Taking Your Cat to Class: Expectation v.s. Reality

As a kid, I had a few misconceptions about life. I thought adults knew everything, songs on CDs were played live by the artist every time I listened to them, and that at some point in my life, I would have a show-and-tell or bring-your-pet-to-school day like the characters of my favorite TV shows seemed to have. All of these are so far from the truth.

And yet, I now live in a period of time where I can take my pets to class if I really want to - online, that is.

Being a college student during the COVID-19 pandemic means I have had to make a few adjustments (and still continue to) as I finish the rest of my semester. The biggest change is that I now live, work, and attend school at home. I am quickly realizing the extent to which my environment impacted my learning abilities. I also realize that College Meag is very different from Home Meag.

Typically, my day on campus would begin before 9am with a shower and cleaning my room, and it would usually contain so many responsibilities that I would barely have enough time for a trip to the on-campus Dunkin Donuts. Between classes, work at the Reading and Writing Center, clubs, homework, and meals with friends, I was busy from 9am until 9pm most days.

Now, my days start around 11am after a shower; I wear yoga pants or pajamas every day; I watch a lot of Netflix (College Meag probably would not have spent a whole day watching Tiger King); I am more sluggish and sleepy; and class does not excite me like it did weeks ago. My Mondays and Wednesdays are structured by one class, and my Tuesdays are structured by another class. I only work when I have appointments, which I have not yet had, and one of my clubs is starting to hold weekly executive board meetings. Aside from this, all of my school work is posted online for me to complete whenever I make time for it, so my responsibility is to do just that - make time for it. I spend weekends catching up on any assignments I procrastinate. It's is the worst combination of cyclical but not routine.

Oh and now my cat, Winston, likes to attend the few classes and meetings I have via Zoom.

Sometimes he sleeps on my bed or by my feet, but usually he enjoys climbing across my desk to look at the birds outside the window or sneaking into places he knows he shouldn’t be, like the trash.

On Tuesday, I had to discreetly throw balled-up sticky notes at him until he got down from a shelf above my bed while I was in class. I allow him in my room now, having learned through experience that this kitten will have his way in every argument. Last week, I locked the cat door to my room (because when you move out, your room becomes the cat food and litter box room) to keep him out during class, and he cried the whole time while throwing himself against my door. He even got help from one of the other house cats, Kapukie, who got in trouble for jumping at the doorknob to try to open it himself - which he is, in fact, capable of. I had to mute my audio, and eventually my video as well, to unlock the cat door and sort out that situation, before getting back to class.

When I first adopted Winston, I considered taking him to classes and clubs where peers asked me if I could bring him in. I quickly decided against it because (1) it is against policy because of how he is registered, and (2) he would be an absolute disaster. The thought still crossed my mind, though, when I had to leave him behind to go to class. He would give me sad eyes or cry in his cage, tugging at my cat-mom heart strings, but I never actually brought him with me anywhere.

Now, it is like he can sense when I am in class, and his revenge for all the times that I did not take him with me is to make it known that he is present in class now. Maybe some students don’t notice the ways Winston tests my patience while I am on camera, but he certainly makes for a more stressful situation on my end.

In this sense, he is doing the exact opposite of his job. He is creating distress instead of providing emotional support. I still love him - most of the time he is good at his job, especially when I am away at school. However, he chooses the worst times to act up. Typical kitten.

So, to my younger self, here is what I have learned in my twenty years of life:

First, adults have no clue what they are doing at least half of the time. I still look for the adult in the room when I am surrounded by kids. Alas, it is me sometimes. I am, in fact, an adult. Crazy.

Second, musicians don’t play their songs live every time you play their CD. They record their music, so you shouldn't feel bad about listening to music all the time, especially if it's your favorite Backstreet Boys album. You are not inconveniencing them; you're supporting them.

And, finally, there is a very good reason why most schools do not allow you to bring your pet to class. I can say from experience that it can be a distracting disaster, at times. This is especially true if class is in your bedroom.