Abner the cat lends a paw at a retirement home

Name: Abner the cat lends a paw at a retirement home
Uploaded: 2018-10-30T02:49:45Z
Duration: 2 min 31 s
Description: At Bayview Retirement Community in Seattle, the therapy animal isn't a dog. He is Abner, an Abyssinian cat who likes everyone he meets.

At Bayview Retirement Community in Seattle, the therapy animal isn't a dog. He is Abner, an Abyssinian cat who likes everyone he meets. more

That makes him a little unusual. Most therapy pets are dogs, though cats, guinea pigs and even fish do the same work. Bayview sits in the Queen Anne district of Seattle, and Abner lives there with the residents.

He has a brownish-gold coat, green eyes and a personality all his own. His calm nature is what makes him right for a home where he lives with the people he helps.

An Abyssinian cat with brownish-gold coat sits indoors, surrounded by home decor items. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third. — At Bayview Retirement Community in Seattle, the therapy animal isn't a dog.

Residents reach out to pet him, and he lets them. Petting an animal is said to lower blood pressure and release serotonin, a chemical that helps people feel good. Abner's side of the deal is simpler. He stays calm, and he stays put.

An elderly man gently holds and pets a small animal wearing a leopard-print harness. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third. — An older man gets his turn to hold and pet.

That calm is the point. Abner helps the residents feel present and grounded, and he brings a little peace to whatever room he is in.

Lynn Arntuffus, Bayview's activity director, calls him a rockstar among pet therapy cats. His act is easy to describe. He spends time with whoever is there, and he seems to mean it.