DURHAM — After a serious car accident left her with permanent spine damage and unable to walk for a year, former Bowmanville native Cheryl Metcalfe struggled with severe PTSD and depression. It wasn’t until her niece, Dawn Taylor, brought her two unlikely remedies that she found happiness again.
Their names are Bunny and Minnie — and they’re cats.
Metcalfe’s love for her cats inspired her to become a breeder. After doing some research, she decided the mild-tempered Maine coon was ideal for her calm lifestyle.
While her cats helped her cope, her doctor took Metcalfe’s mental health care a step further after she confided in him that her cats stopped her from a suicide attempt. He wrote Metcalfe a letter designating one of her Maine coons, Gemini, as an emotional support animal (ESA).
“They give you a reason to wake up because you know you have to take care of them,” Metcalfe explains. "Those cats saved my life.”
In Canada, ESAs are designated by certified mental health professionals if they feel a patient will benefit from them. An ESA can be any animal, including a household pet, and does not require any training.
However, this doesn’t stop the misconception that all therapy animals wear vests.
“I’ve had hotels try to stop me, but I produced my letter and they had to let me in,” she says. “A lot of hotels don’t know therapy cats are a thing.”
Recently, Metcalfe has began selling her cats for ESA purposes. She says she has adopted out approximately five cats into homes with special needs children and people with emotional struggles.
Lori Ashton became friends with Metcalfe after coming to her to get a cat as a companion when her father died.
"The support the cat gave me at the time I lost my dad was very helpful,” says Ashton.
However, the cat, Gibby, had an unsuspected impact on her teenage son, Jacob, who struggles with anger issues.
“My son, who’s 16 fell in love with her,” says Ashton. “Instead of being angry all the time, Gibby just chills out in his room and helps him calm down.”
Lori adds therapy cats offer unique benefits as they focus on providing “at home comfort.”
Metcalfe’s cats are in such high demand she has a waiting list of approximately one year. However, she says she won’t place a kitten unless she talks to the person and feels they’re a good fit.
“There’s so much involved, this is why people need to talk to breeders,” she says.
Today, Metcalfe lives in Omemee in Kawartha Lakes and still deals with the physical impact of her car accident. However, she continues to breed cats and says she hopes her story will educate the public about the importance of feline therapy.
“I do it all for the love of the cats,” she says.
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