When Jamie Fishwick-Ford joined the library at Lady Margaret Hall — one of the 39 colleges of the University of Oxford, UK — she noticed that the college had a policy allowing staff to bring dogs to work. Jamie preferred cats. So six years ago, she adopted a Siberian Forest cat and brought him in.
His name is Isambard Kitten Brunel. Known as Issy, he is now 6 years old, fluffy, calm under pressure, and hypoallergenic — a deliberate choice by Fishwick-Ford, who wanted a breed less likely to trigger allergies among students or on the bus they take together each morning.
On a typical day at the library, Issy positions himself in his owner's office or watches the world from a window in the main reading room. He wears a harness and lead when taken outside, and rides on Fishwick-Ford's shoulder when it suits him. Students come specifically to visit him, sometimes several times a week. Some bring friends and family. He has appeared on outreach stickers. He has, as Fishwick-Ford puts it, become "a bit of an unofficial mascot."
His greatest skill, she says, is for emotional support. He is unusually calm and attentive when someone is upset — students have come to him in tears after accidentally deleting dissertations, or simply after a hard day. He is, Fishwick-Ford notes, particularly popular with students who are far from home and missing their own pets.
Other Oxford colleges have begun requesting visits. Several already have their own resident animals — dogs and tortoises are mentioned — but Issy, Fishwick-Ford believes, is the only dedicated library cat. His schedule for next term is already full.