[acb-hsp] Cat Stroking

[Darla J. Rogers]

Dear Andy,

I agree; I love petting my guide dog,m but I got us a Ragdoll cat not long 
ago, and his fur is so soft, and his kitten antics so funny, and guess what? 
I have been rather ill, this summer, so he has helped Roxy be more active, 
too.

Wonder how much I can charge to travel around with Wy-Wy to work places and 
let people hold and pet him?  <giggle>

Darla, Precious and Wyatt the Wonderful Ragdoll kitten

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Baracco, Andrew W" <Andrew.Baracco at va.gov>
To: "Discussion list for ACB human service professionals" <acb-hsp at acb.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2011 10:29 AM
Subject: Re: [acb-hsp] Cat Stroking


>I like this.  I just love touching my cats.
> Andy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf
> Of peter altschul
> Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 6:07 PM
> To: Acbhsp
> Subject: [acb-hsp] Cat Stroking
>
> Cat Stroking, Not Facebook Poking, Satisfies Needs For Real
> Interaction
>  BY Martin Lindstrom
>  Forget poking on Facebook or IM-ING people, shaking a hand or
> putting an arm on someone else's shoulder is where social
> interaction really begins.  In Japan, this need for touch has
> extended to a focus on pets, including cafes for petting cats.
> Will emphasizing touch be a new trend in the U.S.?
>  As I made my way up a narrow staircase in Tokyo, I wondered
> what on earth I was actually doing.  A few weeks earlier, a
> friend of a friend had mentioned cat cafes, a new phenomenon
> sweeping through Japan.  The cat cafe at the top of the stairs
> promised an unforgettable lunch, while simultaneously extending
> human life by years.  Although I'd hardly consider myself a cat
> person, I found the temptation of longevity irresistible.
>  Japan has long been obsessed with pets.  It was here where you
> could first take your dog or cat for a pedicure or a spa.
> Shortly after, gift shops for pets sprung up, followed by
> restaurants dedicated to feeding your pet specially prepared
> delicacies.  The animals would be seated, whilst their human
> caregivers would be left outside.  No joke.  There are many a
> funeral home and cemetery for cats and dogs.  And now this: cat
> cafes.
>  In the finest Japanese tradition, I was asked to perform one of
> those cleaning rituals that would put sanitary procedures at your
> average hospital to shame.  Once cleansed, I was led to the
> education room, where I was instructed on correct behavior.  Now
> enlightened, I was ushered into a large room with a cafe bar in
> the corner, and hundreds of cats.  They were curled up on the
> floor, reclining on armchairs and sofas and padding around the
> room.
>  I was not alone.  Many people were there, their focus directed
> exclusively to one cat or another.  They held them on their laps,
> sat beside them, stroked, patted, and murmured sweet nothings in
> their ears.  All the while, the cats purred the deep purrs of
> creatures entirely satisfied with their lots in life.  After a
> cup of coffee and brief interactions with three separate cats, my
> time was up, and I could now say I'd had the full cat cafe
> experience.
>  The more affluent, time-poor, and lonely a society becomes, the
> greater the need for pets.  Not too long ago, I was taken to a
> home for elderly Japanese people.  At first glance, I noticed
> people sitting quietly stroking their little dogs.  I was amused
> that the dogs all looked remarkably similar.  My amusement turned
> to astonishment when the staff explained that the pets were
> actually robots disguised as fluffy, white poodles.
>  Japanese research has shown that the more time we spend
> touching pets, the longer we live.  So, with the help of a
> government grant, many such homes in Japan have invested in
> expensive robotic pets that breathe, snore, shrug, yelp, and
> indeed respond to their owner with sounds of recognition when
> they see them.
>  Will this somewhat crazy, yet undeniably thought-provoking,
> trend be confined to Japan? Or will it find a place in the
> Western world? France is a possibility.  It's a nation that has
> always celebrated dogs.  I will never forget an incident that
> occurred at a 2-star Michelin restaurant in Paris.  There, at the
> table beside me, was a dog sitting on a chair, facing its owner.
> It ate from a fine china plate, and drank what looked like red
> wine from a bowl on the table.
>  I suspect that the U.S.  might be next in line, simply because
> we're a nation increasingly deprived of meaningful physical
> interaction.  "That's ridiculous," you might say.  But think
> about it: Apart from the perfunctory handshake, when was the last
> time you touched another person? We touch our iPads and Pods, our
> fingers fly over our BlackBerrys and fold over our mouse, but as
> for touching humans, well, that's another story entirely.  It's
> not our way.
>  If you've ever visited countries like Spain, Italy, and Turkey,
> you'll soon notice boys, men, and even the elderly, touch hands
> with one another as they saunter along the street.  At
> presentations I've conducted in Thailand and the Philippines,
> it's quite common for businessmen to drape an arm over the
> shoulder of the man beside them.  I'm talking a normal working
> situation, not an Asian version of a gay Mardi Gras.
>  We, on the other hand, like to touch before we buy.  We test an
> avocado's ripeness by giving it a gentle squeeze, and finger the
> texture of the fabric before we try on an outfit.  But when it
> comes to touching one another, we tend to shy away.
>  Which brings me back to the U.S.  During the course of my
> workshops I have a tendency to gently rest a hand on someone's
> shoulders when addressing them directly.  They often come to me
> at the close of the day to express their satisfaction.  They say,
> "I'll never forget your presentation.  It felt like we
> established a really clear understanding of one another." I
> explain that touch helps facilitate this, and then ask why they
> don't initiate similar physical connections.  Their answers
> rarely surprise me as they talk of their fear of what others may
> think.  They don't want to offend anyone and are afraid of
> breaking unspoken codes of behavior.  Some go so far as to
> express their fear of a potential lawsuit.
>  As we well know, animals cannot sue.  You also never look
> stupid or inappropriate petting a dog or a cat.  So, when we do,
> it satisfies our basic need for touch.  It wakens us to life and
> living beings and can conjure up warm memories of deep connection
> with our childhood pets.
>  Here's my prediction: as our social lives migrate online, so
> our need for touch offline will become more apparent.  We have
> two choices--we can either normalize touching one another in the
> same way Italian, Brazilian, Thai, and Spanish people have been
> doing for hundreds of years, or another commercial industry will
> find itself in our lives.  Make no mistake, the need for touch is
> hardwired into our being and if we don't get our share, there'll
> be an influx of pet cafes, pet gift shops, pet outfitters, and
> pet podiatrists.  On the one hand, it's adorable, fascinating,
> and appealing.  On the other, it's the expression of a desperate
> human need for touch and connection in our increasingly
> disconnected lives.
>  Brandwashed Martin Lindstrom is a 2009 recipient of TIME
> Magazine's "World's 100 Most Influential People" and author of
>  Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy
>  (Doubleday, New York), a New York Times and Wall Street Journal
> best--seller.  His latest book, Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use
> to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy was published in
> September.  A frequent advisor to heads of numerous Fortune 100
> companies, Lindstrom has also authored 5 best-sellers translated
> into 30 languages.
>  Copyright B) 2011 Mansueto Ventures LLC.  All rights reserved.
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