The Purr-fect Prescription: Studley the Therapy Cat Helps Patients Feel Better

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By Rachel Thomson

creative officeStudley isn’t your typical medical professional.  He doesn’t know how to write a prescription. He doesn’t ask patients to describe their symptoms. And he shows up to work naked.

That’s because he’s a cat. Studley is one of 25 animals currently in the Providence Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy program (PAAAT) that has been bringing comfort and smiles to patients since 1991. Studley, the feline with long, white hair and odd-colored eyes-one gold and one green—has been visiting patients at Providence St. Peter Hospital since 2007. He visits patients in the psychiatric and chemical dependency units and in the waiting room.

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Studley prepares for a visit at Providence St. Peter Hospital. When he visits, he is carried in his own bed and has his own volunteer identification badge.

“Everyone loves it when Studley visits,” said program coordinator, Danni Sabia. “He’ll sit with patients, and they’ll stroke him. They’ll talk about cats they have at home, cats they’ve lost, cats they had as a kid. Patients will tell an animal things they don’t tell a therapist. Magical things happen when you bring an animal in the hospital.”

Simply having contact with animals can improve wellness, according to the Providence St. Peter Hospital website. Children become more talkative and calm in the presence of animals, which often alleviates parents’ stress. The animals have motivated speech and physical therapy patients to reach goals. Patients receiving treatment for chemical dependency enjoy a respite from intense emotions and introspection. Other studies have proven interaction with animals reduces blood pressure, encourages exercise, and helps the body release endorphins, chemicals that make people feel good.

The PAAAT program began at Providence St. Peter Hospital in 1989, with Sabia’s predecessor, Ann Howie. She began visiting patients in the hospital with her Great Dane, Falstaff.  The duo worked with hospital staff and board members to develop the trainings and evaluations that are now used to evaluate animals and their handlers to determine if they are a good fit for the PAAAT program.

How Studley Got The Job

Studley’s destiny to become a therapy animal wasn’t always obvious to his owners, husband and wife Pam and Keith Phillips of Olympia. The Phillips’ would take Studley with them to the outdoor patios at local coffee shops and people would notice his calm, friendly demeanor.

“They would say, ‘What a lovely cat! Can we pet your cat?’ and he would sit on laps,” Keith said. “We didn’t know it was unusual.”

A colleague of Keith’s, also noticed his unusually calm demeanor, and told him about the program at Providence.

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Studley with owner Keith Phillips

It took several months before the Philips’ could visit patients at the hospital because of vigorous training process. Handlers must complete a minimum of 50 hours of training. They must prove they can interpret their animal’s behavior and pick up on signals the animal might be uncomfortable. They must demonstrate they can keep their animal calm and controlled. Additionally, they must complete the standard hospital volunteer screening. The animals are exposed to a series of simulated visits, in which hospital staff act as patients and family members. They’re exposed to sounds and hospital equipment. The training can take up to a year or more, depending on how quickly the handlers can complete their required hours and whether or not the animals have a pass their evaluation, which may not happen on the first try, according to Sabia.

Studley passed all his evaluations on the first try. And the training didn’t bother him at all.

“He loves to go (visit patients), “Keith said. “When he’s through, he’s standing up in their beds, all charged up with his tail in the air. He’s proud of it.”

There have been other animals in the PAAAT program, including rabbits, according to Sabia. However, Studley is currently the only cat in the program. The rest are dogs. She says most cats don’t take well to the program because they don’t tolerate travel well, don’t enjoy being bathed (a requirement for visiting hospitals to get rid of any dirt or allergens on an animal’s coat), getting leashed or interacting with strangers.

Studley’s work is not limited to Providence St. Peter Hospital. He is also a registered participant with Pet Partners, a non-profit organization based in Bellevue, Wash. The organization’s focus is on improving human health through positive interactions with therapy, service and companion animals, and developed the first standardized training in animal-assisted therapy activities. In addition to visiting people in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities, animals often interact with people in other settings. Studley has represented the hospital’s program at local wellness events. He’s visited children in schools and has a booth at Olympia’s annual Sand In The City event.

A Rough Start

When people see Studley’s glossy coat and lean body, they probably wouldn’t guess he was once days away from death.

Pam met Studley while she was volunteering at Thurston County Animal Services.  She says shelter staff found him abandoned along the side of a road in Yelm. He was dirty with mats throughout his fur. He was malnourished and barely tipped the scales at four pounds.

But Pam said there was something special about Studley, and decided to bring him home, anyway.

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Studley (center) and owner, Keith Phillips, visit Keith’s wife, Pam Phillips (right) at Providence St. Peter Hospital in 2013 after Pam sustained an injury. Studley is the only cat in the hospital’s Animal Assisted Activities and Therapy program.

More than two weeks by without much improvement. Then one day Keith saw Studley, with his wobbly walk, begin to play with a bungee mouse toy.

“That was the turning point for sure,” Keith said.

Impact Stories

The Philips’ say Studley has a positive impact on everyone he meets, not just hospital patients. When they adopted their second cat, Mitzi, who was also abandoned, Keith said Studley would often climb up on the top the other cat’s cage in order to calm her down.

“He was trying to get to know her and he was teaching her how to be a cat,” Keith said.

Studley is also good at reliving stress among hospital employees.

“Staff stop what they’re doing and the tension melts away,” Sabia said. “They see him and everyone just takes a collective deep breath.

Pam can also attest to the way Studley makes people feel better. Last year Pam received a surprise visit from her cat in the hospital last year after sustaining an injury while exercising.

“It was the only time I smiled while I was in there,” she said.

Perhaps the biggest impact Studley has bestowed is not on his patients, but his owners. The Phillips’ say seeing Studley help others has given them a renewed appreciation about their own lives.

“It gives me a whole new picture of the value of volunteering, of animals and makes me a better person,” Keith said. “It adds a level of caring I didn’t have before.”

Facts About Studley:

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Studley with owner Keith Phillips (left) at a booth at the 2013 Sand In The City festival in Olympia. When he’s not visiting hospital patients, Studley often makes appearances at community events, schools and health fairs.

Breed: Turkish Angora

Age: 9

Favorite Food: Salmon. He also eats plenty of crunchy dental treats to help with his gingivitis, a lingering side effect from when he was a stray.

Number of Appearances per year: About 20

Other:

  • Has over 3,400 friends on Facebook from all over the world.
  • Was once featured in Cat Fancy Magazine
  • Loves to visit local schools. He has received dozens of letters from students over the years.

For more information about the Providence Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapy program, contact Danni Sabia, program coordinator at (360) 493-7981 or danni.sabia@providence.org.

All photos courtesy Pam and Keith Phillips.

 

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