Vermont's First Certified Therapy Cat Is a Maine Coon (And He's Never Jumped Off a Lap)

Therapy dogs, meet your competition.

Toby, a 16-month-old Maine Coon from Waterbury Center, Vermont, recently became the state's first nationally certified therapy cat. And according to his human, Lisa Lovelette, he's kind of perfect at it. "Toby is an awesome therapy cat who fits beautifully on the lap of any elder who wishes to visit with him. He has not once tried to jump off a lap in nearly 100 hours of visits," Lovelette told The Waterbury Roundabout.

Let that sink in. One hundred hours. Zero lap escapes.

For anyone who's ever owned a cat, that stat alone is borderline miraculous. But it also highlights something important: not every cat can do this work. Toby went through the Love on a Leash certification program, which requires an $80 membership fee plus veterinary evaluation costs, and all therapy teams work on a volunteer basis. The real cost? Time, training, and temperament.

**Why Maine Coons make great therapy cats**

Maine Coons aren't just big and fluffy. They're known for being calm, social, and surprisingly trainable—all traits that matter when you're asking a cat to sit still in a nursing home or hospital. Before Toby arrived, Woodridge Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Berlin, Vermont, had only worked with therapy dogs. Not everyone is a dog person, staff noted, and Toby's presence expanded what residents thought was possible.

That's the quiet revolution here. Therapy animals have been dominated by dogs for decades, and for good reason—they're eager to please, easy to train, and love strangers. But cats? Cats have a reputation for being aloof, unpredictable, and generally uninterested in your emotional needs. Toby (and a growing number of therapy cats) are proving that's not the whole story.

**What this means for breeders and buyers**

If you're a Maine Coon breeder, stories like Toby's are a reminder that temperament matters just as much as coat quality or conformation. Therapy work requires cats that are confident, social from kittenhood, and comfortable in new environments. That doesn't happen by accident. It's the result of early socialization, responsible breeding practices, and selecting for personality alongside physical traits.

For buyers, this is a green flag to look for. If a breeder is raising kittens underfoot, handling them daily, and exposing them to new people and experiences early on, you're more likely to end up with a cat that's adaptable and people-oriented—whether or not you're planning therapy work. Those are the same traits that make a great family pet.

Lovelette hopes Toby's story inspires others to pursue therapy cat certification, and she's ready to mentor prospective teams. "I hope it generates interest to the point where just one person decides to take the journey," she said.

**The bigger picture**

Therapy cats are still rare compared to therapy dogs, but they're carving out a niche—especially in settings where a quieter, less excitable presence is needed. Nursing homes, libraries, hospitals, and even college campuses are starting to see the value.

And let's be honest: there's something inherently calming about a 20-pound Maine Coon purring on your lap. It's hard to stay stressed when you're petting a cat that looks like a small lion but acts like a teddy bear.

Toby's story also quietly reinforces something we talk about a lot at GoodCattery: where your cat comes from matters. Cats bred and raised in healthy, social environments by people who care about temperament are more likely to thrive in roles like this. It's not just about papers or pedigree. It's about whether the breeder is setting kittens up for success in the real world.

So here's to Toby, the lap-sitting champion of Vermont. And here's to the idea that therapy animals don't all have to bark.