Five years ago, sophomore Marli Closson adopted one of her best friends, Mitzi.

Four years later she got another best friend, Penny, giving her two furry friends to help conquer the many challenges in life. 

“It’s a lot harder than freshman year. But overall it’s been okay. The most stressful part is managing your time. I think it’s really hard to figure out what to do first and what projects are the most important to finish first and making sure you get them done,” Closson said.

Marli begged her mom for a cat and finally got what she’d been begging for.

“We bugged my mom for three years to get a cat, and then she finally got us a cat five or four years ago. Then we ended up getting kind of bored and wanted another one. So we begged again, and she ended up getting us Penny,” Closson said.

Closson’s mom wasn’t on board with the cats at first but grew to love them.

“She really likes them. I was kind of surprised because she wasn’t really on board with the whole pet thing, but she really enjoys being around them,” Closson said.

There have been no problems since the two joined the family.

“My favorite traits are probably that they aren’t very cuddly but whenever they lay with you, you really just love being around them. They’re really sweet, and I love how well they act, and they’re really well-behaved,” Closson said.

Although Closson will not be able to take her cat to college, she will see them on visits home.