Buddy, the "cancer-killing" cat, is special - just ask his patients.

The feline is the latest weapon in the fight against cancer, as the star of an audio tape titled BUDDY TARGETS CANCER. The tape features the vocal talents of the "mew-on-cue" chocolate-point Siamese introduced by his owner, psychologist Maureen Burke.

On the 30-minute "relaxation and visualisation" tape, Dr Burke asks patients to imagine Buddy destroying the "vermin" or cancer cells within their body.

Dr Burke, University of Queensland's Director of Student Support Services, conducted a study of 12 cancer patients who had used the tape and presented her findings at the European Congress of Psychology in London. She said patients reported feeling better after a dose of Buddy. "It's about being in control, about being more assertive and participating in your own recovery. It's so important to believe you can recover," she said.

"On the tape, I tell people to imagine Buddy going after the vermin and killing it. They are asked to visualise the treatment they are receiving like chemotherapy or radiotherapy and then imagine their white blood cells coming in and finishing off the job. I say that Buddy goes about killing the vermin methodically, with consistency and that he wants to kill it because he doesn't like what it is doing to their body."

"Whether or not it alters their prognosis we don't know but, if it makes people feel better and helps with the stress of coping with the disease, then that can only be a good thing."

Dr Burke said she was inspired to share the healing powers of Buddy after the death of her husband from bone cancer in 1995.

"Buddy was there to greet me when I went home, demand attention and generally adore me. It was unconditional love."