Spending time with an emotional support cat can help people relax and manage stress. — Photos: 123rf
Ruby O'Dair walks into her dorm room, where posters of Korean pop artists decorate the walls.
Her cat, Pepito, runs up to her, rubbing against her leg to greet her.
Then, he scampers off underneath her bed.
O'Dair, a sophomore at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, the United States, has had Pepito, an 11-year-old, black-and-white indoor cat with greenish-yellow eyes, with her since around December.
"He helps reduce my anxiety, and he helps with my disability," said O’Dair, as she sits on the hardwood floor in her small dorm room.
It's becoming increasingly common to see emotional support animals on college campuses. Most colleges and universities across the Pioneer Valley allow them.
And interest in having an animal on campus continues to grow, especially among incoming students, said Tynisha Henderson-Mitchell, director of student accessibility services at Western New England University (WNEU) in Springfield in Massachusetts.
Henderson-Mitchell joined the university in 2020 after having more than two decades of experience in education and accessibility.
"If anything, I think there is an increase in the number of people talking about it - there is a shift in diagnosis and more conversations about emotional support animals," she said.
Some schools even allow pets, like the Springfield university and the state’s flagship campus, the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Animal support provides comfort, reduces stress, and improves emotional well-being. - Photo:123rf
Easing anxiety
Service animals and emotional support animals each have their own policies at the school, according to Lisa Page, accommodations coordinator for Smith College's Accessibility Resource Center.
Close to 100 students at Smith College have an emotional support animal - which is distinct from having a service animal, Page said. With the exception of two, all residential buildings at Smith College accept emotional support animals, the college's Residential Life office said.
Students who would like to bring an emotional support animal to school have to go through the center to get approval, said Page. The animals cannot go to classes or other activities outside of the student's dorm room with the student.
"If I want to go outside with him, he needs to be contained in a carrier," said O'Dair.
On the other hand, service animals don’t need approval, per federal laws, but they go through a different procedure.
Cats are the most commonly kept animal at Smith College, Page said. Other small, domesticated animals - like dogs, birds, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, other rodents, fish and turtles - are also allowed as emotional support animals, per state and federal guidelines, she said.
O'Dair, who is originally from Texas, said the school's Accessibility Resource Center was very responsive to her bringing Pepito to school.
The process was rushed, she said, because of a missed deadline to apply to bring Pepito to school. However, O'Dair said the school was willing to work with her through the process, which she said was straightforward.
Since having him on campus, O'Dair said Pepito helps her manage her anxiety. For example, he's helped firm up her daily routines.
"I wake up at around 6 or 7am to feed him breakfast before I get started with my day," she said. “He's very vocal... he’s kind of like my stress ball." He crouches in front of her, and she gives him a hug.
He also provides comfort to her friends when they visit.
"It's like he senses when we're stressed or going through a hard time," she said.
Pets help people feel calm and less lonely.- Photo:123rfStress relievers
Elif Ozdemir, a graduate student at WNEU, said her one-and-a-half-year-old Pomeranian named Oz, relieves her anxiety and reduces her homesickness.
Ozdemir is originally from Turkey. She first came to the US earlier this year.
"My anxiety increased without having him here," she said, while giving Oz commands in Turkish.
"Sit," she said, translating to English. He sits. She feeds Oz diced carrots and shrimp from a red canister.
Ozdemir said she does online therapy once a week to manage her anxiety, but said Oz helps her even if she doesn't know she's having a tough time.
"I focus better with him here, and he makes my life better, more organised," she said.
Henderson-Mitchell said at the university, students with emotional support animals will meet with her office to make sure the animal is safe to be on campus.
"We also get to know the student and get a letter from the veterinarian to make sure (the animals) are vaccinated," she said.
She said she doesn't know how many service animals are on campus, because students aren't required to get approved by her office.
"Service animals are working animals," she said. "They provide a service, and we can't deny students access to the animals, per federal laws."
Dogs are the most common service animal, though laws permit - in rare occasions - a miniature horse, as well.
Linda Holeman, a junior at Springfield's only university, said her service dog, Daisy, helps her cope with a recent health diagnosis.
Daisy is a beagle-dachshund mix. She wears a bright pink vest that notifies passersby that she is a service dog. The vest includes an attachment for Holeman to keep her medications.
"She can sense when I need to take my medications or how I am feeling," said Holeman, a criminal justice major and psychology minor.
Holeman first started training Daisy in high school for a final project. Her interest in teaching her dog how to help her then evolved when she required her dog’s services in college.
"She not only provides comfort to me but to other students, as well," Holeman said. "My teachers even refer me as Daisy's mom, not Linda." - By NAMU SAMPATH/Masslive.com/Tribune News Service
