While college can be a lot of fun, it can also be really tough. Exams, expenses, peer pressure, and living away from home are stressors that many students have to face. Imgur user kcody47 dealt with these issues while she worked her way through dental school, but luckily, a cat named Sophie came into her life and changed everything.
In a post on Imgur, the student admitted that she’d never really liked cats because she hadn’t spent much time around them. But during her sophomore year, she began cat-sitting a fluffy tabby named Sophie and it wasn’t long before their friendship blossomed.
“I spent most of my time studying at home, so we bonded right away,” she wrote in the post. “I quickly learned Sophie rubbed her head on everything.”
Video Source: kcody47 via Imgur
“We bonded over our love of coziness,” she said. “She’d keep me company on most of my all-nighters.”
As her schedule became more hectic, the student began to depend on Sophie for comfort and companionship.
“I averaged 3 exams [per] week on top of hand skill practicals my second year,” she said. “I was physically and mentally exhausted.”
The studying, tests, and lack of sleep really started taking their toll on the dental student. She explained:
“I began skipping classes (I used to be that person who got to class 15 min. early to get the center seat in the first row). Then, it got to a point where I was too scared of starting the day. I began cancelling my patient’s appointments because I was scared to leave my house. I didn’t know how I had turned into this person.”
But no matter how down she got, “Sophie would always be there… head snuggling away.”
In her fourth year of dental school, the student was so swamped in her workload, she had planned on spending Christmas alone to study. Luckily, Sophie’s original owners decided that she’d be happier living with her new friend, so the stressed out student had some company over the break.
During their time together, the woman had become much more than the kitty’s sitter, and finally, they were officially family.
The new cat-mom loves spoiling her feline friend and even created a kitty nook in their home.
“She’s 13 years old, so it was about time she became more independent and moved out on her own,” the poster jokingly wrote of the cat’s setup. “Her teepee includes food, a water fountain, and cat grass.”
When she’s not relaxing in her cozy corner, Sophie loves to join her human on strolls around campus.
“We walk around campus buildings and find empty classrooms,” the cat-mom said.
The kitty, “meows relentlessly at the door at times to go outside to eat grass, stalk birds, and rub her face on branches,” she said. ” Sophie gets me out of the house, even if it’s only for 5-10 minutes a day. I’m kinda digging the outside now.”
Sophie was there for her when she needed her the most, and all that hard work finally paid off. The student ended her post with an exciting announcement: “I am beyond happy to say that I am now a 2017 DDS graduate!”
“Every head snuggle added a little happiness over the seemingly never-ending cloud of gloom over my head. Thank you, my little mountain climber,” she wrote.
Congratulations to the recent grad for her educational accomplishments, and for becoming a proud cat-mom!
(h/t: kcody47 via Imgur)