Art Teacher Gets Cat Registered as a Therapy Animal. Now He Roams the Hallways and Acts Like He Runs the Place (Exclusive)
Kayleigh Smith with her cat, Pinecone.Credit: Kayleigh Smith
Pinecone became a registered therapy cat after completing courses and an in-person evaluation
The Rhode Island middle school cat helps anxious students find quiet moments between classes
His owner, art teacher Kayleigh Smith, says Pinecone has strengthened the school community while teaching students empathy and boundaries
Pinecone the cat takes his job very seriously.
The 3-and-a-half-year-old pet serves as a therapy cat at a Rhode Island middle school where his owner, Kayleigh Smith, works as an art teacher.
When Smith got Pinecone, she immediately noticed how calm and gentle he was, and in September 2025, she asked her school administration if she could bring him in to help alleviate stress for students.
“I ran the idea by my principal and he seemed very supportive of it,” she tells PEOPLE. “I looked into organizations that support therapy animals and how to get an animal certified as a therapy animal.”
Before long, Pinecone officially became “a registered therapy animal” through a series of online courses. However, Smith, 36, notes that he also “had to take an in-person evaluation, which was pretty intense.”
“They have to be able to follow a lot of commands and do a lot of things, like walk through a crowd of people, or walk through a crowd that has medical equipment moving back and forth or loud noises and not be affected,” she explains.
Still, Pinecone passed with flying colors, and before she knew it, he was roaming the halls of her workplace.
“I submitted all of the paperwork to my district superintendent, and they were extremely supportive right from the start, and they approved it,” Smith shares.
Starting in January 2026, Pinecone has come to school with Smith about three times a week.
“He’s here for moral support and the vibes. He really helps kids so much with anxiety,” she shares. “Kids who are having a bad day will come into my classroom just to pet him and for a quiet moment. He’s really funny, and one of the reasons why he’s become so popular online is because he acts like he works at the building.”
Pinecone on a deskCredit: Kayleigh Smith
“He has his little routines and will greet people by the door of the art room. He’ll act like he’s supervising the hallways because he’ll just walk through the hallways while people are going to their lockers,” she continues. “Sometimes he’ll stop and sniff inside what’s in somebody’s locker and we’ll joke that he’s making his rounds, checking to make sure everything is good.”
However, when he’s not checking in with students, he can often be found taking a cat nap.
Smith shares that the kids “love him,” which has “been the most amazing thing.”
“I didn’t anticipate the sense of community that he would create. My principal tells me that students come into the building on a daily basis asking him whether or not Pinecone will be there,” she shares. “They talk about Pinecone in other classrooms. They get excited to see him. He’s even helped open doors to conversations with students that I don’t think I would ever have, because they feel comfortable coming to me and telling me about their animals.”
“I don’t think I would have those conversations with the students if it weren’t for Pinecone,” Smith reiterates.
Kayleigh Smith with her cat, Pinecone.Credit: Kayleigh Smith
Since her classroom is his “home base,” Smith has fitted the space with cat scratchers, food, water and treats.
“So the majority of the day, he is in the art room. In between periods is when I will take him around the hallways, and he’ll do his hallway security duty or visit other classrooms. He’s never roaming alone,” Smith affirms.
Smith shares that having him at school with her is “therapeutic for me, too.”
“Some of my favorite moments with him are the quiet ones in between classes or during my prep. He’ll just be completely sprawled out on my desk and I’ll be brushing him or petting him. I think to myself that he’s just the most spoiled cat, but also how lucky am I that I get to have my cat here at work,” she tells PEOPLE. “Being able to share this part of my day with him at work is so special because teaching middle school can be chaotic and really busy and stressful, and he is truly therapeutic for me too.”
Although some people may be concerned about having a cat around kids, Smith says she “can fully trust him just around students.”
“He’s really made me realize that the small moments matter. The most meaningful moments in the school have been the quiet moments when a kid who’s really stressed out comes and knocks on my door and asks if they can come in to pet him for a second and have that quiet moment before the chaos of teaching and school,” Smith says.
While Pinecone loves people, Smith jokes that he looks “grumpy.”
“He has his two little teeth that stick out. I’ve used him as a learning experience with the kids because he’s like a funny reminder that appearances don’t tell the whole story and you can’t judge a book by its cover,” she shares. “When he first started coming to school, some kids had never pet a cat before or had never been near a cat. Some kids were a little bit scared of him.”
“He does have these really striking, bright, yellow eyes and the two little fangs; he looks like he’s grumpy, but that has also turned into a valuable learning experience,” she emphasizes. “He’s the most sweet, gentle, patient cat you’ll ever meet. Once kids start to get to know him, they realize that.”
Pinecone in his yellow vestCredit: Kayleigh Smith
Smith says the cat has been able to teach the students “empathy and boundaries, too.”
“Sometimes during class, the kids know if he is sleeping up on his cat tower, they have to ask me to pet him, and sometimes I might say no and say to them, ‘He needs his space.’ That’s just a boundary that kids should learn too,” she shares. “They’re allowed to tell other people that they need space. He teaches so many things.”
Students now bring him treats or toys from home and even draw portraits of Pinecone to give Smith, highlighting what a “sense of community he’s created.”
“He’s just helped change the school culture. He’s part of the school culture. People will joke and they’ll say ‘Pinecone for principal,’ or ‘Pinecone should be our mascot.’ He just really creates that sense of community,” Smith shares.
Source: Nature
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