A therapy cat has melted hearts on social media after her owner shared a video of her looking confused by a lack of students.
Mochi, who works as a school therapy cat in a Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, is seen sitting outside a classroom door in a clip her owner, under the username @sundaeandmochi, shared to TikTok in January.
The post says, “POV: You’re the school therapy cat, but all the kids that normally come see you after school have sports practice today.”
getty images
According to Pet Keen, a pet wellness website, patients in pet therapy meet their rehabilitation goals faster than those who aren’t. And a 2018 study on people with brain injuries found that they were more alert during pet therapy.
Pet therapy has also proved to offer comfort and support to children suffering from PTDS, research at Dominican University of California found.
While pet therapy animals are most often dogs, cats are becoming more popular, and pets of all kinds can take on this role. Horses, dolphins, lizards and guinea pigs are some other examples.
The video of Mochi quickly went viral, so far receiving over 437,300 views and 90,100 likes on TikTok. Many commenters expressed their sympathy for Mochi and their desire for a similar pet at their school.
One user commented: “No one went to this baby’s office hours!? Omg.”
Another wrote, “Someone go and pet that cat right meow!!!”
“I think all schools should have a therapy cat in the counselors office,” a commenter said.
“I want a therapy cat at our campus,” another added.
Another user said: “I played sports in school… but if we had a therapy cat I’d definitely spend all my time after school with it.”
Other commenters discussed their own experience with therapy animals.
“Aww the school I work at has two therapy dogs. They are basically our mascots. They have shirts, stickers, and even plushies,” a user wrote.
“Got my first cat suddenly at 15, I wouldn’t be here right now if it had not been for him. He’s passed since but he was there when life was so hard,” another said.
Newsweek reached out to @sundaeandmochi for comment via TikTok chat. We could not verify the details of the case.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our “Pet of the Week” lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.