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'My emotional support cat has transformed my life'

Sarah-May Buccieri
BBC News
Family handout A boy with short dark hair and black rimmed glasses sat on a chair cuddling a black cat, which has a harness around it with the words 'emotional support' on it. The boy is wearing a grey T-shirt and sat against a wall inside.Family handout
Jack, who has autism and heart issues, says Cat Noir makes him feel safer

A 12-year-old boy with autism and heart issues says his emotional support cat has "transformed his life".

Jack, from Alford in Lincolnshire, said life before his feline friend, named Cat Noir, was difficult and "scary", but he now enjoyed taking him to hospital appointments, shops and restaurants.

"As soon as we got him, everything changed," he said. "He made everything easier."

Jack's mum, Emma, said the animal had "opened doors" for her son and wanted emotional support cats to become more accepted in public places.

Family handout A boy sat in a hospital corridor with a cat on the floor by his feet. The cat is black and has a blue lead. Family handout
Cat Noir often attends hospital appointments with Jack

Jack was diagnosed with complete heart block and was fitted with a pacemaker just before his fourth birthday. When he was nine, he was diagnosed with autism.

He found going out in public difficult but that changed with Cat Noir by his side.

Emma said her son's confidence has "skyrocketed".

"He's gone in places he never would have before," she said.

Jack and his family use a letter signed by a doctor to prove Cat Noir's role.

They check whether places are cat friendly before showing the documentation if needed.

"We have had one or two setbacks, one or two places which say no," said Ken, Jack's grandad.

"But the vast majority are so supportive."

A woman with light brown shoulder-length hair wearing a floral blouse and silver-rimmed glasses looking into the camera.
Jack's mum, Emma, says Cat Noir has given her son independence

According to the family they were recently asked to leave a pub and were told if the cat was a dog, they could have stayed.

Emma believes cats can be just as beneficial to neurodivergent children and wants them to become as accepted as other assistant animals, such as dogs.

"Emotional support cats are a bit of a grey area," she said.

"But if they are helping people's mental health then surely it's just as important as helping people's physical health.

"There must be so many people out there who could benefit the way my son has."

The family are now looking forward to taking Cat Noir on a boating holiday to the Norfolk Broads later in the year.

"Apparently, they haven't got a cat-sized life jacket, so we'll have to be careful," Emma laughed.

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