Shelter Combines Yoga With Adoptable Cats [VIDEO]

HYDE PARK, NY — Once a month through August some of the cats that are available for adoption at the Dutchess County SPCA will get let out of their wing at the adoption center in Hyde Park and will be allowed to take over the lobby area for about an hour in the evening. There is a catch, of course; the cats have to share the space with humans who are taking part in a yoga class.

Cat Yoga, which allows cats to commune with humans on their own terms, was brought to the SPCA by Jenny Fox of FoxYoga by Jenny.

She is certified yoga instructor who works with children and special-needs adults as well.

Fox, a LaGrange resident, said she thought that cats would be the ideal companion animal for yoga lessons at the SPCA because they stretch similarly to yoga moves.

"And they are very zen-like," she said. "They are doing their own thing."

SPCA Director of Development John North said he thought that felines were a good match for the activity because they can sit and watch you or they can interact with you.

"They are very communal," he said of the cats used during the sessions.

Both Fox and North said there are benefits for both the humans and the cats in having Cat Yoga at the nonprofit shelter.

There's a calming effect having animals around while the class is in session, they said, and the cats get more socialization — at least for the cats that opted to come out from under nearby sofas to participate. And, of course, all the animals there are available to be adopted.

North said the adoption manager screens the cats for their ability to get along with each other and with humans.

During Tuesday's class, which was attended by 10 adults and one child, the cats, for the most part, let no one and nothing get in their way.

Zosha Bilyeu, of Hopewell Junction, taught the class for the first time.

She said she has two kittens at home, so she knew what to expect from the feline participants while she was teaching.

"They are a blast," Bilyeu said of her 5- and 8-month-old kittens. "They have such amazing energy."

The sight of people doing animal-like poses while cats milled around or scampered by seemed perfectly natural to those in attendance. Many times, one of the humans would break from whatever pose they were doing to reach out to pet a passing animal.

Karen Blonder, of the Town of Poughkeepsie, attended the April session and came back to experience it again.

"It was relaxing," she said.

Blonder, who serves on the SPCA's board and has volunteered with the organization for 25 years, had one cat come over to her while she was doing the downward dog, which turns the body into a pyramid shape.

The black and white cat took the opportunity to crawl underneath and around Blonder as she maintained the pose.

"That was a lot of fun," she said.

The remaining sessions of Cat Yoga will be June 11, July 9 and Aug. 13. Classes run from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Fox said all levels of experience is welcome.

Fees per class are $20 for adults, $10 for DCSPCA members and $5 for seniors and children. Pre-registration and pre-payment are required, and space is limited. Fox said all of the proceeds raised from the program will go back to the DCSPCA.

To register, go here.

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