Fall 1997--#6
Phone: 664-2370 (Carol Raupp)
Campus Cats aims to spay or neuter feral (wild) cats on campus, rescue kittens and tame adult cats and find them homes, and have any campus cats who are seriously ill or wounded euthanized. Efforts underway in the past several years have resulted in over 213 rescues and the spaying or neutering of most cats remaining on campus. Unfortunately, the campus continues to be a dumping ground for people abandoning pets.
**Fundraiser! Be sure to come to the jumble sale Nov. 13!(page 5)
Where do they belong?
With several different wordings I heard the same message three times this summer--"Don't get me wrong, I like cats, but they just don't belong on campus." To my response, "Then where do they belong?" the answer seemed to be vague--that we should take them away--somewhere--and get them homes--somehow. For those who are not familiar with Campus Cats or who have misunderstood what we do and what the cats need, let me provide some information. The way Campus Cats operates is not just humane, it is also the best means of population control for cats here on campus.
In the immediate time before Campus Cats started up, the campus removed "surplus" feral cats by trapping them and taking them to an animal shelter, where they were killed because they were too wild to handle. About 75 cats were removed this way in a two-year period, and the campus was still overrun with breeding cats. Campus Cats during its several years of operation has removed over 200 cats from campus. They are not killed unless they are terminally ill. We would love for them to be adopted--few are. Most potential adopters contacting us want friendly 8-week-old kittens of a certain color. Relatively few cats rescued from campus are immediately adoptable because they are traumatized by abandonment or they are feral kittens. They must be socialized before adoption. Many are in what we euphemistically call permanent foster care. The animal shelters generally can't take unsocialized or traumatized cats, and any campus cats we turned in to shelters would displace other community cats who also need the chance to find a home.
Campus Cats does not bring or purposely attract new cats to campus. The sad fact is that this entire community is overrun with cats because too few people spay and neuter. As we have reduced the number of resident cats here to a bare minimum (about 20) more feral cats are moving in through their natural process of roaming. That (not mere sentiment) is one important reason why we try to keep some of the feral cats born on campus living here--it is less likely new cats will move in if old timers are here. And our resident cats are spayed and neutered, whereas new cats probably aren't, and are likely to create new explosions of kittens, a problem we are just now getting under control here after years of efforts.
Some concern has also been expressed about our four feeding stations where food is put out for our resident cats. Why do we need them? Again, apart from powerful humanitarian reasons, they are a means of population control--the feeding stations are also where we trap cats, a process that usually takes weeks and sometimes months for a particular cat. Cats abandoned on campus (20-30 per year) tend to find their way to a feeding station, are noticed there, and eventually trapped. Trapping relies on getting the cats to the point where they have a routine and feel secure--scared cats do not go in traps.
If you have a concern about the cats on campus, tell us. But try to have something more constructive to say than, "They don't belong here." And how about pitching in to help?
CATS ON AND OFF CAMPUS
Northern Campus Cats Huge-o (the biggest cat in the world) and Gray Kitty (one of our oldest old timers) continue to share their dinners peaceably with kit foxes.
Western Campus Cats Tortie Girl and others missing since last year have never returned to the Faculty Tower area. Snaggles, Youngster, Gray Mom, and Mama continue to be fed by Katy Kessler and Sue Wallace, with weekend help from Phil Whitney and Jeff Spencer. We are trying out a no-ant food dish,hoping it will not be stolen, to replace paper plates that have been used.
Southern Campus Cats Plans to move the southern campus feeding station were accepted by several staff members in nearby buildings but torpedoed by one person who doesn't want any cats on campus. Pip, Flash, and Hisser (3 residents there) have been removed from campus. However, this will be likely to create new openings for cats wandering in from the direction of the Marketplace.
Eastern Campus Cats As a result of a horrible (but never diagnosed) smell under Modular Building 2, animal access underneath the building was sealed off. (Six baby possums caught under the building were eventually trapped out and released by Facilities Management staff.) Resident cats now have minimal shelter. Three "Mod 2" cats (Mothy, Cali2, and Silly Eyes Boy) and one occassional visitor (Rodrigo) have been removed from campus. Residents Silva and Black Kitten, along with visitors White Kitty and Chatty Kitty, still use the feeding station and have not yet been trapped for relocation. As could have been predicted, though, as residents have been removed one new cat (Nooblak) has already appeared.
New Bulletin Board Campus Cats thanks Tina Giblin and her family for helping to decorate the snazzy new Campus Cats bulletin board across from DDH D113. It features very cute photos of the simply irresistible cats looking for homes. Thanks also to Jess Deegan, Luis Vega, and Dick Noel for installing the board.
Little Dreams and Big Dreams As winter rolls around with its predicted El Nino rains, our little dream is to set up small feeding shelters at our regular campus locations. We need to protect the cats' food from rain, bugs, and ducks. If you have design ideas or could donate materials, let us know. Meanwhile, the big dream. If all goes well, in 18-24 months a rural property will be purchased where the cats in foster care can be housed in safety, roominess, and comfort. Stay tuned.
Reward Carol Raupp is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to the successful arrest and prosecution of any person(s) abandoning cats on campus. This cruel crime must stop! Helpful information includes time, date, exact location, description of person and vehicle, license number, and description of the cat(s).
Obituaries for Old-timers Scamper, a long-haired tortie in foster care for about three years, died suddenly of undiagnosed systemic failure. Over the summer, a cat's body (badly decayed) was found in the Faculty Tower area. The cat was a short-haired tabby but we do not know who it was and the body was too deteriorated to be autopsied for a cause of death. Pistol, one of the three kittens rescued after being dumped in a bucket near FACT, died after being adopted by Jan Rogers. We grieve for them all, including the anonymous cat who represents the fate of far too many ferals.
Squash Those Rumors I have been asked if Campus Cats supplies cat corpses for dissection in CSUB biology classes. No! The prepared corpses used are purchased from a biological supply company. Sadly, it is cats from other places who are in the same boat as our campus cats (abandoned, unwanted) who wind up being killed for these educational purposes. Campus cats will not be used in the new CSUB Animal Research Facility, either (it is not constructed to house cats, nor would campus cats be used even if it were). Is there a scientific use for campus cats? Sure--I'd love to see some naturalistic observations of the resident cats or attitude surveying among human campus members.
CATS WAITING FOR HOMES
Pictures of most of these cats can be seen on our new bulletin board across from DDH D113. These cats have their vaccinations and are spayed/neutered if old enough. Contact Carol for details.
Rodrigo, male adult medium-haired gray tabby, 3 years old, extremely friendly and calm, gets along well with other cats--he's a great big lovebug of a cat
Recycle, female tuxedo adult with the cutest nose, 1 1/2 years old, loves to be petted and gets along well with other cats--she's done a complete turnaround from the skinny, frightened, abandoned cat found here last spring
Misty Bisty and Flora Victoria, 7 months, Misty (short-haired pastel tortie) delights in playing in tap water and Flora (short-haired shimmery gray and white) delights in hiding behind doorways and surprising other cats or people--they are sisters
Poodah and Jane, 7 months--sisters--Poodah (short-haired black with white whiskers) and Jane (short-haired light gray tabby) are cautious, but once they're on your lap they just love to be petted
Sarah, female long-haired tabby-point Siamese mix, 3 years old, needs a very special home (indoors only with no other cats)--she has no symptoms at this time but has tested positive for feline leukemia virus--her health outlook is good right now: she could hold steady for years or have a shortened lifespan--Sarah is loving, sweet, beautiful, and has a sense of fun--can anybody give her a chance?
Nicely, female tuxedo, young adult, loves people but wants to be an only cat (tolerates others)
Maaa, female gray tabby, adult, loves people but gets bullied by other cats, needs a safer place
RESCUE and RELOCATION LOG
These cats rescued over the summer and fall give us a total of 15 cats rescued or relocated so far this year. Some (Sarah, Rodrigo) were abandoned by cruel, irresponsible people and are looking for homes following rescue. Others (ferals born on campus: Sweety Pie, Pip, Mothy, Cali2, Silly Eyes Boy, Flash, and Hisser) were oldtimers on campus who have been displaced because of loss of their homes (habitat) on campus. These cats are now in permanent foster care, not available for adoption. What can you do? Adopt a rescued campus cat, and be sure to spay/neuter your own.
6/28/97--Sweety Pie--trapped and relocated--a long-term resident, Siamese mix, who lived under the storage bin between DDH and SCI II--she was caught while Rodrigo was the target, and given the uncertain future of her housing, removed from campus
8/8/97--Sarah--rescued--abandoned on campus, she was first spotted in May but it took months to catch up with her and convince her people are friendly (see cats looking for homes)
9/20/97--Mothy--trapped and relocated due to closure of Mod2 shelter access--Mothy always led the pack running out to greet the feeder--one of our senior residents, she was born under Mod1
9/21/97--Pip--trapped and relocated due to problems getting acceptance for relocation of South campus feeding station--Pip is a youngster who had just been spayed last spring
9/27/97--Cali2--trapped and relocated at Mod2--Mothy's friend and agemate
10/5/97--Rodrigo--rescued--a newcomer to campus in early summer, he also took a long time to trust again--he'd talk to the feeder but wouldn't be picked up--now he's a lovebug (see cats looking for homes)
10/7/97--Silly Eyes Boy--trapped and relocated at Mod2--he was missing for 4 days in August and returned with a nasty leg wound, but wouldn't be trapped--luckily the wound healed on its own--after Mod2 was closed up, Silly Eyes Boy decided he liked fried chicken a lot, even served in a trap
10/29/97--Flash and Hisser--trapped and relocated from South campus--now they can rejoin their buddy Pip--Hisser hisses but Flash loves to twine around the feeder's legs
ADOPTIONS--LUCKY KITTIES!
Congratulations to the families who adopted these fine campus felines!
Sylvia and Bear, Jan Rogers--after Jan and her husband offered to foster the three kittens found in a bucket last spring, they just couldn't part with them! Although Pistol didn't make it, Sylvia and Bear are doing great and are receiving a lot of loving care from Mojave (a previously-adopted campus cat).
Ruth, Imelda Mawhinney and family--6/19/97--remember Ruth? when the vets checked her out after her rescue they wrote "very nice" on her chart because she's so sweet. She found a very nice family!
$10 Spay/Neuter Coupons Available on Campus
Campus Cats is one of the outlets for Kern County Animal Control discount coupons worth $10 toward spaying or neutering your cats. Any Kern County resident may have these coupons. One hundred and seventeen coupons have been given out so far. We also have a few $20 coupons for those with strong financial need. Coupons are available for up to three cats per family and are accepted at every vet in Kern County. They are good for 30 days after issuance. If you have been waffling about spaying or neutering your cats, please (we're begging!) pick up a coupon and get it done now. The SPCA recently held another emergency adoption week to try to handle the unbelievable number of kittens they are still seeing (kitten season should have been over in July but we're still seeing new litters.) This is definitely one of those issues where if you're not part of the solution you're a big part of the problem. Contact Carol, DDH D113, -2370.
The Straight Scoop on Naughty Kitties
or
We never let her out--How'd she get pregnant!
Speaking of spaying and neutering--the other day I was talking to a student about the mother cat and teen-age (4-month-old) kittens she'd generously taken in. She was picking up a spay coupon for momcat (yay!). She wanted to make sure momcat didn't become pregnant again by neighborhood tomcats. When I pointed out that she also had to look out for mother-son matings, she was a bit shocked, saying this had not occurred to her. Oh, yeah, those naughty kitties! They just don't know any better. If you're taking care of momcats and their kittens, be sure to get the momcat spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned (by about 12 weeks), well before the kittens are sexually mature. While she's at the vet's, be sure to keep the kittens in a safe place so they don't wander off looking for her. And, of course, have the kittens spayed or neutered as soon as they're old enough (4-6 months).
WWW Sites
Check out feline sites on the WWW! Go to the CSUB homepage, Academic Programs, Departments, Psychology, Faculty, Carol Raupp, and PSY 377: People and other animals, to find 300 or so animal-related sites, set up courtesy of a TLC grant. Feline sites are located largely under companion animal and animal welfare categories.
A Holiday Wish
Instead of demanding an out-of-season second-litter-of-the-year tiny kitten for a holiday gift, how about adopting an adult or one of the teen-age (7-month-old) kittens born last spring?
Major Fundraiser Nov. 13! Jumble Sale and See's Candy
Campus Cats launches its 1997-98 fundraisers (better late than never) Nov. 13 from 11 to 5:30 in the DDH Hallway with a jumble sale and See's candybar extravaganza. What's a jumble sale, you say? Well, it's a little of everything (see below). We need donations of items for the sale and some volunteer help to work that day (including set-up and take-down). This is a good time to contribute those awkward stashed away never-used gifts! Free spay/neuter discount coupons will be available at the sale, of course.
Items for sale (so far):
New, for cats--balls, fun gloves, teasers, wheat grass seeds, cat hammocks
New, for people--cat-decorated blanket, cat windsculpture, cat-care books, children's storybooks about cats, Victorian cats shelf liner, wildflower or sea otter t-shirt, animal notecards, white pullover blouse
Used--books, photo frames, and articles too numerous and wonderful to mention
Edible--See's candybars, $1 each--plain milk chocolate, plain dark, milk chocolate with almonds, milk chocolate with toffee bits, or dark with almonds (also available after Nov. 13--can you help sell some?)
DONATIONS NEEDED--
If you haven't contributed yet this year, now's the time.
Please help if you can! Send tax-deductible donations to the Foundation, specifying the Campus Cats account (#3010-471) or send them via Carol Raupp in Psychology. Donations make you a Campus Cats member.
Campus Cats' wish list also includes the following--donations to the jumble sale, jumble sale workers, candy sellers, cat food contributors, and of course, adopters.
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DONATION FORM--Return to C. Raupp, Psychology, DDH D113
Name, campus phone & address
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Membership/donation $_______ (Checks to "CSUB Foundation", #3010-471)
(Any amount is welcome--suggested donations are $5 students, $6 staff, $7 faculty)
Thanks to Southwest Vets for all their help!
This newsletter is not printed at state expense.