Sciences Paws’ Cat Café Event Attracts More Students than Planned

Friday, October 19 marked the second event hosted by Sciences Po’s animal rights association: Sciences Paws. This small association made an impact last year with their Sciences Paws Week, during which many of the association’s members could be seen walking around school in animal onesies.

This year, after a discussion session at Marcel & Jane, Sciences Paws continued with a midterm revision session at the Ronron Café, located on rue de Vesle. For those of you who missed out on this furry event, here’s what you need to know:

The Ronron Café works side by side with the Ronron Association, an association that saves abandoned street cats and helps them find a new home. Sciences Paws has been working with them for two years and wanted to continue their partnership through this event. With cats all around, students were able to revise for their midterms in peace, away from the overly packed university library. This type of study session has come to be coined “ronron” therapy. It may sound cute and whimsical, but cats actually do have therapeutic benefits. In fact, they help to avoid stress, elevate insomnia, and drive away dark thoughts.

According to French veterinary, Jean Yves Gauchet, feline purring “soothes and acts like medicine with no side effects,” he also explained that, “when the body struggles with stressful situations — stress, insomnia or anxiety — the purring of the cat emits soothing and healing sound vibrations, much like music.”

The Ronron Café reserved half of the shop for Sciences Po students and entrance to the café was free, so students only had to pay for food and beverages.

According to Naila Sahraoui, co-president of Sciences Paws, the event was “amazing”, people were really intrigued and happy with the idea of studying amongst cats.

In fact, the association expected no more than 10 people, and instead a lot more showed up. As a result, Sciences Paws plans on doing other events in partnership with Ronron Café.

A few representatives of the Ronron association came and talked to students about the possibility of fostering abandoned cats. They encouraged students to foster cats and give them a warm loving home while the association searches for a permanent owner. By doing this, students can improve animal rights on a local level and reduce their stress with kitty cuddles, at the same time.