Cat Graduating From Vermont State University Should Inspire Students Everywhere
Ashley Dow of Castleton, Vermont should be super prod of her rescue cat named Max, because Max will be receiving an honorary degree this weekend from Vermont State University.
Max lives a few steps from the campus but during the school year he loves greeting students and faculty alike.
WCAX reports, "Vermont State University recently posted on their Facebook page that the feline is receiving his doctorate in “litter-ature.” Faculty members say on top of his pseudo-studies, Max is a big help to students, especially during a busy week of finals.."
The sad part about this story? When the school year comes to a close and the staff and students head off campus Max gets sad! The above article reports, "As the school year nears its end and university students head home for the summer, Max is bracing for a confusing time. Ashley Dow says breaks can confound the feline and throw him off his normal self.“He’ll go looking and then come back, kind of disappointed, kind of sad, and he’ll stick around the house more. But it’s like he forgot they came back in the spring after one of the breaks and he really hasn’t gone back up,” she said."
Way to go on your degree, Max! Your owners must be very proud!
How Therapy Pets Help Students
Animals provide so much comfort.
Africa Studio/Shutterstock
A lot of college campuses have resident cats or dogs and sometimes these pets are therapy animals and sometimes, usually with cats, they are just strays who wandered onto campus and never left.
Penn Today reports that Lauren Powell, a postdoc at the School of Veterinary Medicine. “Studies show students generally feel less stressed after interacting with a therapy dog.”
Therapy dogs can also help students achieve a stronger sense of belonging and better deal with being homesick while lessening their anxiety. According to Powell, some of this can be explained by how human bodies respond to pleasant interactions with therapy animals.
“When we interact with dogs, we typically find our heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels decrease, and our oxytocin levels often increase,” she says.
Therapy animals show unconditional love and support to students and can help them relax during stressful times like finals. Spending time with a cat or dog may also help a student feel less homesick.
Max should be so proud of himself for getting his degree!
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