As summer travel approaches its peak, the San Francisco International Airport has introduced a new feline staff to ease the worries of traveling.
Meet Duke, the airport cat for anxiety relief, who's paw-sitively passionate about providing comfort and calm to fatigued flyers.
As the latest addition to the SFO's innovative "Wag Brigade" program, Duke is dedicated to offering cat therapy to travelers in need.
The SFO Wag Brigade is a team of therapy animals that the SFO has enlisted to make passengers' travel more enjoyable.
The team started on December 3, 2013, with a number of trained dogs only. Later on, a rabbit named Alex joined, and three years later, Lilou, a Juliana breed pig, joined the team.
These animals have been carefully selected for their temperament and airport suitability.
To identify them from other animals, they wear a vest with the inscription, "Pet me!"
Recently, the Brigade team welcomed its newest member, a cat named Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington provided cat therapy and comfort to passengers.
Although Duke is a new member of the Wag Brigade, he's not new to being a therapy cat; this is just his latest gig.
In the words of the organization that hired the cute little kitty, Duke was "discovered starving in a San Francisco feral cat colony."
However, Duke's life changed for the better after a short stay at SF Animal Care and Control and making a new friend.
"Since then, Duke has been certified as an animal therapist, helping humans of all ages deal with stress, illness, hardship, and putting smiles on their faces when they need it most," WAG Brigade wrote.
The feline, now 14 years old, has been a certified therapy animal for a decade, spreading joy and now lending his expertise to SFO.
Duke's owner, Jen Morris, recounted his background story. Duke, a feral cat found in San Francisco, was adopted by her in 2010 at just one year old.
Morris obtained therapy cat certification for him due to his calm nature, and since then, he has been helping patients at various hospitals.
"Duke used to go to UCSF for visits at the ICU. They would wheel him in on a cart and people who wanted to pet him got approval from their doctors. They would give him a nice scratch underneath the chin,” Morris said in an interview with SFGate.com.
Duke now keeps watch over the terminal in his cute little pilot outfit, greeting passengers with cuddles and purr-fect stress relief as they prepare to board their flight.
"Duke helps humans of all ages deal with stress, illness, hardship and putting smiles on their faces when they need it the most," SFO Wag Brigade wrote about Duke.
It's a mutual system: He helps lower the blood pressure of busy travelers while he gets a lot of pets.
As travelers and tourists alike navigate the hustle and bustle of the airport, cat therapy has become a purr-fect remedy for stress and anxiety.
Duke Wellington, a certified cat for anxiety, delivers comfort and helps ease travelers' stress through cat therapy.
So next time you're passing through SFO, be sure to stop by and say hello to Mr Duke for a stress-free ride.