by Brooke Carbo
Bunny, a two-year-old longhair tabby, is UAB's Cutest Pet 2024 by popular vote of the UAB community. Hear from Bunny's owner below and see the other 10 finalists and meet 25 runners-up in this slideshow.Animal companions can have a profound impact on the people around them. Pets don’t just fill a home with fun and fur, they also bring love, companionship and improved mental health to everyone in the household.
“The bonds we see between people and animals are truly amazing, showing just how much joy, strength, and healing these connections can bring,” said Hand in Paw Volunteer and Programs Manager Stephanie Stoltzner.
Healthy connections
The Birmingham-based nonprofit provides animal-assisted therapy services to medical centers, schools and service organizations, helping children with special needs, at-risk youth, struggling students and people with chronic and terminal illnesses throughout north central Alabama.
“At Hand in Paw, our animal-assisted therapy brings a special kind of magic to everyone we meet,” said Stoltzner. “Whether it’s helping students de-stress, offering comfort in hospitals, or simply brightening someone’s tough day with a wagging tail and a friendly nuzzle, our teams make a heartfelt difference.”
According to Hand in Paw, spending time with therapy dogs can increase the body’s level of oxytocin and serotonin, which boosts happiness and wellbeing, and help lower levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress. Pet owners are also shown to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol, have a reduced risk of asthma and are more likely to survive a heart attack than non-pet owners.
UAB's Cutest Pet 2024: Bunny
This past month, UAB Employee Wellness spotlighted the special bond between humans and their pets with a pet photo contest for UAB employees. From the nearly 400 photos submitted, 10 finalists were selected and last week the UAB community was invited to vote for their pick for UAB’s Cutest Pet.
When all the votes were tallied, the winner was Bunny. The 2-year-old longhair tabby is what her owner, Jenny Duckworth, an Academic Advisor III in UAB’s Vulcan Materials Academic Success Center, calls a “foster fail.” Duckworth met the kitten when she was brought into the Tuscaloosa Animal Shelter.
“She was just a few weeks old, severely malnourished and so frail,” said Duckworth. “We weren’t sure she’d make it through the night.”
Duckworth, who has experience caring for and fostering sick animals, took Bunny home, gave her fluids and antibiotics, and set her up on a heating pad. The next morning, when she asked the kitten if she was still with her, she got a long, loud meow in response.
Two year later, Bunny now helps Duckworth in fostering other stray kittens — bathing them, curling up with them and helping to socialize them so they’re ready to be adopted. Duckworth said she and Bunny are currently fostering two kittens for Kitty Kat Haven and Rescue in Hoover and urges owners to spay and neuter their pets — “because not every cat will be as lucky as Bunny.”
Duckworth feels equally lucky to have Bunny in her life, describing her adopted companion as loving, gentle and super intuitive.
“When I’m stressed out or sad, she’ll come lay beside me and tap me with a paw to get my attention, so I end up playing with her instead of doom scrolling on my phone or worrying about something going on at work,” said Duckworth. “It’s really hard to be sad when you’re playing fetch with Bunny.”
Meet all of this year’s finalists, as well as 25 of the cutest honorable mentions — including Best Head Tilt, Biggest Party Animal and Most Likely to Steal Your Lunch — in the UAB Pets Who’s Who slideshow at uab.edu/petpics.
UAB's cutest adoptable pet
Want to make your home instantly cuter while boosting your mental health? Meet Quinn!
Quinn was submitted to the UAB’s Cutest Pet Contest by her foster mom, UAB Medicine Clinical Informaticist Hallie Luckianow. This adorable runner-up is an 11-month-old spayed Retriever/Shephard mix who enjoys hiking on a leash, playing with other dogs, going to pet-friendly establishments, then coming home to snuggle on the couch in her jammies.
Quinn is looking for her forever home. She is available for adoption through Two by Two Animal Rescue in Birmingham.
