Cat yoga at humane society: A ‘purrrr-ty’ fun time
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Yoga flow instructor Marlynn White takes a minute to pet Violet, a cat available for adoption, during a cat yoga class at Washington Area Humane Society. Classes are offered for adults and children ages 9 and older.
Karen Mansfield/Observer
Violet, a cat available for adoption at Washington Area Humane Society, roams the room during a cat yoga session hosted April 20 at the humane society. Participants interacted with Violet and Earl, another feline, during the event.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Earl, a cat available for adoption at Washington Area Humane Society, gets attention from participants who signed up for the cat yoga class.
Danielle Sharp pets Violet, a cat available for adoption at the Washington Area Humane Society, as her friend, Jamie Goodwin, looks on. Sharp and Goodwin have attended multiple cat yoga classes at WAHS, which began offering the popular event in January.
You’re probably familiar with goat yoga, but how about cat yoga?
Well, now the cat’s out of the bag.
The Washington Area Humane Society is hosting the event twice a month, with yoga instructor Marlynn White leading the hour-long flow sessions while adoptable kittens and cats roam around.
White has been teaching cat yoga at the shelter since January, and all but one class has sold out.
And no, the Downward Dog pose didn’t bother the cats at all at a recent Thursday session.
The VIP guests on Thursday were Violet and Earl, who are available for adoption from the humane society.
“People love it. It’s fun, it’s relaxed. It’s not taken as seriously, and that’s fine. I don’t want anyone to feel bad for petting cats or playing with them. That’s why we’re here,” said White.
Taylor Duda, Director of Development at WAHS, said the idea for the event actually came from Peters Township Library, who contacted the shelter last summer offering to host a cat yoga session.
“We brought the cats to them and those classes went well, so we decided to hold it (at the shelter) since we have the space,” said Duda.
The humane society hosted a trial class in November, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Thursday sessions are for adults, and Saturday classes are geared for children age 9 and older, who get to play with the cats while they learn simple yoga poses and breathing exercises.
Typically, two to four cats are on the floor during sessions.
Violet and Earl, who split time on the floor Thursday, were shy at first, but came out of their shells as the session went on.
“It really helps us with our cats, socializing them. A lot of times cats come in and they’re not used to people, so this is a fun way to try to introduce them to people,” said Duda. “We get them out of their condos, we get to see their personalities and learn a little bit more about them. So as much as it benefits people, it benefits our cats even more.”
The humane society provides mats (because some of the cats like to scratch them) and toys. At the end of the session, yoga class participants get to visit the cat adoption floor.
Jamie Goodwin and Danielle Sharp, both of Houston (and who, combined, own nine cats), have attended multiple yoga sessions and have brought their children to the kids’ sessions.
“It was fun. We brought our kids to the first (kids’ session) and it was so much fun we said we are going to do it ourselves. (April 19) was National Cat Lady Day, so we’re celebrating,” said Goodwin, laughing.
During the class, Violet occasionally interacted with Goodwin and Sharp, then darted away to peek out doors and windows before returning.
“It’s so chill. I just love being able to stop and pet the cats. It’s good for them because it socializes them. You can tell there are some that are scared, but Violet came out and she just made herself at home,” said Sharp.
Duda said the yoga classes have resulted in adoptions. WAHS is entering what Duda called “kitten season,” and expects the shelter to be filled in the next couple of weeks.
Future cat yoga sessions are planned. Cost per session is $20.
“We have people asking when the next date is when they leave (yoga class) because they definitely plan to come back, so we’ll continue to host,” said Duda.
For more information about cat yoga and to find out more about adopting a kitten or cat from Washington Area Humane Society, visit the humane society website at www.washingtonpashelter.org. The shelter also offers low-cost ($45) spay days for cats. Visit www.washingtonpashelter.org/low-cost-spay-neuter.
Additionally, the humane society hosts a Reading Tails program for children, where kids between 6 and 12 years old can read to cats on-site or virtually, and offers Girl Scout and Boy Scout opportunities, field trips, birthday parties and group experiences for schools, churches and families.