Tenth Life Cat Companions

In 2013, Tenth Life expanded to a brick and mortar location. Our temporary office space on Cherokee Street is serving the exact purpose we had intended: to make our organization more visible and accessible, and to provide opportunities to reach out to our community. 

But possibly even more exciting is the addition of our new program, Tenth Life Cat Companions.

This brand new animal assisted activities program has served more than 550 citizens in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and specialized care organizations.

Through this unique program, our temperament-tested cats are brought to people who cannot have pets of their own so they can receive the positive, calming benefits of feline interaction. We are so pleased with the impact it has already had on our community, and is sure to continue in the coming years.

The program was a joint creation between Tenth Life Cat Companions Coordinator, Rachael Ludwig, and Executive Director, Elizabeth Frick. Rachael trains volunteers, tests cats for site visits, coordinates with facility directors to arrange visits with therapy cats, and oversees and manages the entire program.

Program coordinator, Rachael, reports " One September weekend, as we were getting the cats out of their crates for a visit, a daughter pushed her mother's wheelchair toward the lobby and met us there.  She said that her mother didn't talk anymore, and it was rare that she laughed or made any sounds, but she was a cat lover.  As we were getting Harvey and Salem out of the crate, the daughter pointed at them and told her mom to look at the kitties.  As soon as the woman saw them, she started to laugh and smile.  Salem and Harvey both sat in her lap, and she laughed and smiled the entire time."

Tenth Life is currently the only group providing this community service with cats in the St. Louis area, making it a unique and important service to the cat-loving seniors in the community.