Juanita Mengel is missing a leg and so is her cat Lola-Pearl, but together they spread happiness and care as a therapy cat team in Ohio.
In the US there are only about 200 registered therapy cat teams through non-profit organization Pet Partners.
Juanita Mengel is missing a leg and so is her cat Lola-Pearl, but together, they spread happiness and care as a therapy cat team in Ohio.
“It's a really rewarding experience. You know, I get just as much out of it as the people that I visit,” Mengel told CBS News.
Both Mengel and Lola-Pearl use prosthetics to make getting around easier. Together they share their stories of surviving and thriving with people in schools, nursing homes, and hospitals.
Taylor Chastain Griffin of Pet Partners also spoke about the project.
“The goal of a therapy animal intervention is to share the love, the warmth of an animal, to assist in whatever treatment objectives already exist for the client or the person receiving the services,” she said. “It's a really rewarding experience. You know, I get just as much out of it as the people that I visit.”
