I hate cats, but even I have to admit that this is pretty adorable.
Berks Animal Rescue League in Berks County, Pennsylvania has an afterschool program for kids in grades 1-8. These kids visit the shelter and can read books to sheltered cats. How cute!
The program helps the kids develop their reading skills while giving the cats some much-needed social time. The only problem I see here is finding books that know-it-all, smug cats haven’t already read.
In all seriousness, the program sounds great. A lot of home-school kids, autistic kids, and parents who want their kids more exposed to animals have taken advantage of it.
And I’m probably one of the last people on earth to know about this, as this reading with cats program has recently been featured on Time Magazine, Buzzfeed, the Huff Post, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and a crapload of other sources.
Very cool when someone can creatively come up with an idea to address two problems—childhood literacy and mistreated animals—with one solution. Unfortunately, the dogs of Berks County Animal Rescue League have filed a class action discrimination lawsuit.
(Image: Berks County Animal Rescue League)
