Finals week checklist: caffeine, snacks, comfy clothes, scantrons, and — cats?
Therapy Fluffies has been a UC Riverside finals week tradition for a decade, preventing countless week 10 wack-attacks and crash outs since 2015. As critical campus soothers, it’s only right that we share these therapy pets’ “professional” backgrounds.
Animal rescuer, Mindy Lynn Gould, a former teacher of 18 years, had no rescue experience when she started her nonprofit animal rescue, Act 2 Rescue, in 2000. She just knew she had to do something for the local Inland Empire stray cat population. Over the past 25 years, her team has rescued over 800 cats and four dogs — her nonprofit specializes in kitties but won’t turn away dogs in need.
One of Gould’s most memorable rescues is Vanilla Ice, an orange tabby cat. He has a wobbly walk, which stems from a brush with death. He collapsed in front of a car and was in full organ failure when rescuers got to him. They scooped him into a box and rushed him to the vet. It took him almost 10 days to stand on his own due to neurological issues. He still has a slight head tilt but is now happy being the “chonky orange cat” at Therapy Fluffies sessions where he especially loves belly rubs.
Pumpkin, the brown Chiweenie dog (part Chihuahua and part Dachshund), had been roaming around Gould’s daughter’s middle school begging for food for two weeks. After it was concluded that Pumpkin didn’t have a proper home, Gould took her to the vet to get vaccinated and spayed. Pumpkin has been with Paws-to-Share for about five years now. Aside from allergies, she’s happy and healthy. She loves people and cannot get enough attention, making this the perfect gig for her. You can usually find her in a student’s arms at any Therapy Fluffies session.
“All of our pets go into private homes, not into cages,” Gould said. “We are no-kill, so if a cat has a major medical issue, we do our best to help them.”
Once the rescue animals are rehabilitated and socialized, they are transitioned to Paws-to-Share, which then coordinates visits to UCR each quarter during finals week to help “rescue” the students from final exam-induced stress.
“One of the biggest issues on college campuses is isolation, so bringing together a therapy pet and a student can really make their day,” said Jesus Gomez Manzo, The Well’s Mental Health Promotion Specialist. “It’s been shown to help build that point of connection between a person and an animal, and it releases oxytocin and makes the students feel good.”
Gomez Manzo put his UCR bachelor’s degrees in psychology and education to use when he returned to campus and started his career at The Well, emphasizing the importance of connections between individuals. The Well is one of nine departments that make up Health, Well-being, and Safety, a division that supports students holistically by raising awareness and providing them with an inclusive framework of services, resources, and programs that cultivate community.
In partnership with the UCR Library, The Well’s Active Minds peer group co-leads the Therapy Fluffies event as part of the quarterly Finals Stress Relief Week series.
Students can visit Orbach or Rivera Libraries on June 5 from 12-2pm for the Spring 2025 Therapy Fluffies session to destress with Vanilla Ice, Pumpkin, and other therapy pets. Faculty and staff should keep an eye out for future sessions that are scheduled specifically for them.
🐾 Ways anyone can support the therapy pets:
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Become a foster parent to temporarily help cats/dogs as they transition into their forever homes.
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Adopt a rescue animal to give it a forever home.
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Become a pet handler to bring your pet to Therapy Fluffies sessions.
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Donate funds to help purchase food, supplies, and medical care for rescued animals.
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Volunteer your time and help with tasks, like cleaning, feeding, and taking rescues to their medical appointments.
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Drop off supplies at Petco Corona, such as food, towels, blankets, litter, and bedding.
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Follow Act 2 Rescue on Instagram and repost foster/adoption/donation opportunities.
