A Vermont university awarded the honorary degree of “Doctor of Literature” to Max the Cat, a beloved member of its community, ahead of the students’ graduation Saturday.
Vermont State University’s Castleton campus honors the feline not for his mouse or his nap, but for his kindness.
“Max the cat has been a loving member of the Castleton family for years,” the school said in a Facebook post. The school also said the title gives Max “catnip perks, scratching post privileges and litter box responsibilities.”
Rob Franklin/AP
The popular tabby lives in a house with his human family on the street leading to the main campus entrance.
“So he decided to go to campus, and he just started hanging out with the students, and they love him,” owner Ashley Dow said Thursday.
He has been socializing on campus for about four years and students get excited when they see him. They pick him up and take selfies with him, and he even likes to go on tours with prospective students who meet in a building across the street from the family home, she said.
Rob Franklin/AP
“I don’t even know how he knows how to do it, but he does it,” Dow said. “And then he will follow them on their tour.”
Students call Dow Max’s mother, and returning graduates sometimes ask her how Max is doing.
However, Max will not attend the graduation ceremony. His diploma will be presented to Dow later.
Rob Franklin/AP
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