At a Fort St. John shelter one sickly cat has even shown significant improvement since the reading sessions began.
Children are developing their reading skills through new programs that have them read to cats. The Province set up a little feline storytime at the Vancouver branch of the BC SPCA to see how it went.
The Cat in the Hat knew nothing of shyness and embarrassment.
But the best-selling kids’ favorite is helping lead a breakthrough in literary help for children struggling with their words.
A movement that started in the U.S. has now spread north, with a B.C. cat shelter offering a first-of-its-kind program coupling children with cats.
The idea is that a child who feels uncomfortable reading out loud in front of other children and adults due to shyness or embarrassment is more comfortable reading to a patient feline.
“It gives them a very non-judgmental forum,” said Candace Buchamer, branch supervisor at Fort St. John’s North Peace SPCA. “It takes a lot of the pressure off the reader. They learn public speaking and it benefits the animal greatly as well.”
The program is a joint venture between the SPCA and Fort St. John Public Library, conceived by library worker Kirsten Barkved.
Barkeved told The Province she got the idea from a picture she saw online of a boy reading to a cat at a U.S. shelter.
“He didn’t want to get embarrassed sounding out his words in front of his classmates, so he started reading to cats at the local shelter and started noticing vast improvements,” she said. “After I saw the photo all I could think was, why isn’t everyone doing this?”
Barkved said Fort St John is in a unique position because despite the high incomes of many residents, child literacy levels are worse than in many B.C. communities. Traditionally, literacy levels are linked to income, with low literacy associated with low income.
She said the local program is held every Friday afternoon at the North Peace SPCA, with more people signing up each week.
“It is a great way to get people out and reading, and you are also socializing the animals,” Barkved said. ”The cats need socializing and this also increases their chances of getting adopted out.”
Buchamer said this is the first program of its type in B.C. and the youngest reader so far is four years old.
Barkved added the cats are not picky about what is read to them.
She brings in an assortment of books. Some read murder mysteries, younger children read Robert Munsch children’s books, while others read Danielle Steele novels to the cats. She even has a cat poetry book titled: ‘I could pee on this.’
At the Fort St. John shelter, one sickly cat has even shown significant improvement since the reading sessions began. “The cats really enjoy the voices of people reading to them,” said Barkved.
Since the books are already purchased and the work is done by volunteers, both Buchamer and Barkved said it’s a cost-free program.
Richmond Animal Protection Society spokeswoman Janet Reid said volunteers come in and spend time with the shelter’s 500 cats. She loves the idea of reading to them.
“The cats like being with humans,” she said. “If you are reading to them you are speaking and they hear your voice.”
Sorelle Saidman, director of Rabbitats, a Richmond-based rabbit rescue organization, said she had heard of people in the U.S. reading to rabbits also.
“We have been wanting to start up a program like that,” she said. “Rabbits like having people read to them. They are curious and they listen.”
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