Caregivers come in all shapes and sizes. They can even have paws!

A growing number of injured, ill, infirm, elderly, and mentally challenged patients are experiencing the benefits of interacting with dogs and cats during their challenging times. This type of additional caregiving is showing amazing signs of improving quality of life and relieving pain.

From reducing stress to being seriously healthy for your heart, from decreasing loneliness to decreasing pain in hospitalised patients, animals deliver a world of amazing benefits for people who would otherwise not be given much chance of enjoying life.

We think that this type of therapy, referred to as Animal-Assisted Therapy (or AAT), needs to be used more, because it’s a low-cost and very effective way of increasing quality of life for many patients. So, we put together an infographic showing 11 amazing ways AAT improves quality of life!

Check it out below, and to read more in-depth about each point, see the original at Catological.com.