Sierra Leon
Sierra Leon is an 8 year old calico who is one of our current Ambassador Cats.
Sierra loves laps and looks forward to going on visits.
Our Ambassador Cat Program includes an elite group of cats and volunteers who travel as a team for visits in the Memory Care Units of three retirement homes in the Sun City / Peoria area. The program began in 2022 with one visit each month and has developed into one visit each week in 2023.
Candidates for the Ambassador Cat are selected from cats at the 4 Paws Shelter. The Volunteers and Staff are continually looking for viable cats or kittens that are calm, very approachable and accepting to being handled by many people in different situations. The cats must be tolerant of being in a unfamiliar environment without becoming too shy or fearful.
It can take months of training before a cat candidate is ready for their first visit. Training includes harness and leash training. Volunteers ‘dress’ the cat in a harness and introduce the cat to walking on a leash for brief periods of time many times a day.
When the cat and volunteer arrive for a visit, the cat looks for its first friendly lap to snuggle on and patiently waits for a soft ‘pet’, a gentle stroke on the cheek, or a tickle under the chin from one of its host then moves to the next lap.
The Ambassador Cat and Escort stay a short time, only 30 – 45 minutes, but the benefits to both the residents and the cats are enormous. Smiles, happy faces and outstretched arms of the residents show their eagerness to engage with the cat.