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Every day Juanita Mengel, a 67-year-old woman from the state of Ohio, wakes up and puts on her manufactured leg. The device is called a prosthetic.
每天，俄亥俄州的67岁女性胡安妮塔·门格尔醒来后穿上她的假肢。这个设备被称为义肢。
Then, Mengel does the same for Lola-Pearl, her colorful five-year-old cat. Lola-Pearl is missing her back left leg.
然后，门格尔为她五岁、色彩斑斓的猫洛拉-珍珠做同样的事情。洛拉-珍珠失去了后左腿。
Mengel has many cats. Most of them have disabilities. But Lola-Pearl is special. She is a therapy cat. And, she and Mengel are partners of a kind. They are among 200 therapy cat teams registered in the United States by the nonprofit group, Pet Partners.
门格尔有很多猫，它们大多数都有残疾。但洛拉-珍珠很特别，她是一只治疗猫。她和门格尔是一种特殊的伙伴关系。它们是美国非营利组织Pet Partners注册的200支治疗猫团队中的一员。
The group helps humans and pets alike by setting them up into teams to provide animal-assisted intervention. The teams visit hospitals, nursing homes, and schools and assist those in need.
该组织通过将人和宠物组成团队提供动物辅助干预，为人类和宠物提供帮助。这些团队访问医院、养老院和学校，协助有需要的人。
Taylor Chastain Griffin is national director of animal-assisted interventions at Pet Partners. She said, “A therapy animal is an animal who's been assessed based on their ability to meet new people and not just tolerate the interaction, but actively enjoy it.”
泰勒·查斯坦·格里芬是Pet Partners动物辅助干预的国家总监。她说：“治疗动物是经过评估的动物，基于它们满足新人并不仅仅是容忍互动的能力，而是积极地享受互动。”
Chastain Griffin is a researcher who studies the effects of therapy cats. She said there needs to be more research done in cat therapy. She said that there is a lot of research on other therapy animals like dogs, and many people are surprised to learn that cats can be therapy animals too.
查斯坦·格里芬是一位研究治疗猫效果的研究员。她表示有必要在猫疗法方面进行更多研究。她说对其他治疗动物（如狗）有很多研究，而许多人惊讶地发现猫也可以成为治疗动物。
"They go into a setting and people are like, 'Whoa, there's a cat on a leash. What's happening? It kind of inspires people to connect in a way we haven't traditionally heard talked about in other therapy animal interventions,” Chastain Griffin said.
“它们走进一个环境，人们会说，‘哇，有只系着绳的猫。发生了什么？’这在某种程度上激发了人们以一种我们在其他治疗动物干预中传统上没有听说过的方式建立联系。”查斯坦·格里芬说。
Besides dogs and cats, Pet Partners registers seven other species as therapy animals, including horses, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, birds, mini pigs, and llamas and alpacas.
除了狗和猫，Pet Partners还将另外七个物种注册为治疗动物，包括马、兔子、老鼠、豚鼠、鸟类、迷你猪、羊驼和羊马。
Mengel said Lola-Pearl showed signs that she would make a good therapy cat soon after the animal joined her family. Mengel took her new cat to a meeting for amputees.
门格尔表示，洛拉-珍珠在加入她家庭后很快显示出她将成为一只出色的治疗猫的迹象。门格尔带着她的新猫参加了一个截肢者的会议。
"She was so good with people I just knew she would be a good therapy cat. People really were attracted to her, too,” Mengel said.
“她对人们很好，我就知道她会成为一只出色的治疗猫。人们确实也被她吸引了，”门格尔说。
Recently, people who attended a support group for amputees were able to meet Lola-Pearl. They petted her as she woke up from a rest. On the side of the cat carrier she rode in was a sign: “Therapy Cat” it read.
最近，参加截肢者支持小组的人们得以见到了洛拉-珍珠。当她从休息中醒来时，他们抚摸着她。她坐在猫航箱的一侧有一个标志：“治疗猫”上面写着。
Mengel was a traveling nurse when she was in a car accident that almost killed her. One of her legs could not be saved.
门格尔在一次车祸中幸存，但当时是一名巡回护士。她的一条腿无法挽救。
Later, she connected with a friend in the state of Missouri who had a severely injured kitten. Her legs were twisted together. An animal medical specialist worked to repair the damage but, in the end, they had to remove one of the baby cat’s legs.
后来，她与密苏里州的一位朋友取得联系，这位朋友有一只严重
受伤的小猫。小猫的腿被扭在一起。一位动物医学专家努力修复了伤害，但最终不得不切除小猫的一条腿。
That kitten was Lola-Pearl.
那只小猫就是洛拉-珍珠。
Mengel took Lola-Pearl as her cat after talking with her friend. Despite the difficulties Mengel has faced, she is thankful for Lola-Pearl and their work together.
在与朋友交谈后，门格尔把洛拉-珍珠当成了她的猫。尽管门格尔面临着困境，但她对洛拉-珍珠和她们一起工作感到感激。
"It's a really rewarding experience," she said, "I get just as much out of it as the people that I visit."
“这是一次非常有回报的经历，”她说，“我从中获得的与我拜访的人一样多。”
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Words in This Story
therapy – n. the treatment of physical or mental illnesses
assess – v. to make a judgement about a person or a thing
tolerate – v. to permit something to happen; to be able to bear the results of something
impact – n. a powerful or major influence or effect
leash – n. a long, thin piece of rope, chain, etc., that is used for holding a dog or other animal
inspire – v. to make someone want to do something
amputee – n. a person who has had an arm or leg cut off
limb – n. a leg or arm
twisted — v. to bend or turn in order to change its shape
