The Therapeutic Roles of Cat Mascots with a Hospital-based Geriatric Population: A Staff Survey

Abstract

This study was undertaken to assess the therapeutic roles of pet mascots on a hospital ward with total-care elderly patients and to explore the logistics of pet maintenance. Staff (N = 19) on a ward where feline mascots had been kept over two years were interviewed. Mascots were observed to stimulate patient responsiveness, give patients pleasure, enhance the treatment milieu, and act as a form of reality therapy. Further research is suggested.