Express all your felines

Cats have sauntered into therapy rooms. They're assisting in sessions and getting even tough clients to open up. But don't swap them for dogs yet. Here's why

- By Christalle Fernandes [e-mail]

Kitties rule the internet. Some are Reels stars. Some in Sydney and Istanbul have their own Google pins. Some make more money as influencers than humans. All cat content is good cat content (except, the 2019 musical, apparently).

Naturally, mental-health counsellors are hoping their magic will work in therapy too. They're letting cats in, claws and all, to sessions. “Cats have been adopted by special-needs schools and centres, and have become a fixture of their programmes,” says Minal Kavishwar, founder of the NGO Animal Angels Foundation, and Animal Angels Therapy Center. They're tiny, they keep themselves clean, they need less space and resources than dogs, they're not as loud either. But doggos, your jobs are safe, say animal behaviourists and mental health practitioners. Here's why.

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