When my brother was in college, he was a part of the Animal Rescue Club (ARC). During his senior year of college, he and his friends lived in an off-campus house designated to the ARC club. Whenever my parents and I went to visit him, I’d walk into the house and immediately be greeted by several dogs and cats. I was in animal heaven. At the same time, I thought to myself, “How in the world do college students take care of all these animals?”
Fast forward to my time in college. A few months ago, three roommates and I were fresh-new owners of a townhome and felt we needed a fifth roommate. We went to the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and fell in love with our future fur-baby, an orange and black kitten that we named Jinx. We’ve now had Jinx for five months, and I couldn’t imagine life without her. I wasn’t a cat person at all before adopting Jinx, but now she has me wrapped around her little paw. If you’re on the fence about adopting an animal while in college, let me provide you with some convincing factors and realistic ways to manage having a pet.
- Communicate with your roommates on which animal works best for you.
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This may be an obvious one, but in order for your new pet to cause more enjoyment than stress, it’s important to communicate with your housemates and make sure everyone’s on the same page. You can also divide up how each person is going to take care of the pet, if all parties are in agreement. My current roommates and I knew that a dog was not going to work for us and that we would be way over our heads if we got a dog. We decided on a cat due to the low level of maintenance that they come with, while still having so much love to share.
- Pets provide companionship and comfort.
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My roommates are all on different schedules, and I often find myself home alone. Having Jinx at home with me gives me a sense of comfort and makes me feel like I’m not alone. She also picks up on when I’m stressed or having a bad day, and her coming over and snuggling next to me immediately lifts some of that stress.
- Pets teach you responsibility.
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While a cat is not the hardest pet to take care of, she still requires my roommates and me to take on responsibility and learn how to care for her. Having a pet in college requires communication skills, time management, self-awareness, and many more valuable skills that can be used even outside of being a fur-parent.
While my house isn’t as animal-packed as my brother’s was, I realize now how they were able to manage having the pets, and how positively the animals impacted my brother and his roommates’ lives. My cat is the love of my life, and I wouldn’t have chosen any other time to get her. Being an animal parent while in college can be difficult, but the positive effect that they’ll have on your life makes it so worth it.