How This Rescue Cat Became A Therapy Animal

Liza may have begun her life in an animal hoarding situation, and now she’s working as a therapy animal to help sick children and adults. It just goes to show how incredible rescue cats are, and that they can do anything they set their minds to.

Given back to the shelter multiple times

Liza was given back to the Maui Humane Society twice, so she’s definitely had at least three or four homes throughout her life. While her mom doesn’t know her background for sure, she believes Liza may have initially come from a cat hoarder’s house.

Liza’s mom finally met her at the pet store where she was up for adoption. She was only there to buy food for her cat.

With a sick cat at home already, she wasn’t looking to adopt another. She says that she initially walked away, only to circle back to the sweet cat who’d been reaching out for her with her paws. Liza was desperate for love–and how could her mom say no?

Liza was also surrounded by kittens who were receiving all of the attention. As a one-year-old cat, Liza was fully grown and therefore less appealing to most adopters.

But her mom saw something special in her. She took her home, she says, and “we have been inseparable ever since.”

A special personality

Despite her hardships, Liza is incredibly social. She loves meeting new people and has the perfect personality for a working cat. While she can be kind of wild and sassy at home, her bandana is her signal that it’s time for work. While wearing it, she’s calm and on her best behavior.

She works with sick children at the children’s hospital, often with kids who are recovering from TBIs (traumatic brain injuries). Petting and feeding Liza helps them work on their motor skills.

Liza’s mom says the kids are always excited to see her. Even those who don’t often react to other things will light up at the sight of a cat in the hospital.

Liza works with adults, too. She loves falling asleep in people’s laps and being fed Churu treats. Her mom puts them in a spoon so that more people can feed her, even if they’re blind or struggle with fine motor skills.

Liza’s mom has found it super rewarding to see her make a difference in so many lives.

How Liza became a therapy cat

Are you interested in training your cat to help hospitalized people? Liza’s mom explains that there’s a need for therapy animals who aren’t dogs, whether that be cats, guinea pigs, or rabbits. Having a variety of therapy animals makes the experience accessible to more people.

The idea to turn Liza into a therapy cat came from a veterinary technician. The vet’s office was hosting a Halloween costume contest at the time, and Liza thrived in the environment despite being surrounded by dogs and people.

The vet tech suggested that she’d make a great therapy cat, and her mom decided to go for it! They started training the next day, and it took around six months.

Liza was already harness trained and social, which made the process easier and faster. Liza’s mom describes herself as a “stage mom” and says that Liza does all the work!

Liza’s mom is an introvert who prefers to be at home, but she finds their work too important to miss out on. She’s grateful for the chance that she and Liza have to give back to their community! It also offers some great mental enrichment for Liza.