Mental Health: How Kittens Help Kids Thrive

A story from the classroom, backed by science and lived experience.

𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐠: 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞
𝘈 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵—𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯. 𝘈𝘷𝘢 (𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦)
𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘴 (𝘚𝘗𝘖𝘴- 𝘪𝘧 𝘠𝘒𝘠𝘒) 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘈𝘷𝘢 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵.
𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺:

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨.” (Yes I cried reading that.)

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦—𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦, 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘵, 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘢, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘭 𝘶𝘱 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.
𝘕𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘕𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘵𝘩, 𝘧𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨.

That story stayed

 with me. And over the next year, I watched Ava come out of her shell—slowly but surely. She began reading aloud, smiling more. She even volunteered to help organize our class Read Across America Day… and brought a photo of Luna to display on her desk.

   

🐾 Why Cats Matter to Kids’ Mental Health

Ava’s story isn’t rare— There’s growing research that backs up what so many of us have witnessed firsthand: cats help kids thrive emotionally, mentally, and even academically.

Let’s break it down.

📚 Cats Improve Literacy Skills

Kids who struggle with reading often fear embarrassment. But reading to a kitten? No pressure. No giggles. Just wide eyes and purring.

Programs across the U.S.—like “Rescue Readers” and “Paws to Read”—have shown that kids:

 

• • Read longer

• • Enjoy reading more

• • Improve fluency and confidence
    …all by reading to cats. One Iowa shelter said it best:

“These cats aren’t going to judge their pronunciation. It’s low-pressure, safe, and kind.”

Whether in a shelter or at home, the act of reading aloud to a calm cat helps transform literacy time into something safe and joyful.

💗 Cats Foster Empathy and Emotional Regulation

Especially for children navigating anxiety, trauma, or neurodivergence, cats offer a unique kind of companionship.

A published study from the University of Missouri found that kids with autism spectrum disorder showed:

 

• • Increased empathy

• • Reduced anxiety

• • Improved social connection
    …after adopting a temperament-screened cat.

Parents in the study said things like:

“The only time we get to hear our child spontaneously speak is when he’s with the cat.”
“Our son learned to understand when the cat needed space or comfort—he started applying that to people, too.”

This type of relationship—mutual respect, care, and gentle feedback—can be especially healing for children dealing with overstimulation or emotional overwhelm.

🧘 Calming Tools That Actually Work

Cats are natural co-regulators.

 

• • Their purring vibrations can lower stress hormones.

• • Stroking soft fur is shown to reduce blood pressure and increase oxytocin (that’s the bonding chemical).

• • The consistent routines of caring for an animal—feeding, brushing, playing—help anchor kids in a world that often feels unpredictable.

For children who struggle with transitions or who feel easily overwhelmed, the presence of a kitten can be like an emotional reset button.

🛠 How You Can Encourage Cat-Kid Bonds

If you’re thinking about introducing a kitten to a child’s life—whether you’re a parent, guardian, teacher, or foster volunteer—here are some easy ideas to support mental health and growth:

 

1. 1. Set aside 10 minutes a day for your child to read aloud to a cat or kitten.

1. 1. Create calming spaces with soft blankets, books, and quiet where a child and a cat can bond.

1. 1. Let kids help with care—feeding, brushing, even cleaning (with guidance) builds confidence and connection.

1. 1. Name the feelings—when a kitten seems scared or relaxed, help your child identify what that looks like and talk about similar human emotions.

🐾 Final Thoughts

I’ll never forget Ava’s story—or the way her cat helped her find her voice during a time when everything else felt uncertain. That quiet comfort made all the difference. And I see it time and again in the children we meet through rescue work.

Cats may not speak our language, but they seem to understand us in a way that few others can.