My local rescue has a program called Book Buddies where kids read to sheltered cats to keep them from being lonely.
That’s beautiful.
It’s really great for the kids too. Kids learning to read, especially ones who are struggling, benefit from a nonjudgmental audience as much as they benefit from the physical practice of reading. A few states out west do it, I think. No lurking parents or teachers. No one correcting their attempts. They just read at their pace and figure it out. Happy cat and happy learning kid. It’s s great program. They ought to make it an option for everyone.