The Animals’ Shelter held its inaugural ‘Pat and Chat’ session on Monday with a variety of animals – including cats, dogs and a tortoise.
The adults-only event is designed to combat loneliness among older members of the community and promote good mental health, by giving people a chance to meet others and enjoy the company of a few animals in the Shelter’s care.
Michelle Parker, the media and fundraising manager for the JSPCA, said: ‘It was really well attended and everyone was really happy with how it went. We had the cats playing with their toys, the dogs were on their backs waiting to have their tummy tickled. It was really nice.’
She added: ‘We are planning on holding them once every month, and we will publicise the dates in advance as people will need to register for it. The aim is to target the older members of the community who may be feeling alone.’
Islanders can donate to the JSPCA by visiting jspca.org.je/donations, where they can also find an Amazon wishlist of items the charity needs.
