (infantile autism, Asperger's syndrome, high-functioning autism) or Down syndrome, polio, ADHD, etc.

Therapy is always with one child at a time, usually for 20 to 30 minutes, which has worked best for me.

I always take two kittens with me, and during therapy I alternate working with just one of them while the other one rests and vice versa. The particular child usually prefers one of the cats, but sometimes there is a situation where the cat chooses the child.

A less common type of activity is working with two cats at the same time, with the child repeating the activities that I do with the cat. This activity is more appropriate for a child with a milder disability, e.g. Asperger's.

Before felinotherapy, I will come to the classroom for the child with the cat in my arms, and take him to my room. We start with a little ritual - greeting and petting the animals together.

I have to adapt the activity to the child and his/her current state at the beginning, and match it to the chosen cat and his/her condition and mood. I always give the child a choice of activities with the cats - feeding, "treating" or "examining", grooming, cuddling, etc. Neither child will disdain "cat massage" - massaging with the cat's paws or running the kitten over the child's back.

A more challenging activity for more mature children is role-playing or skits, where the cat represents a friend or person, and I "dub" it into human speech. The child takes on the role of the toy, to which he or she sometimes manages to lend his or her voice. Sometimes, however, he just hands me a toy whose role I also play, but the child observes such a scene intently and learns. Here it is mostly a child who does not speak.

When working with children, I use many toys and various aids that are especially suitable for autistic children. I also try to apply some of the principles of so-called snoezelen (multisensory) therapy.

Finally, there is again a small ritual - after saying goodbye to the animals, I draw a portrait of a cat on the child's hand.

Felinotherapy with autistic children is very challenging, due to their often completely non-standard behaviour. I always have to maintain the utmost attention and react promptly to ensure the safety of both the child and the pets. In some cases I have to end the activity prematurely, but in a way that does not upset the child, which is not easy.

I have come to all the activities through gradual development, self-learning, observation and learning about the needs of the little, beautiful "cars" and "aspies".

I have demonstrated the success of felinotherapy by the fact that during felinotherapy, panic and anxiety states never arise, or expressions of aggression or self-harm - otherwise so common in autism. On the contrary, sometimes after a child has previously fallen into such a state (even collapse), only acute, unscheduled felinotherapy administered by my wonderful team will pull them out of it.

A number of children come to the centre expressly for felinotherapy and I often observe their gradual progress as I work with them over a long period of time.

But most importantly, the cats bring pleasure and joy of life to the handicapped children, and thanks to them they are able to better cope with our complex world , sometimes frightening and incomprehensible for them.

Stories

Through my work I have experienced many different fascinating stories of children.

On several occasions I have worked with parents to "adopt" a cat for a child who needed it badly, after being inspired by felinotherapy. One case even involved a boy's suicidal tendencies, which not only disappeared after adopting a Devon Rex cat, but the boy is living a happier life.

Misko

Misko is afflicted with a severe form of autism, and even at 10 years old, he still doesn't speak.

The photos you are seeing now beautifully document how Rudy the cat works with him. He has a more introverted personality, which is why he prefers more introverted children.

Mishko is deeply preoccupied with stereotypical, repetitive toy activities. Rudy connects with him, and pulls him out of "his world". Gradually, the boy spontaneously develops a very positive response with the experience of feelings of relaxation, joy, even happiness, which, unlike a normal child, hardly occurs in an autistic child. Its induction is one of the few means of at least partially compensating for the consequences of autism.