How to cope with missing your pet while studying abroad

by Jaclyn Nelson

Don’t
fret if you’ll miss your pet!

When I decided to move
to Scotland for my Master’s degree, I knew I would miss family and friends but
one thing I didn’t anticipate was how much I would miss my beloved, Dylan.
Dylan is a large, black and white cat whose breed may be a rag doll, or
possibly a Norwegian forest cat. We can’t be sure. What matters is, I miss
him. 

So to help fellow
animal-loving international students, I thought it might be useful to share
some information on bringing pets to the UK as well as how to cope if you have
to leave your furry best friend at home. 

Bringing
your pet to the UK 

When I first started to
plan my move to Scotland, I went back and forth on the idea of bringing Dylan
with me, but there were a few issues that would have made that difficult. One
is that it’s difficult to find a rental property in the UK that allows pets -
something worth bearing in mind for students studying abroad. The other is
that, as I mentioned above, Dylan is pretty big. Small pets can be stowed in a
pet carrier under your plane seat, but larger animals (like Dill) need to be
placed in cargo for what can be upwards of a 6-hour flight. 

I decided to leave him
with the best caretakers I could think of, my parents, and with some gentle
persuasive tactics, I was able to convince them to take care of my Dylan for
the year while I was away. No sooner had I left him, I began to yearn for him
almost immediately, I missed our furry interactions and his general good
company. ‘How would I survive a year without my cat?’

Cat
cafes 

So, what do you do if
you can’t bring your cat with you? There are a few options for lovesick cat and
dog owners in need of urgent animal contact. One of these is the fabled ‘cat
cafe’, something I’d heard of in the past but had never been to. For me,
Glasgow’s  Puuuurple Cat Cafe was just minutes from campus, so after a quick
visit to their website, I booked a table online and was ready to get my cat
fix. 

I’d somehow convinced my
partner – a closeted cat lover – to join me in my adventure. When we arrived
for our appointment, we rang the doorbell to be greeted by a ‘cat attendant’
who laid out the rules for interacting with the cats. At this point I was so
excited, I kind of just wanted him to get on with it, but the rules are there
for the cats’ safety. When we finally entered, I felt like a kid in the candy
store, cats were EVERWHERE, approximately 20 of them. The cafe had cat tunnels
and cat bridges all around. We were given a table and a menu, my partner
remained seated while I scoped out all the cats. I was in my element. Just
being around cats made me feel better about leaving my pet behind. I still
missed Dylan like crazy, but I was able to get what I feel like is the next
best thing.  I visit Puuuurple Cat Cafe regularly and I will continue as
the year goes on.

Therapets

Another way to deal with
missing your pet while studying abroad is to arrange a visit with one of the
therapy animals that visit universities during exam time. Animal contact has
been scientifically proven to calm nerves and anxiety, a known issue with
students and in 2013, Paws Against Stress, a campaign to bring in ‘therapets’ to
universities was launched with great success. In 2017 alone, PAWS held 99 sessions
in 47 universities or colleges across Scotland (CCST).  Dogs are the primary choice of therapy
animals (sorry, cat lovers!) and although this campaign is specific to
Scotland, campaigns similar to PAWS are popping up all over campuses in the UK
so you don’t need to fret if you miss your pet.

Hopefully, this article
has shed some light on how to deal with missing your pet while studying abroad
in the UK. The opportunity to study abroad is such an experience and if you are
having trouble with the thought of leaving your pet behind, the tips mentioned
can help with that.  If you have any further questions, your friendly Across the Pond representative would be more than happy to help
with that.