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How Max the Cat received his doctoral degree.
At Vermont State University's Castleton campus, among the 4,000 students, Max the Cat is the widely beloved big man on campus.
He is a 5-year-old tabby who loves people, rides in the arms of students, shows up at lectures, drops into the dean's office, and even has his own university email address.
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So in his honor, Max officially graduated with the class of 2024, receiving an honorary doctor of 'litter-ature' degree.
Max lives with Ashley Dow and her family near the campus' main entrance, but since Max was 1, he'd make a beeline to the campus to join the faculty and students.
Ashley told The Washington Post:
"He usually goes over in the morning about 8 when I go to work, and he comes home in time for dinner, or one of the students will come over and drop him off."
"He'll let anyone pick him up, and everyone loves to love on him," she added.
"You can see the stress melt off the faces of the students when they see Max running toward them to be held and petted."
So how did Max receive his doctorate?
Last fall, Rob Franklin, social media manager for Vermont State University photographed Max and posted it on Facebook, with the heading, "Who is Max?"
He also posted a 2021 Max story from the student newspaper, the Castleton Spartan.
The photos got such a positive response, that Rob convinced the University to make Max a part of this year's graduating class, with an honorary doctorate.
"Everyone considers him as their emotional support animal," said Ashley. "He's a cat who loves life and loves attention."
Editor's Note:
To learn more washingtonpost.com, facebook.com, castletonspartan.com, vermontpublic.org and instagram.com
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