A little boy who is too anxious to talk has found his voice thanks to his pet cat.
Lorcan Dillon has selective mutism, an anxiety disorder which affects his confidence and makes it difficult for him to communicate.
But the seven-year-old’s life has been transformed by his furry friend, Jessi-Cat, a cream-coloured Birman.
His mother Jayne, 44, said: “Lorcan can find it very hard to express himself, yet he can be himself around Jessi-Cat and finds it very easy to talk to her.
“She is always interested in what he’s doing and that unconditional love she has for him has been a huge boost to his confidence.
“Lorcan is able to connect ‘love’ to Jessi-Cat, something he can’t do with people, and she’s been a great support to him when things have been really hard.”
Explaining the condition, Jayne said: “It is an anxiety disorder which means children can find it difficult or impossible to communicate verbally with adults usually, but any strangers and sometimes members of their own family.
“It was diagnosed when he started nursery school at three and a half.
"The staff were concerned because he would not speak and any of the adults and most of the children.
“The reason I got Jessi-Cat is because pets and cats in particular are very good with children with special needs and autism or anything like that.
“And it is a way for Lorcan to communicate. He does speak normally at home, he does not have selective mutism with us at all in the house but he does not express his emotions.
"He would not say ‘I love you mummy’. He just does not do it.
“But with the cat he can cuddle her, he can stroke her, he can talk to her and he does say ‘I love you Jessi-Cat’, which is really nice and it is a way for him to express emotions which otherwise he would not be able to do.”
Jayne, from Davyhulme, Greater Manchester, brought the cat to the family home when she was a kitten two years ago and has watched the bond with her son grow.
She said: “She is without a doubt the best friend a boy could have and has made a huge positive impact in his life.”
Jessi-Cat has now been nominated in the ‘best friends’ category of Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards 2012.
Kate Bunting, awards organiser, said: “We think all cats are special, but Jessi-Cat especially deserved a place in the final for showing what an incredible impact cats have on the lives of people of all ages.”
Selective mutism is thought to affect around 1 in 1,000 children and is commonly confused with autism.
Sufferers often have difficulty expressing their feelings but can have above average intelligence.