For the past four years, a fluffy feline named Boris Karloff has offered a calming presence to students and staff at the Missouri State University Library.
Since 2022, Sue Branham has been taking her certified therapy Maine Coon cat Boris to Meyer Library up to two times a month.
After retiring from 17 years in customer service, Branham adopted Boris and his brother Bela Lugosi in 2018 with the intention of getting them both certified, but only Boris was accepted due to personality differences.
Boris was the only polydactyl (extra toes) cat in his litter, and his peaceful disposition and comfortability around others made it very easy for him to train.
“I like how Boris interacts with people and seeing him...a lot of people just miss their pets. They're in nursing homes; the kids here are away from home. They're away from their pets,” Branham said. “Just petting an animal is relaxing.”
Branham will often hand out trading cards of Boris during visits that she purchased from Love on a Leash, which have an image and a short description about him on the back.
MSU junior Ainsley Christie said he likes to keep track of when Boris comes to the library and visits when he can.
“I don't have cats here at my Missouri State dorm, but it’s the fact that he's so friendly and soft, it makes me excited to come see him every time,” Christie said.
Branham at first was interested in certifying therapy cats to work with children since she’d had a difficult childhood. After Boris was certified in 2022 by Love on Leash, they tried working at Isabel’s House Crisis Nursery. That ended up not being the best fit, so they moved to assisted living facilities.
Branham remembered a time when she and Boris were called to a nursing home to visit a woman they’d met before. Her health had been in decline after having multiple strokes.
“When we came in…I put his paws up on her hands and she just lit up. Five minutes later, she was able to move her arm over and pet him, so she was able to relax.” Branham said, “knowing that there’s an animal there under your hand. So, he did really good.”
Branham takes Boris to visit facilities three days a week. Besides the library, they visit five assisted living facilities and have a new one lined up to start visiting in May. All of their visits are voluntary.
“He loves visiting. Once he visits, we go home, he gets a treat for working and then he'll sit at the back door and cry because he wants to go back out.”
When he is not working, Branham likes to take Boris out in his stroller to pet-friendly places like Home Depot, Lowes, and PetSmart. At home he lives with his brothers Bela Lugosi and a rescue named Basil Rathbone. They, like Boris, are named after Universal monster movie actors due to Branham's husband's love for them. They also have another cat named Skipper.
Branham posts on Instagram and Facebook a few times a month for anyone interested in seeing what Boris is up to.
“We'll just keep plugging along, doing our visits as long as people ask us back,” Branham said.
Branham and Boris next visit at Meyer Library will be April 23 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
