MSP Airport's Therapy Cat, Stitches, Is The Internet's New Favorite Feline
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is one of only two in the nation to tout among its staff members a therapy cat.
Amidst the hustle and the bustle at MSP, 11-year-old cat Stitches has become an unexpected calming source.
"I'm super happy that we finally got a cat so now I can come and decompress," employee Li McDowell said.
The 12-pound feline was rescued after a tornado in Hugo, and now she's the one saving others from stressful situations.
"She's wonderful. I've never seen such a calm collected cat," pilot Andrew Dean said.
No one was more excited, though, than new mother Becky Radous. She and her husband lost their own cat Whitman just last year. She got to remember her old cat, while also making a memory with her new son.
"It's a stress reliever, you miss them a lot during the holidays. And you always see dogs, you never see a cat," Radous said.
MSP Airport has had a therapy program for four years, and 96 dogs. But Stitches is the very first cat.
"We knew going into it that people would really love Stitches, what we didn't know is we would get media attention from around the world and that she would become this sensation," MSP Foundation director of travelers' assistance Laura Sartain said.
Stitches has clearly found her cat calling. She's already a social media sensation and airport staffers say the people have spoken. They anticipate we'll see more cats at MSP Airport in the near future.
You can find Stitches on the North side of Terminal 1 on Black Friday.
The only other airport with a therapy cat is Denver International Airport.