Shelter Cat Adoption in Families of Children With Autism (Feline Friends)

University of Missouri (MU)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Social Skills; Anxiety

Treatments: Other: shelter cat

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03625297

2008460

Details and patient eligibility

About

The overall purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the introduction of a shelter cat into the family of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder on the social skills and anxiety of the child, and to examine stress in the cat.

Full description

Many families in the United States live with cats as companion animals, including families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). One in 68 children are diagnosed with ASD. There is no cure for ASD, and no one treatment works for all children. Symptoms of ASD include a lack of social skills and anxiety. Companion animals have been helpful for children with ASD. However, no one has studied stress of cats living in families of children with ASD. This study will place 64 pre-screened shelter cats in pre-screened homes and monitor the stress of the cats. Cats ages 10 months to four years that have been screened for calm behavior using a temperament, test will be adopted by families in the study. Families will also be screened for pet issues. No cat will be placed in a home with a child who has a history of aggression to animals. The study will also examine the social skills and anxiety of the children with ASD, and bonding of the parents and children with their cats. Five to eight million dogs and cats are relinquished to animal shelters in the United States each year. Thirty-eight percent of cats are given up for behavioral reasons. Studying cat stress and the placement of cats, with calm and non-aggressive characteristics into homes of families of children with ASD may help shed light on the likely success of the relationships between shelter cats and these families.

Enrollment: 11 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 17 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• child with diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
• no cat currently living with the family
• willingness to adopt a shelter cat
• English speaking
• live within 125 miles of Columbia, Missouri

Exclusion criteria

• child with Autism Spectrum Disorder having any history of animal aggression
• children with cat allergies

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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11 participants in 2 patient groups

Shelter cat adoption control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Families of children with autism will complete a control period with no intervention, then adopt a shelter cat after completion of the control period

shelter cat adoption

Experimental group

Description:

Families of children with autism will adopt a shelter cat

Treatment:

Other: shelter cat