As the new school year approaches, young readers practice their pronunciation, comprehension and add new words to their ever-expanding vocabulary. A local animal shelter argues there’s no better way to motivate them through challenging learning curves than with a kitten curled in their lap in silent support of their literary advancements.
This was 7-year-old Finnley’s reality on June 20 when his mother, Michelle Duncan, a 31-year-old veterinarian, brought him to the Humane Society of North Central Florida. The shelter hosted one of its new educational programs, Purrs & Tales.
Finnley loves to read graphic novels, his favorite being “The Legend of Zelda” comics. His dad promotes his reading with 10 to 15 minutes of practice a day.
His time reading to the cats of the humane society was well spent and rewarded with each kitten that purred into his hand.
Purrs & Tales began this year on June 18 and will continue until Aug. 8, held from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday through Saturday, with plans to continue during the school year.
The event is free, with books provided by the humane society’s thrift store. Not only does it help kids practice reading, but it also helps the animals get human exposure and increases their chances of adoption.
Over 100 animals were adopted from the shelter in June. Many were dogs that came to the humane society with serious medical needs and spent months receiving treatment with support from the community, the humane society said on its Instagram.
Finnley already has a cat and dogs at home. His interaction with the young kitten, “Katie Perry,” showed off her cuddly personality.
Even though Finnley’s family can’t adopt, his mother said they hope to spread the word so more cats can be adopted after seeing their personalities bloom.
She graduated this past Spring from UF’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Duncan now practices at Trenton Animal Hospital.
She completed her externship with the humane society, having also volunteered with Operation Catnip.
The event helped kids work on their animal-handling skills and get excited about being involved with their shelter, she said.
“It is good to get the community involved with everything animal rescue and adoptions,” Duncan said.
Isabella Lentine, the events, education and outreach coordinator for the shelter, has worked with humane societies for over three years. She’s now spent about two years at the North Central Florida location.
This year, Lentine is helping the humane society implement several new educational programs in an effort to involve the community.
Many of the programs are aimed at young learners, she said, offering field trips to the center and opportunities for the humane society to visit schools.
The shelter is also working to involve local Girl Scout troops and summer camps, with more ideas still in the works.
Like Duncan, Lentine also wants more people to learn about animal welfare and the shelter world. She hopes to invite people who have never been to a shelter in hopes they want to become an adopter, volunteer or foster.
Purrs & Tales is one way to give kids their dog-and-cat fix while encouraging them to focus on learning. Seeing kids fall in love with the animals at the humane society is a sweet reward, Lentine said.
“The small wins of seeing a kid come in and being scared of cats, and then leaving wanting to adopt one is just a really great feeling,” she said.
For the cats at the HSNCF, just 30 minutes to an hour around kids gets them out of their shell, Lentine added. Their interaction can make the cats and children more confident and comfortable, as they can sometimes be nervous.
“Kids can pull on tails and poke animals in the eyes. It’s good for the kids and animals to learn how to be around each other and coexist,” said Lentine.
Lentine is excited for all the upcoming programs to bring light to their shelter. The humane society runs on community support, and with more outreach to come, Lentine hopes to see the HSNCF grow.
Emily Medina-Finsen is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
