Another cat thread and a feel-good story about the humans that take care of them
I know that cat threads are appreciated on DU so I wanted to post this piece on the Southwestern University Website. The title of this piece is a play on the pirate mascot of Southwestern University.
Dogs Are Man’s Best Friend, but Cats Are a Pirate’s First Mate
Meet Southwestern University’s Cat Partners club and its furry, feline family.
by Brooke Shattuck, Class of 2021
Mister Squinty
In 2010, in the midst of working on her capstone project, sociology major Alex Brown ’11 learned about trap–neuter–return (TNR), a humane approach to addressing nondomesticated communities of cats. By safely trapping the animal, spaying or neutering them, and then returning them to their original area of residence, one can manage feral cat populations and reduce their numbers over a period of time without euthanization; the catch-and-kill method has proved to be futile considering that without ending the breeding cycle, feral cat populations will continue to reproduce. The TNR method can save cat lives, address community concerns, reduce complaints about feral cats, and stop the breeding cycle, thereby improving the existence between outdoor cats and humans in shared environments. Brown knew it had been successful at other university campuses, so she decided to try it at Southwestern. However, she didn’t realize the extent of the issue until she began.
Once Brown started regular feeding in one area, she realized that the problem was substantial and the overpopulation of the feral cats was significant. Campus administration had concerns about what the cats meant for pest control and maintenance because the cats loved to go under campus buildings, either through existing portals or by digging new entrances and egresses, possibly compromising the building’s foundational integrity, not to mention the detriment to the health of the kittens birthed in these dangerous areas. A solution was needed—quickly.
So with the help of Southwestern faculty and staff, the TNR team connected with Georgetown Animal Outreach (GAO), a local rescue group, and the Georgetown City Animal Shelter, and the cats were gradually trapped, neutered or spayed, and returned to campus by the end of the 2010–2011 academic year. All seemed well, thanks to the efforts of Brown and the community who worked to trap, neuter, and return the cats on campus. The work that Brown and others in the community did started in 2010, and shortly after, an official club was founded in 2011. And so goes the origin story of Cat Partners of Southwestern University (CPSU).
However, it can be said that there is a second origin story involving Faculty Administrative Assistant Kelly Lessard, a few science faculty members, and a particularly evasive Russian blue dubbed Gray Mama, all of whom arguably made CPSU what it is today.
The elusive Gray Mama
Read more: https://www.southwestern.edu/live/news/14676-dogs-are-mans-best-friend-but-cats-are-a-pirates
= new reply since forum marked as read
Momma and 2 of her kittens.
Best cats evah.
