In Berks County, Pennsylvania, the Animal Rescue League has come up with an ingenious program that would benefit both its feline residents and help children to improve their reading skills.
The “Book Buddies” program invites children from Grade 1-8 to read books to cats in the shelter’s adoption room.
According to studies conducted by researchers at the Tufts University, “cats find the rhythmic sound of a voice very comforting and soothing”, while “human-animal interaction can make the learning process more comfortable and enjoyable for children”.
Since the project’s launch last year, many of the human participants of the Book Buddies program have shown significant improvement in their reading.
From the pictures below, it is clear that both the children and the cats enjoy these reading sessions very much.
[via Bored Panda]