ENGLAND – A three-legged cat who was adopted by a Cambridge University library is being used to help relieve students’ stress during the exam season.
Jasper, who is a five-year-old ginger tom, belongs to the deputy librarian at the Marshall Library of Economics.
About 140 students turned up to meet Jasper at the library’s last cat-themed event
He became a huge hit with students after his owner took him to work, and a recent “tea with Jasper” event attracted a total of 140 supporters.
Similar events are planned as Jasper has now been crowned the library’s “official mascot”.
Sadly, Jasper lost his left hind leg in a car accident and was just abandoned by his owners. He was then adopted by deputy librarian Simon Frost from a rescue centre.
Jasper “goes everywhere at speed” on his three legs, his owner said
While the cat is quite well-behaved on university premises, spending his time browsing the shelves and sleeping on copies of the Financial Times, Jasper is much more adventurous on his home turf.
“He’s bouncy like Tigger, because he has three legs, and he’s a bit unstable when he moves slowly – so he goes everywhere at speed,” Mr Frost stated.
The library is hoping to arrange more “meet Jasper” sessions for university students
Jasper is also known to climb trees, “but he can’t get down”, he added.
Librarian Clare Trowell stated: “Students coming to visit and pet Jasper told us just how much he’d calmed them down, and helped relieve any stress.
“Many of them were missing their own cats or other pets.”
Jasper even has his own hashtag – #economicscat – and frequently makes announcements regarding the library on social media.
There is also a university “cat club” on Facebook, where students who have been missing their pets can share photos of them with other cat lovers.
