A few weeks ago, Stitches was just another therapy cat starting a new gig at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP).
She still is, but now she’s also something of a celebrity.
Stitches, an 11-year-old calico and tabby mix, is the first cat to be a part of MSP’s Animal Ambassadors program, joining the 96 dogs who are already regulars at the airport.
Following her public debut last month (chronicled in this introductory video), she drew the attention of online and broadcast media outlets from around the country, and even in Finland.
All told, the Airport Foundation MSP, which operates the program, tracked stories from 42 media outlets.
“With other news being so heavy right now, a story about a fluffy little cat is nice,” said Nikki Christopher, Stitches’ owner. “It hasn’t gone totally to her head yet. But she does enjoy her paw-purr-razzi.”
Coverage has come from far and wide, including WCCO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles and TV stations in Houston, Fresno and Chicago. Travel & Leisure and Lonely Planet also put stories about Stitches online, along with MSN.
For travelers passing through MSP, the chance to see Stitches in person currently occurs on Fridays, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the north end of Terminal 1’s Airport Mall.
But plan ahead. There’s bound to be a crowd.