Rescued kittens help students de-stress

Leandra Fiennes takes time out from her university studies to play with a kitten.  PHOTO: STEPHEN...
Leandra Fiennes takes time out from her university studies to play with a kitten. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
Students descended upon kittens in droves yesterday for the fifth edition of the ''kitten room''.

The idea was conceived after Otago University Students' Association welfare officer Payal Ramritu learned of Ana Adrianova's project to rescue street kittens.

Ms Adrianova started a social media page last November, with the idea she would ''share posts from other rescue [organisations] to educate the public and share information]'', she said.

''But what happened was that ... I was always rescuing cats.''

Ms Adrianova said she rescued 16 kittens from Forth St alone in January.

Eight of the kittens Ms Adrianova and her friends have rescued were the main attraction of the kitten room at OUSA yesterday.

Leandra Fiennes, a first-year arts and law student, was one of 20 people who signed up online to play with the kittens.

''I've been trying to go for a while,'' she said, ''but it's always booked out.''

This time, ''I signed up pretty much as soon as it opened''.

Each person who booked an eight-minute kitten-playing slot was allowed to bring one friend.

Ms Fiennes said she went partly to de-stress, but ''[it's also] a bit of I just love animals and don't get to see too many around the university''.

''I've got pets at home, and I missed that interaction.''

Ms Ramritu said de-stressing students was the initial motivation behind the puppy room, another animal-related OUSA initiative that has brought puppies to students a couple of times a year for the past two years around exam time.

But for the kitten room, she was also interested in helping people who are away from pets - like Ms Fiennes - to connect with an animal.

Plus, she said, ''we're trying to discourage people from getting flat cats''.

All kitten room attendees were asked to give a gold coin donation to Animal Rescue Network New Zealand, which Ms Adrianova said would go to ''de-sexing our kittens''.

They have raised $940 total so far, including $177.80 yesterday.

Ms Ramritu said she wanted to organise the kitten room weekly ''except for when I need a break'', and Ms Adrianova hoped to do it ''as often as possible when the students are here''.

carla.green@odt.co.nz

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement