Cat pictures rarely fail to trend online. In an interesting turn of events, cat pictures have become the latest currency for paying fines in a library. The Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts has specifically laid down conditions stating the library won’t be charging money for misplaced or damaged books, but would instead accept pictures of cats as a mode of payment.
This latest scheme has been presented by the Worchester Public Library as it comes as a vital part of their program “March Meowness: Felines for Fee Forgiveness” campaign, reported Mental Floss. The library explained the rules and regulations of the initiative in detail. It reads, “Show us a picture of your cat, a famous cat, a picture you drew of a cat, a shelter cat – any cat, and we will forgive WPL fees on your library account”. At the same time, they have also added a brief footnote stating that “honorary cats” are also accepted. “So you may show us a picture or drawing of a dog, raccoon, orca, capybara, or any other animal.”
The Worchester Public Library(WPL) has stated a few stipulations of the scheme some of which include – Items that must be owned by Worcester Public Library and some Items from the Library of Things are excluded. Moreover, “Felines for Fee Forgiveness” will only be used upon WPL-owned books, not other WPL-owned items. As part of the initiative, the cats program has arranged a lot of fun activities for people some of which include the library hosting a variety of cat-themed crafts and activities throughout March for all ages. The initiative also includes making toys for shelter cats and showing a free screening of the Cats movie. The lineup of events also includes a cat-eye makeup tutorial, a “de-stressing” hour of playing with shelter cats, and DIY crafts.
The rules have been kept flexible. “Even if you don’t have a cat in your life, you can still draw one,” Homer said. “Even if it’s one of the big cats, like a tiger or a lion, and we’ll be excited to see those.” This campaign will look to deeply focus on cats and celebrate the presence of the feline community. This initiative will throw light on the positive side that cats have on our mental and emotional well-being. According to a report from Purina, it has been claimed that interactions with cats can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and hence this feline-focused campaign will stress the therapeutic benefits of spending time with our furry pets. WPL’s latest initiative will go beyond cute cat photos and funny cat videos and honor the loving bond between humans and cats. In case, you have misplaced a book or two with the Worchester Library, now would be a good time to click some purr-fect photos.
