Therapy Cat "Scooter" Bringing Comfort To Rehab Hospital

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Therapy Cat Day at Harmarville Rehabilitation Hospital is something residents look forward to.

Scooter brightens the day of patients who can relate to his special needs.

Veterinarian Betsy Kennon says Scooter was a six-month-old stray with a crushed vertebrae who had been hit by a car.

"We realized what a special cat he was. He liked people, would go up to anybody. He adapted to his cart really well," Kennon said.

The cart was specially made by a company which, up till then, had only made carts for dogs.

Scooter was featured in Readers Digest in 2010 and named the ASPCA Cat of the Year two years later.

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"I called here at Harmarville Rehab Hospital, and thought he would be a good therapy pet. They thought I was off my rocker, because he's a cat," Kennon said.

No one doubts him any more.

Scooter's affections are welcomed by Sharon Sullivan, who is nursing a painful leg injury.

"I just pushed the pain away just to see this cat. What you did with him is so awesome," she said.

Patients in wheelchairs have a special bond with a cat who has lived his life on wheels.

But, can a cat really be therapeutic? Ask longtime physical therapist Bob Totten.

"This cat will come up and you can just see the person light up.This cat has a way of touching a person's spirit that you just don't see. I don't think that a human being could do it," he said.