Imagine yourself in a room writing a ten page paper the day before the assignment is due. This is stressful. To ease this burden, imagine a cat nuzzling up against your ankles. Beside you, you would usually have a boring arm rest, but instead, you are able to stroke the vibrating fur of a sleeping kitten as it purrs. That ten page paper would be done in an instant as you sat there with kittens giving you warm fuzzies in your stomach.

Last week, I wrote a news article covering an idea from Barbara Byer, an Administrative Assistant in the School of Sciences, Engineering, Art, and Nursing, about cats roaming around in a place where students can study on campus. This could be a great stress reliever for many students, including myself. In the scenario above, I hope that you were somewhat relaxed by the thought of cats nearby. This is what I imagine the space would be like. 

Pets are known to relieve stress, which is a huge plus for students if they are on campus. The scenario above may not be far-fetched. It is possible that we would see this on campus at some point in the future as long as the administration approves it. 

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons that administration would turn down this proposal first. Some cats are friendly, but others are known for being somewhat temperamental. If anyone has tried to pet the calico that routinely hangs around campus, you know this. She will allow you to pet her for a time, then, seemingly without warning, she will lash out at you. This is one of the issues the administration could bring up‚ and I’m not a lawyer, so I don’t know what the legal ramifications would ensue if someone needed medical attention from an infected cat bite.

Next, while the cats that would be on campus would be kittens, some are still allergic to them. Given, allergic reactions are milder with kittens because many people are allergic to the dander that is more prominent in cats that have passed the kitten phase. Even so, if someone is allergic to cats and someone brings a bunch of cat hair into a classroom environment, this person could be forced to leave the classroom in an extreme circumstance. Yes, some commuters have probably tracked animal hair on their clothes, but this does bring up a potential academic issue. 

All things considered, I don’t believe the above two reasons would be enough for kittens to be banned from being in a room on campus unless there is some legal matter I am unaware of. If you want to see Byer’s vision come to fruition, there’s not much you can do right now. The best thing you can do is wait and watch to see where this idea goes.