By Pola Folwarczny and Weronika Szymańska
What screams coziness and comfort louder than a night spent cuddling your – or your friend’s – pet? Or, if none of the above is available, watching silly cat videos. If you’re missing your daily dose of pet-related content, this is the article for you. Get to know the furry companions of AUC students that you have definitely seen running around the courtyards, lurking in the corridors or peeking out of windows.
Milo Lin, third-year Science major, & Coco (14 year-old pug)
“I got her when she was two months old and I was seven years old. So we basically grew up together. When I was thinking of colleges I picked AUC because they allow dogs in the dorms – I did consider leaving her with my family, but my priority was always to find a place where she could come with me.
I think having Coco affected my AUC experience in both good and bad ways. It limits a lot how much I can leave Science Park, which is a shame because the bubble atmosphere gets to you sometimes. I do try to get out and take her to study with me as well, but it’s always an additional thing that I need to manage. Not every place allows dogs, and she also doesn’t necessarily want to sit with me for six hours while I study. I do sometimes feel like I’m a parent, especially because I have friends who can truly commit themselves to academics or leave their dorms and do whatever they want, and for me there have been moments with her where, although I had three upcoming exams, I suddenly had to take her to the emergency vet. Not to mention the financial responsibility of planning for the unexpected. But it’s a compromise that I was willing to make, and I have people and friends who are also willing to look out for her as well.
In the end, there are definitely more positives. I live in a single room, so whenever I come home, she’s there and I feel like I’m never really alone. I think she also helps me to remember that academic stress is nothing that serious – I’ll have things to do, but she still needs to go for a walk, which is more important at the moment. I think if I didn’t have her during moments when I am going through a lot, or especially during winter when everything gets very gray, I would probably come from class and feel very still, very stuck. It’s like having a kid, a best friend and a roommate all in one.
It is crazy to think sometimes that, apart from my parents and other family members, she is the presence of my life that I’ve known the longest. I often look back at our old pictures and see myself as a little kid and her as a puppy by my side. And then the more recent ones, where both of us have grown up/grown old. She’s been by my side when I was at the lowest of the low, and perhaps she has no way of knowing this, but I’m so proud of how far we’ve come. I feel like I often know what she’s thinking, even though we’ve never spoken a word. And it seems like she can read me really well too – whenever I’m anxious, she’s also very restless.”
Suzanne Ferey, second-year Science major, & Juno (five month-old kitten)
“I went on Marktplaats and I just found a person who was giving away kittens. I went there with a friend and the place turned out to be disgusting. The cats were not fed properly, their fur was in a terrible state. Juno had so many worms when I got her – cats are supposed to be dewormed when they’re babies and those were already two months old, with no such procedure applied. I couldn’t leave her there.
I’ve always wanted a cat, but only decided to get one this year since I lived in a four-person apartment with roommates who were allergic to cats. First, she was only staying in my room for around a month, and then I started taking her to my friends’ places, sometimes also on little walks after I leash-trained her. Every time she stays alone in the room, whenever I have some longer shifts at work, I make sure to compensate her for my absence. I think she’s pretty happy with me, certainly not bored.
There’s a big support system for her at the dorms. Anytime I have to go away for a longer period of time, for example a weekend, my friends that happen to stay ask me to take care of Juno. Last year when I had to stay in Amsterdam during the Christmas break, I decided to do cat sitting for someone in the dorms too. We spent Christmas together – I even made some cat lasagna for him.
Having a cat is surely expensive. I have a job so I can balance it out if I do more hours, also to make sure that I have a bit of money saved for her fund. I insured her as well, in case of any need for a surgery. I’d rather pay that 50 euro than 300 euro or more when something unexpected happens. All the vaccination, a chip, deworming, defleaing, a passport, an upcoming sterilization, food, litter, toys – all of this is an additional expense. I made sure to have enough money before making this decision. In general, I don’t mind troubleshooting and I don’t mind coming up with ways to deal with unexpected things, but I feel like it would be too stressful for some people, so I understand that as well. But it’s a nice responsibility, it’s grounding in a way.
It’s a nice relationship to have. I love her very much. Aww. She’s so cute. She’s so tiny.
My activities can involve her very easily. When I’m watching a show, when I’m reading a book, when I’m cleaning. She doesn’t sleep unless – whenever I turn off the light and go to bed, she comes. I think it was just an emotional and thought-through decision and now, I don’t really think about all the downsides of having a cat.”
Alice Humphreys, third-year Science major, & Priscilla
“All of us wanted to have a pet, but we decided to dogsit because what would we do with an actual pet in three years? It’s a big responsibility. You need the passport, you need to pay for vaccinations and food, and you’re a student so you’re doing that for yourself already.
The first day, I was very anxious because she kept on barking and we didn’t get that much information from her owner. And so I thought, oh no, we’re going to have to stay with her all day because she would bark and all of the neighbors would be disrupted. But now she is happy to be here.
She’s gotten so calm around us, I think she absorbed the energy. The first time that happened was when we were having dinner, all four of us. She just laid down under the table and I thought, “now it feels like she’s the house dog.” What are we going to do when she leaves? It’s so strange, because it’s like you’re making a new friend, but then you have to say goodbye.
I think most people that actually own a pet here probably see it as emotional support. And it’s definitely that for me as well. Whenever I get home, I’m just happy because she’s jumping on me. And whereas usually I’m not getting out of bed in the morning, thinking that it’s way too cold outside, now I have motivation, because I can’t procrastinate taking her out. As the days go by, I feel like we are learning all of her routines.
I don’t know how I’m going to feel when we have to drop her off. Probably very sad. So I’m going to try to stay in contact with the [owner], because if she goes on another trip, I want to see Priscilla again.”
Gabija Versekenaite, second-year Science major, & Pūkiukas (translation: pookie) & Mažiukas (translation: little one) (one month-old rats)
“Ever since I was little, I was asking my parents to buy me a dog, but they wouldn’t agree. They got me hamsters instead, and after the last one died, for some reason we got a rat. So then I just started having rats because they’re so much smarter than hamsters. If you socialise with them, play with them and train them, they’re literally like dogs.
I think it’s definitely going to make me more responsible. When it’s just me, I could not take care of myself for three days and I’ll be fine. But if you have a little animal that depends on you, then you have to take care of it, even if it’s as small as a rat.
I see them as a low maintenance dog. I do plan to walk them on leashes, because they get big enough for that and they like to be outside. I can’t wait for them to grow up to be able to do that. And it’s not like they’re going to run away, but I’m afraid that a dog or a bird is going to come and eat them.
They’re still really small, so they’re either eating when they’re awake, or being really hyperactive, or they’re sleeping. And all I’ve been doing since I got them is just playing with them in my free time. I just want them to feel connected to me. It’s a little bit harder to train these ones because they’re sisters from the same litter, so they have each other. But I’m hoping to become something like a mother figure for them.”
Anoushka Anguiano, second-year Humanities major, & Layla (two year-old pup)
“I need to look after someone to look after myself, but it also provides me with a sense of routine. With a dog, you need to wake up at a certain time, give them food at a certain time and take them on walks every day. I like waking up really early in the morning and going to the park and not having to think about anything. I just stare at the trees, and she stares at the trees, and then we stare at them together. And it’s nice because I’ve met a lot of random people around the neighborhood. Every time I’m on a walk with my friends, I’ll say “hi” to ten people with their dogs.
She’s a lot calmer than she was when I first got her. I think being with me is like she knows she has a home now. I always refer to her as my best friend. That sounds kind of lame, but I feel like she’s always there when I’m going through something. Or if I just don’t want to hang out with anybody, but I still want to have the presence of something, she’s always there.
I can tell that she’s adopted my mannerisms – she’s really stubborn and I’m quite rude sometimes, and I think it’s really funny watching something turn into me. It feels crazy to say that about a dog, but everyone notices that she’s a mini me.
She’s super social and nice with people. A lot of my friends have told me that they’re really happy I have a dog because it makes them feel so much more at home here. It makes all my friends very childish in a good way. They look like little children playing with my dog and it’s really cute to watch.
Amsterdam is really dog friendly – restaurants, cafes, bars, literally everywhere and anywhere. I got a basket on my bike just to be able to take Layla into the city, and she loves it. When we’re biking around the city, she’s got her nose in the air the whole time. She’s like the queen of the world.”
Sean Wehrli, second-year Social Sciences major, & Freddie (one year-old kitten)
“My sister had also attended AUC and she got a cat when she was here. So I knew I wanted one before I even got to the dorms. I’ve had two cats for 14 years up until when I moved to college – I really didn’t know what it was like to not live with a pet. Once you live with cats, there’s so many things you’re used to doing. For example, I can’t open my windows back at home because the cats will run out. So when I was still here without one, it was so hard for me to break those habits. I was living my life in such a restricted way, but what for? So I got Freddie in my first year in September.
When I first got him I was terrified because he was definitely way too small – I am sure I was lied to by the lady who I got him from. The first time I left him alone, I went to get coffee close by. I wasn’t home for 15 minutes and when I came back, I could not find him anywhere. I started crying, calling my mother, ripping up my room. I pulled the blanket off my bed and he popped out because he was all bundled in it. That stress appeared many more times at the beginning – with the door slamming in the string and how this noise is going to affect him, with the potty training, teaching him to recognize his food and water. At the end of the day though, I obviously knew what to do and I knew what it’s like because of my experience. So it really wasn’t that difficult to get accustomed to it. But for someone who never had an experience with taking care of a cat, I would not say that being at AUC is a good time to learn how to deal with such responsibility.
Getting him the initial shots for kittens, flea medications, and all other vet treatments, as well as a carrier, toys, and cat furniture, cost me altogether around 1000 euro in the first few weeks. Obviously another expense came up later because he had to be neutered which happened 6 months after – that was another 100, 200 euro. And obviously feeding him. I had an exact amount of savings and then that was pretty much all wiped out.
One of the things of getting him so early – which in general I wouldn’t recommend – is that he does view me as his parents, his mother. He cuddles and he’s very affectionate. And playing with him is just so much fun. I know everyone says it about their children, but he’s so talented. I’ve seen him catch a fly out of the air, I’ve thrown toys and he would catch them mid air. I’m just so impressed by him – it’s so rewarding to observe, especially because I’m the one who did everything to raise him.
I think getting him helped my social life – it was such an easy interaction starter to invite people over to meet him. Especially when I first got him, I had so many people come by and meet him, as I also really wanted to socialise with just a bunch of different people so he could get accustomed to them. I never had to sacrifice my social life for him. All my friends love to see Freddie and support him – he definitely brings people together.
If I didn’t have the bigger space of my parents’ apartment in France to take him to, I would not have adopted him because I don’t think the dorm space is enough for a cat to spend his 365 days a year in. I definitely noticed when he goes to my parents with me, he gets a lot of energy out. So when he comes back, he’s really chilled out for a month after. When it comes to travel, even though he’s a really anxious cat, he loves to be on the train. He sleeps pretty much the whole way to France and back, in his carrier that he adores.
It is so nice to always have this reassuring presence of his. I think it was yesterday – I was not having a good time, laid down to take a nap and he came up onto my chest, kneading and purring. I definitely felt like at that moment he could tell how I was feeling.”
The Herring 