Blue Barry isn’t a licensed therapy cat, but he might as well be because the friendly feline who greets visitors at Community Helping Place just seems to have a way with people.
As if to demonstrate, the grey and white tabby flops over on the front desk, nuzzles forward and waits for a petting during The Nugget’s visit to his Community Helping Place home last Thursday.
He’s ready for his interview.
“He does that with everybody,” CHP Executive Director Melissa Line said. “Everybody. Old people, young people, babies, 14 foster kids at one time.”
It’s these people-skills that seem to have made Blue Barry the most popular employee at the local non-profit social service organization.
“He just loves everybody,” said Line. “And as you can see, he has his run of the place.”
That place is the upstairs office of CHP’s current Rock House Road headquarters. It’s been Blue Barry’s full-time home since 2022, when he originally came to CHP with a much different role in mind. Namely, he was needed for rodent control in the aging building where mice were making themselves at home.
“I had contacted [Lumpkin County Animal Services Manager] Wayne Marshall and I said ‘Hey do you guys have a cat that’s like a killer that we can bring over here and get rid of all these mice?’” Line recalled.
She initially thought that they would just adopt a kitten and name it Chip, for CHP. But then, a couple of weeks later, Marshall responded by sending a picture of their future fuzzy coworker.
It was love at first text.
“He sends me this beautiful picture of Blue Barry and he said he’s a favorite at the shelter and he loves to play and hunt,” said Line. “And we were like, that’s the cat.”
Sure enough, Blue Barry easily made himself at home at the office. And his mere presence seemed to chase away the rodents. But Line quickly noticed he was much more than a mouser.
“Right away he would sit up here on my desk and just watch me work,” she said. “And I was like ‘This cat is so personal.’ … Within three or four days he was everybody’s lap cat, everybody’s best friend.” Blue Barry also has a spot in everyone’s office as he visits with the staff throughout the day.
But it’s not just the employees who get special attention.
“We would have clients come in and they’re torn up and crying,” said Line. “And they would sit out in the lobby and he goes in there and sits on their lap … So many have come in for therapy and counseling and if someone is crying, that cat is with them.”
The team at CHP is here to help local folks in their time of need. And when it comes to fulfilling that mission, Blue Barry seems to be all in.
“They’re having hardships,” Line said. “And that cat is like ‘This is why I’m here.’ It’s the craziest thing.”
In other words, when it comes to therapy, Blue Barry is pretty much the perfect purring professional. No license required.
“We’ve got a therapy cat,” said Line with a smile. “And we didn’t even sign up for one.”
Check out many more pet stories in this week’s special section “Dog Days of Dahlonega” inside the July 22 print edition or on the E-edition.