A student was left with some explaining to do after discovering their rescue cat had eaten large parts of a homework assignment due the next day.
The ‘dog ate my homework’ is one of the oldest and least-convincing excuses ever offered up in the world of education and academia with a history that dates back over a century.
Slate says that, in 1905, an issue of The Cambrian, a magazine for Welsh Americans, featured an anecdote involving a priest who, following a service, pulled a clerk aside to ask whether his sermon had been long enough.
When told it was “just the right length,” the priest responded: “I am very glad to hear you say that, because just before I started to come here, my dog got hold of my sermon and ate some of the leaves.”
Since then, it has evolved to become more of an expression referring to an instance where a student has come up with a poorly fabricated excuse for failing to submit an assignment on time.
There have been occasional instances where dogs have been found guilty of genuinely eating homework, but those involved often take some convincing.
You have to wonder what university study Dario Barberi’s teachers thought when he came to them with his own tale of woe.
Barberi is studying in Emilia-Romagna in Italy, where he lives with his 2-year-old cat, Tilly. “I adopted her in January 2023,” he told Newsweek. “She’s really playful and loves sitting in my chair.”
Unfortunately, Tilly’s playful nature landed her in a whole heap of trouble recently.
Barberi came home one day recently to discover Tilly looking guilty and the remnants of a series of pieces of paper that she had seemingly been trying to eat scattered around on the floor.
Tilly’s human companion was not necessarily averse to her enjoying a bit of paper if she so wished but quickly changed his tune when he realized his pet had been eating his homework assignment. Barberi was in big trouble. “The homework was basically due the next day,” he said.
Barberi partly blames himself for what happened. “I had left the assignment on the floor next to the rucksack,” he said. “She loves playing with paper and cloths. So, she probably found it and tore it apart.”
What was especially frustrating for Barberi though was that his cat had chosen to play with his papers rather than the cat toys he purchased for her, which have largely been left untouched. “I don’t even want to think about it,” Barberi said. “We spent like 30 euros [$32.70] in scratching posts and toys, and she hasn’t even looked at them.”
Despite the wanton destruction, it is clear Barberi struggles to stay mad at Tilly. That could be partly down to the fact she endured a tough start to life. “She was found by a local volunteer group at an abandoned warehouse with a severe abdomen infection,” Barberi said.
Fortunately, Barberi was able to do the homework again after being granted a short extension by his teacher. He said: “I am usually a very diligent student and thus the teacher didn’t doubt my excuse, especially since I brought a new one anyway.”
Still, Barberi might want to keep those assignments out of Tilly’s reach, especially around dinner time.
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