Can you believe it? There is a cat appearing in the crowded airport, and this cat is actually a serious "staff member"! Although it sounds incredible, it is indeed a real thing. Today Xiao Wang will talk to you about Xeli, a cat soother who works at the airport.
For business people who often fly around in the sky, the stress and anxiety are far greater than ordinary people. Therefore, some airports have specially prepared some "healing animals" in the waiting room for these "flying people" who have been in a state of fatigue for a long time to relax and decompress.
There is such a volunteer organization at Denver International Airport in the United States called the "Canine Airport Therapy Squad" (CATS).
There are more than 75 certified therapy dogs of more than 40 breeds in this team. They work in two-hour shifts every day to accompany passengers while they wait for the long flight.
Although the abbreviation of this volunteer group is "CATS", the only members of the organization are dogs, which seems a bit unworthy of the name. So, in September 2017, the first “cat comforter” made her debut at Denver Airport!
The long-awaited cat therapist is named "Xeli", a sweet-looking and adorable tabby cat. Like other canine comforters, Xeli wears the uniform of the CATS volunteer group with the words "Pet Me" printed on it. When Xeli is on duty, whenever a passenger sees it, they will take the initiative to take a photo with it and give Xeli a hug and lift her up.
In addition to business travelers, Xeli is most popular among children. Many children are flying for the first time and are inevitably a little curious and excited, so much so that they like to run and play around in the airport. But as soon as these children see Xeli, they are immediately attracted to her, and instead of playing and shouting, they pet Xeli quietly, which makes the parents who are helpless about their children very happy.
Xeli is also very patient with children and is a natural coaxer.
Since taking up the position, Xeli has not received a single complaint from passengers. On the contrary, many passengers still miss Xeli after interacting with it. Everyone will leave messages on Denver Airport's Twitter: Xeli is so cute; I miss Xeli very much; I can't wait to go on another trip so that I can see Xeli again...
So much so that most of the content posted on Denver Airport's Twitter is about Xeli, and the style of painting is very strange!
There are many passengers who can't stop once they seize the opportunity to take photos with Xeli. They used to complain about why the waiting time for the flight was so long, but now they are complaining again: Why is my plane about to leave before I have enough fun with Xeli? Can I change my sign-in to the next class?
In order not to delay the normal flight of passengers, Denver Airport had to change Xeli's working time from two hours to one hour. After all, "little petting" is pleasurable, and "big petting" can easily delay business...
Perhaps Denver Airport and the CATS organization did not expect at first that the appearance of a cat could trigger a cat-loving effect that shocked the world. Therefore, after Xeli, many "cat therapists" and "cat comforters" have appeared in several other airports around the world. Their job responsibilities are to relieve passengers' anxiety and relieve their mood.
Today, Xeli is still serving everyone conscientiously in its job. People can also see that Xeli loves its job very much. It is willing to use its little power to help mankind without asking for anything in return.
For a long time, many people have been skeptical about whether cats can be qualified as "healers". However, after a series of verifications, it is an indisputable fact that cats can completely heal humans. In the future, we hope that more airports and even more public service places can arrange healing kittens like Xeli to serve everyone and bring more love and warmth to humans!