Walking around the Woodlane Falmouth campus, you can find many sub-tropical plants and eco-friendly adjustments to the landscape of the building. This calming environment is the home to many students who are found chilling out and working around the campus. However, amongst the hustle and chatter, you may find a certain furry animal, lying nonchalantly in the centre of the courtyard.
Monty the cat is a regular visitor, particularly at busy lunchtimes. The friendly Ragdoll is seen interacting with the students, with smiles on everyone’s faces; a very receptive and chilled cat. The general idea is that this cat likes the company of people, and is on campus specifically at busier times.
Victoria Fox went for a chat with university students to find out how they feel about having the cat on campus.
In conversation with a group of students, we found that many had their own beloved pets that they left behind when they moved to university, so it felt comforting having cats on campus.
The students also said that they ‘love it, seeing him around’ and ‘adore’ him and actively try to look for him to see if he’s about.
Having animals on university campuses can be great for neurodiverse students, because of sensory or processing issues. Being prone to burnout and stress is also common in these types of working environments, so having healthy distractions is a great way to focus on something positive or relaxing.
Petting animals has also been shown to lower blood pressure. A recent study at the State University of New York at Buffalo found that stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a dog or cat over 6 months had a lower blood pressure level than those without the aid of an animal. The trial had two groups of people, one group with a cat or a dog and one group without, with both groups prescribed an anti-hypertension drug. Over the 6 months, those without a pet had results that continued to rise in stressful environments, yet those with a pet had blood pressure results half the amount, and were classed as within a healthy average range.
The results overall showed that pet ownership is a strong way to control stress-induced rises in blood pressure throughout the day as opposed than medication. The theory is that for those who have a limited support system, having a safe environment with a non-judgmental companion helps, knowing that you have someone on your side.
Diving deeper into the psychology, it’s found that those around cats or dogs have elevated levels of serotonin and dopamine through play and interaction, having a calming, relaxing effect. As humans, we have a basic need for touch, therefore the act of petting and stroking has therapeutic benefits.
According to AdinaABA, pet therapy or animal-assisted therapy is a great way to ‘foster connections’ and help with ‘growth and development’. For those with autism, pet therapy can be calming and supportive and is a great way to reduce anxiety.
There are also well-known trials with cats being introduced into US prisons as part of a ‘shared recovery’ which promotes self-esteem and positive thinking and positive behaviour. Also, the therapeutic benefits of looking after and petting the animals have shown to rapidly calm and soothe, as well as reduce loneliness.
Is this ethical? It’s difficult to get an interview from the cats themselves, due to their lack of communication and unfortunately they cannot speak our language. However, given that Monty is a regular in the cafe, surely means he feels calm and ease in the university environment.
Whether having therapeutic animals is something which the university should take upon itself to have their own pets around the campus is something which needs to be discussed. Comment below and check out our recent Monty Video on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/eHOteYKhj08?si=S7_3R2I_yVaL0Ete