Purr-fect yoga experience in Ballarat

DOWNWARD dogs met curious kittens when yoga mats were rolled out for a feel-good fundraiser that blended mindfulness with animal welfare in Ballarat.

Twenty kittens from the city’s animal shelter padded their way through a special session at Eastside Yoga last week, raising money and awareness for both human wellbeing and feline care.

The event raised $550 through ticket sales, with an additional $150 donated by the Harris family to support cat and kitten welfare in the Ballarat region. Donations of cat food and other supplies were also collected.

Relaxation is promoted as a major benefit of kitten yoga.

Yoga teacher Cassandra O’Mara said the idea was sparked after she discovered a litter of kittens near her home.

“I was lying awake in the nighttime wondering what extra I could do to help cats get homes and to educate people more about getting cats desexed,” she said.

Ms O’Mara researched kitten yoga, and reached out to the Ballarat Animal Shelter to work together on the event.

She said the session led to adoption enquiries and added an extra layer of joy to the yoga experience.

“There was lots of laughing, lots of smiles on faces, lots of ‘Oh, how cute’,” Ms O’Mara said.

Some of the kittens appeared to attempt the yoga moves themselves, she said.

A City of Ballarat spokesperson said the event came about as a new way for the shelter to increase engagement with the community, which has been identified as a key goal in the council’s new domestic animal management plan.

“The mission of the domestic animal management plan is to create a better life for all animals in our community, and this activity helps achieve that,” they said.

“The event was extremely popular and was booked out shortly after it was initially promoted.”