This US airport hires a cat to sooth anxious passengers

The Wag Brigade, initially launched by the California airport in 2013, aims to bring trained animals to the airports to help sooth anxious travellers.

In a bizarre event, a cat has been appointed as an official at US' San Francisco International Airport to calm nervous flyers, according to a report by The Independent (article beyond paywall).

The airport took to Twitter to announce the appointment of the 14-year-old black and white cat, Duke Ellington Morris, to the "Wag Brigade" along with the its snap wearing a tiny pilot’s hat and shirt collar. "Purrlease welcome our newest Wag Brigade member, Duke Ellington Morris!" the caption read.

The Wag Brigade, initially launched by the California airport in 2013, aims to "bring trained animals to the airports to help sooth anxious travellers," the report added.

Earlier, the program was limited to dogs, but over time it has been expanded to include other trained animals including cats, rabbits, and even the "world’s first therapy pig", LilLou, the report added.

The San Francisco SPCA certifies animals who successfully complete its Animal Assisted Therapy (ATT) course and are then chosen for their temperament and behaviour

According to the report, the cat was rescued in 2010 from a feral cat colony. He was adopted by a five-year-old girl and her mother who got it certified as a therapy animal.

However, it’s not the first time that animals have been engaged at airports to improve passengers' moods. In 2017, Cincinnati/Northern Ohio Airport introduced therapy miniature horses in a bid to calm down stressed travellers passing through its doors, the report added.