Cat's caring paws help seniors

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Caring Paws, a non-profit organization in Lafayette, provides animal assisted therapy to people throughout the area.

Figaro, the organization's only therapy cat, travels around to visit hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, senior citizen centers and many other community locations.

Owner Anya Savikhin says residents seem to love meeting Figaro.

"I take him around and everybody gets to pet him and talk to him and everybody really enjoys it," said Savikhin. "He's a very calm cat and everybody has a positive experience, and he loves to be petted."

Liking human touch is important. Suzi Smith, the Life Enrichment Director at George Davis Manor, an assisted-living facility, enjoys having Figaro visit.

"Many of the residents have had cats in the past, and they know about cats. And just petting Figaro is so soft and he's very friendly, and not all cats want to be touched, but Figaro is very accepting of our residents and we absolutely love him," Smith said.

This amiability is definitely a credit to Figaro, but it's also the product of a careful upbringing by his owner, Anya Savikhin.

Savikhin brought Figaro around to meet others when he was just a kitten. This has helped ensure that Figaro, who is now a year and a half old, is fairly calm around new people and welcomes the touch of others.

This is important in many of the places Caring Paws asks him to visit.

Unlike most cats, Figaro will even do tricks... when he feels like it, of course, he's still a cat! Figaro knows how to give a "high five" to those he helps, or even a "high ten."

Figaro also maintains a blog, presumably assisted by his owner, for those who are fans of his therapy visits. Fig's fans can visit his blog here or can sign up to be therapy people or animals themselves at Caring Paws' website.