CAT GETS CAP AND GOWN AFTER ATTENDING EVERY ZOOM LECTURE
Suki, a Zoom lecture cat, got her own cap and gown in May 2022 after sitting beside her owner, University of Texas at Austin graduate Francesca Bourdier, through every online class. Bourdier bought the outfit so her cat could join the spring 2022 graduating class as an honorary member, FOX 7 Austin reported.
Suki was one and a half years old at the time. She did not receive a degree, but Bourdier said she was there for every step.
“I kind of wanted to celebrate her and kind of have her along with me,” Bourdier said.
A college career spent on Zoom
The pandemic moved most of Bourdier’s classes online, she told The Dodo. That left her at her apartment with a cat.
“I was pretty much at my apartment for most of the time and I had my cat next to me,” Bourdier told FOX 7. “Whenever I would have my Zoom lecture on, it’s like she almost wanted to listen in on it, and she would always just sit by my laptop.”
Bourdier adopted Suki from a local shelter in September 2020 after seeing her picture online. From then on, the cat sat in on her classes for two years.
According to The Dodo, Suki turned up as soon as she heard a Zoom class begin. She would settle beside the computer, and when Bourdier took notes on her iPad, Suki sometimes parked herself on top of it.
“She would just come onto my desk and lay next to it as if she was listening,” Bourdier said. “It was just me and her.” She added that having Suki nearby gave her emotional support.
Suki also picked up a few extracurriculars. The Dodo reported she learned to high-five, spin and give her paw on cue.
At one point, a professor asked the class to show off their pets. “It was cool to see that almost every student had their pet next to them,” Bourdier said.
“A lot of people relate to having their pet with them, you know, attending their Zoom lectures because everyone was pretty much at home,” she told FOX 7. “She’s just kind of my special graduate.”
The cap, the gown and the post
Bourdier found Suki a cap and gown online that matched her own almost exactly. The coordinated look came naturally, since she runs a clothing business that sells matching outfits for pets and their owners.
She had already shared a photo of herself and Suki in matching pink sweatsuits, Gold 101.7 reported. Her graduation post went up on social media on May 22, 2022, and showed the pair in matching graduation attire, according to WPXI. The caption made Suki’s attendance record clear.
“Yes, my cat attended every zoom lecture I had so we will BOTH be graduating from THE University of Texas at Austin together”
The University of Texas replied with a short note: “Congratulations to you both.” NDTV also reported that the university congratulated the pair.
The story kept traveling in the days after. India Today picked it up on June 5, 2022, a few days after FOX 7 ran its report.
By June 25, 2024, The Dodo had updated its story with word that Bourdier hoped to accomplish more with Suki.
