A NEW furry friend has joined the Pets As Therapy team in North East Lincolnshire.
Meet Fred the cat, who will be touring residential homes, hospices and day centres.
Pets As Therapy, known as Pat for short, provides animals for a special sort of therapy.
It has been proven that contact with animals can help people with dementia and offer companionship to people with ill health.
Vicky Burn, a volunteer for Pat in North East Lincolnshire, has been helping people with her dog Bonnie for more than five years, and said the addition of Fred to the team will make a huge difference.
"I have been volunteering with Pat for about eight years overall, and five years with my current dog," she said.
"We travel all over, visiting schools, residential homes and day centres to teach and aid children and adults.
"Being able to now take Fred along with us will make a huge difference.
"Fred is the only Pat cat in North East Lincolnshire and one of only a few in Lincolnshire as a whole.
"Not everybody is a dog person, and many prefer cats, so Fred will help us reach these people too.
"Bringing the animals into places where people either can't have their own pets or have memory problems, for example, really brightens their day.
"Seeing the animals can bring back memories and get people to talk to people they normally wouldn't.
"People have told me that seeing the animals is the highlight of their week.
"I can visit residential homes and the resident could be nodding off in the sitting room but as soon as they see Bonnie or Fred they light up and become full of life."
PAT WOULD WELCOME YOUR HELPPat is a charity and relies on volunteers and their pets to help. It is always in need of more volunteers and more animals. For your pet to be suitable it has to be calm, friendly and happy to be taken into a strange environment. The animal must enjoy being petted and stroked by strangers Be happy to sit on their laps and wear a harness as the volunteer has to keep hold of them at all times. Visits are usually about 45 minutes. The animals must enjoy their visits and you can make a big difference to people's lives. For your pet to be suitable it has to be calm, friendly and happy to be taken into a strange environment. The animal must enjoy being petted and stroked by strangers too. To find out more visit www.petsastherapy.org or call Vicky on 01472 879154.