The Impact of Cat Fostering on Older Adult Well-Being and Loneliness: A Feasibility Study.

Objectives: This feasibility study explored the impact of fostering a shelter cat on loneliness and well-being in older adults living alone without a pet. The study also examined the effect of cat fostering on older adults' interest in cat adoption when perceived barriers to adoption were removed.

Methods: A total of 29 adults (age ≥60) were paired with a cat and asked to foster for a minimum of 4 months (with an option to adopt).

Equine-facilitated group psychotherapy: applications for therapeutic vaulting.

In this day of high-tech, managed-care service delivery with an emphasis on medication and brief treatment, it is important for nurses to be aware of nontraditional treatment options that may be uniquely beneficial for some clients. Although it may still be considered a novelty, including animals in the healing milieu is not a new idea. Florence Nightingale herself suggested that "a small pet animal is often an excellent companion for the sick, for long chronic cases especially" (Nightingale, 1969, p.