Animal-Assisted Therapy and Diagnostics, and the Health Benefits of Pet Ownership
Research indicates that pets provide health benefits for their owners, and animal-assisted therapy provides significant educational, psychological, and physical health benefits for those in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and other facilities.
This page offers articles and resources on pet therapy and the health benefits animals provide for the people who love them. For more animal articles, visit the main Animals page.
- Animal-Assisted Therapy Providers: Profiles of some major pet therapy providers in various regions, including North America, India, Asia, and the UK
- Cat Heroes: Cats that have saved lives, and cats that provide assistance and therapy to people and other animals
- Prison Cats: Profiles of cat therapy programs in various prisons and the benefits they have on inmates
- The Health Benefits of Owning a Cat: Research shows that cat ownership provides physical and mental health benefits; the majority of these benefits are also associated with dog ownership
- Owning a Cat Reduces heart Attack Risk: Findings of a large-scale study link cat ownership with reduced risk of heart attacks
- Cats Reduce Risk of Kids Developing Asthma: A recent study shows that living with a cat from a very young age reduces the likelihood of children becoming asthmatic
- Mobility-Assistance Dogs for Parkinson’s Disease: How specially trained dogs can help those with Parkinson’s disease
- Dogs Detect Cancer in People: Studies of the ability of dogs to sniff out cancerous cells
- Seizure-Response and Seizure-Alert Dogs: Service dogs with special training to assist epileptic individuals