Development and Evaluation CAT and Youth

NCT05950672 | Completed Results

• 3 other identifiers: HE-2022-291R21HD109853-015R21HD109853-02
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 36
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This R21 provides a multidisciplinary One Health approach to developing and evaluating a novel Cat Assisted Training (CAT) animal assisted intervention (AAI) for early adolescents with developmental disabilities (DD) and their family cat. Cat social behavior and welfare is heavily influenced by human behavior and training, making it highly likely that cats would also benefit from this program. There remains a critical need for further empirical evaluation of AAI practices, especially those that target the specific needs of youth with disabilities. Further extending the development and evaluation of activity-based AAIs beyond those that include dogs and horses also helps address the critical need to consider and include diverse human participants, creating new equitable opportunities for AAI involvement to those who may have access to cats, but not dogs and horses (due to practical, health, cultural, socio-economic, or other personal reasons).

Conditions

CAT Intervention Group; Control Group

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Number of Participants Whose Cats Changed From Insecure to Secure Attachment Classification From T1 to T3

  Cats in the intervention group participated in a structured three-phase assessment: two minutes in the testing room with their child owner, two minutes alone, and then a reunion phase when the child returns. All sessions were video recorded. Two independent raters classified each cat's attachment style using a predefined behavioral ethogram, with primary emphasis on the cat's response during the reunion. Possible attachment classifications include Secure, Insecure-Ambivalent, Insecure-Avoidant, Insecure-Disorganized. Data presented describe within-cat change in attachment classification from T1 to T3, specifically the shift from insecure (inclusive of ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized) to secure attachment.

  T3 is approximately 14 months after T1 (baseline).

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Number of Participants Who Participated in Walking Their Cat at T2

  T2 is approximately 6 weeks after T1 (baseline).

Other Outcomes (1)

• NIH Toolbox Emotional Support (Ages 8-17) Fixed Form: Uncorrected Standard T-score at T2

  T2 is approximately 6 weeks after T1 (baseline).

Study Arms (2)

CAT Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

The experimental group will take part in the CAT intervention (Table 1) after baseline assessments. All cat-training methods will be positive reinforcement based, using owner-approved food, toys and social reinforcers (e.g. petting).

Behavioral: CAT Intervention Group

CAT Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Control participants will not participate in the CAT intervention. After the completion of the third assessment (end of proposal-related data collection), control participants will be offered the opportunity to participate in cat training classes.

Interventions

CAT Intervention Group BEHAVIORAL

The experimental group will take part in the CAT intervention after baseline assessments. All cat-training methods will be positive reinforcement based, using owner-approved food, toys and social reinforcers (e.g. petting).

CAT Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 8 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Child with a developmental disability per parental report.
• Family owns a family cat.

You may not qualify if:

• Can not follow instructions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Oregon State University: lead
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, United States

Location

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Monique Udell
• Organization: Oregon State University

monique.udell@oregonstate.edu

541-737-9154

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 11, 2023
• First Posted: July 18, 2023
• Study Start: May 30, 2023
• Primary Completion: June 29, 2025
• Study Completion: August 21, 2025
• Last Updated: April 13, 2026
• Results First Posted: April 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)