I need to pet a cat. A dog would do, in a pinch.

Hi there
You could always volunteer for the Mayhew Animal Home and Humane Education Centre or The Blue Cross. You'd get plenty of hands on experience. I sometimes temperament test Akitas at Battersea. You would not have to wait for a year to get hands on experience. Why not contact them directly and ask?
Regards
Robert

thank you for the info, Robert, I will probably be doing that, but in the meantime, I get to go visit friends and pet their cats.

I'm still laughing that I posted this. Aram's still looking at me like I'm mental.