Ms. Weng, an avid cat lover since childhood, currently has three cats. Benny is a black and grey, selectively affectionate bed hogger, who is also the true culprit behind late grading with his passion for sitting on computers. Jerry is an attention-seeking, food-driven, stubborn goofball, embodying the persona of a typical orange cat. Benny and Jerry are intentionally named after the ice cream brand, Ben and Jerry. And lastly, Granny is an ex-stray, loving lap-cat, who occasionally slaps the two other boys.

While living in the United States (U.S.), Ms. Weng struggled with depression, and eventually decided to adopt Benny off Craigslist. “Things were a lot better when I had him because that’s when I felt like I was needed,” said Ms. Weng. “I had someone who was always going to be there. I had so much love to give them; I deserved love and they made me feel like I could be a better person,” she said. Although cats are generally more reserved, the mere presence of them can be comforting, knowing that they care about you. Even then, cats show their love in various other ways as well. For example, Ms. Weng said that Benny would sleep right on top of her hand, and how that was comforting for her. She also mentioned how Jerry is more needy, but it forces her to stop thinking about struggles in life and to just focus on him. “You look at him and you feel like he’s saying, ‘Stop thinking about other things, just play with me now.’”

Apart from their emotional companionship and diversion from the stresses of life, Ms. Weng says that cats teach her to love without expecting much in return. “I am loving cats for who they are, not for what they can do for me,” she said. This also applies to relationships in life, where what you do for someone is because you want to do it for them, not because you’re expecting something back. “That’s what I love about cats: they can just be them, unapologetically being themselves.” Cats also remind her to approach situations with patience and understanding, looking at everyone—students, animals and others—with their unique personalities and needs. “We focus so much on what I want to do or say, but that might not be what others want or need,” she said.