This Sphynx Cat Is A Meditation Pro! [Video]

• Kids who need to cope with traumas and domestic abuse now have a feline partner for meditation.
• Thea, the Sphynx cat is an assistant therapist at Crisis Center North in Pennsylvania.
• Thea is the only feline so far in the Paws for Empowerment Team of the Center.

---

Healing through meditation now has a new partner— the four-legged kind that helps children at Crisis Center North in Pennsylvania, feline good.

The Center’s assistant therapist is Thea, a 4-year-old Sphynx cat.  Children who are dealing and coping with domestic abuse and other heavy traumas can rely on Thea to calm them down.

Thea takes her cue from her human partner, Sydney Stephenson, on the Paws for Empowerment team.

Sydney explains that kids who are having a hard time come to her because they are coming from a difficult place. “And nobody likes to talk about difficult things. But having Thea in the sessions is just such a calming presence. It reassures them. It can help them bond with me faster because they see how much she trusts me.”

One boy who had a guarded initial session came back completely changed for his second session because of Thea.

Sydney said that Thea just simply jumped on the kid’s lap without prompting from her and the boy just melted. “It was just amazing. He started petting her and she started to purr, and he would answer my questions a little bit more and more. We were finally having a full back-and-forth discussion. It was such a natural process.”

Even with the COVID-19 crisis, they can still “see” Thea through meditation videos.

One video shows Thea listening calmly with closed eyes to an audible voice: “Take one more breath. Be aware of your whole body as best you can. Take a breath, and then, when you’re ready … you can open your eyes.”

And when the voice says, “Thea,”, she opens her eyes.

There are people who are skeptical about having a feline on the Paws for Empowerment team, but Thea and Sydney have been showing them proof that cats can do the job. “It just involves getting to know the animal that you’re working with and what motivates them, and what they like,” Sydney added.

For Thea it was the clicking method or associating a clicking sound with a treat or food.

And Thea is proving to be a helpful meditation assistant to her favorite clients—the kids! 

Source: Inspire More