“I knew I had to celebrate her, too.”
For students and their families, graduation is an exciting moment. Francesca Bourdier’s special day was made much more wonderful by the presence of her tabby cat, Suki.
Suki had taken every single one of her mother’s online lessons during the previous two years, and Bourdier wanted to do something to recognize their accomplishment. She fashioned a miniature, Suki-sized hat and gown to match her own before the event.
“It was just me and her,” Bourdier explained, “so when graduation came along, I knew I wanted to include her in the celebration.”
Because of the epidemic, Bourdier had to take most of her lessons online, but she was never alone. Suki would join her mother in front of the computer as soon as she heard her mother’s Zoom lesson begin.
“She’d just come up to my desk and lie down next to it, like if she was listening,” Bourdier explained. “She would basically perch on top of my iPad if I was taking notes on it.”
Suki was adopted from a local shelter in September of 2020 after Bourdier saw her image online. Bourdier added, “I traveled to three different sites attempting to find her.” There was a large line of people waiting to adopt Suki when she eventually arrived at the correct shelter.
Bourdier’s perseverance paid off, as she was the one who walked away with the cute kitty at the end of the day. “I simply thought, ‘Wow… I get to be her parent,'” she remarked when she eventually received her.
Suki has always enjoyed learning new skills, like as high-fiving, twirling, and giving her paw on command, since joining the family. When the studious cat began attending all of Bourdier’s Zoom lectures, it seemed only natural.
Suki’s presence in the classroom gave Bourdier the emotional support she needed to get her degree online. Bourdier discovered she wasn’t alone when one of her lecturers invited the class to demonstrate their pets. “It was really amazing to see practically every student with their pet,” Bourdier added.
While graduating with Suki makes Bourdier’s college experience even more satisfying, it’s only one of many goals the two plan to achieve together in the future. “[Suki] is simply that wonderful,” Bourdier stated.
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