Watch Boris the Therapy Cat Help Missouri University Students

Everyone needs someone or something to life their spirits sometimes. That is especially true of students at a Missouri university who just had a visit from a therapist named Boris who's a cat.

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His full name is Boris Karloff, but he's not the actor that played Frankenstein in the classic movies. He's a therapy cat who specializes in providing support and relief to those who need it. Boris is a Maine Coon which is a breed of cat known for long hair and a pleasant disposition. Here's some backstory from the video description:

Boris is a therapy animal that visited students and staff at Missouri State University Sept. 2 to raise their spirits.

Watch the students light up when Boris hangs out with them.

Wikipedia says that Maine Coons are one of the oldest cat breeds in North America. Petfinder adds more color to why this breed is so beloved saying "No breed has a monopoly on love and affection, but there’s got to be some good reason that Maine Coons have clawed their way up from near extinction to the prized place of America’s second most popular breed". They rate Maine Coons with a nearly perfect rating when it comes to how good they are with children.

A few years ago The Guardian shared a story about why university students sometimes struggle with more stress than other groups mentioning having to adopt a new lifestyle away from family and friends. They also called out increasing responsibilities once you begin that phase of life.

Having a cat like Boris to spend some time with can add a pick-me-up to students who in many cases very much need it.