Health and Wellness has a new kitten, and for students on campus, it’s more than just a cute face.
While taking a drive recently, Amber Mish, Director of Health and Wellness Services at Williston, found a small kitten in the middle of the road. Mish said she initially mistook it for a turtle. After rescuing it, however, she welcomed it into her family and named it Oatmeal. Already in the few weeks it’s been coming to work with her, the two-month-old Siamese kitten has already made an impression on Williston students and faculty.
Oatmeal joins Tubby, the kitten Mish adopted during the 2023-2024 school year. Williston students would flock around him last year and come during their free periods to play with him. When students spent time in Health and Wellness, Tubby would play a huge role in comforting students not only through their health troubles, but also through combatting homesickness.
Tessa Legere, a senior boarder from Washington, D.C., was a fan of Tubby’s last year, and is a current fan of Oatmeal.
“I would go to Health if I left lunch early or during my free blocks to see Tubby,” said Tessa. “I think being around kittens naturally brings people happiness. It makes Health and Wellness a little more comfortable to have that happy presence.”
Tessa notes that the kitten made her “So happy.”
Sophie Toole is a junior boarder from Nantucket, Massachusetts. Sophie spent a lot of time last year with Tubby, and is excited to hang out with Oatmeal, too.
“Last year, every time I saw Tubby was when I had a bad day, and when I saw him, I would feel better,” she said. “I like having a pet to visit, and it’s like he’s my pet as well. It makes me think of home.”
Sophie said the simple act of having kittens on campus makes her “a lot more motivated to go to Health.”
Mish believes that a variety of animals are important to campus life and the mental health of the student body.
“Faculty pets are incredibly helpful for many students, especially those who find it easier to connect with animals than people,” she said.
She takes note of the rate of student appearance in Health and Wellness, and of an interesting side effect Tubby and, hopefully, Oatmeal will have.
“We have seen [people’s] compliance with taking their medication [go] up when they know the cat is here.”
The National Library of Medicine conducted a study done on the mental benefits of university students spending time with a dog. The study’s results indicates that, “those who directly interacted with a dog experienced a greater decline in anxiety and improved mood scores.”
