Cats Are The Unsung Heroes Of Mental Health

By Renee Fabian

Linda Chassman’s first therapy cat, Norman, with Lily.

On a typical night, my brain races with anxiety, worried about everything from getting fired to being kicked out of therapy to whether or not my air conditioner will fall out of my window. For hours, I lie awake — until I feel two small, warm bodies cozy up next to me. My cats. As a sexual abuse survivor with PTSD, more often than not my mental health is somewhere between…