The desire to give and receive love remains

Last year, the Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, Arizona, accepted over 2,000 kittens which were either orphaned, abandoned or homeless. Many were so young they needed to be bottle-fed to survive. To meet this need, the animal care center partnered with the Catalina Springs Memory Care Center. The kittens are nourished, and dementia and Alzheimer's patients feel a purpose and a joy.

                                                                                                     Pima Animal Care Center
Catalina Springs health director Rebeca Hamilton says "the kittens have enriched the lives in this center in indescribable ways." For some residents, nursing the kittens recalls childhood memories. One patient remembered growing up on a farm with 19 cats. Watching patients interact with baby kittens, Hamilton has observed that "there are skills emotions and needs that do not just leave a person with dementia or Alzheimers." She says the kittens prove that "the desire to give love and receive love remains," even after memory is lost.