Spring 1998--#7
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 214 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.
TORTIEGIRL RETURNS! See "Western campus cats" item in Cats On and Off Campus
What are they worth?
Late last year, in a much-publicized case, three young men broke into a private cat shelter in the Midwest. They bludgeoned over a dozen cats to death and hideously injured many more. A vet called to the scene described horrifying carnage, blood splattered from floor to ceiling and living and dead cats in mangled heaps on the floor. It was all done "for fun." When the case came to trial it caught the nation's attention, because the trial involved a jury's deciding what these cats were worth. Homeless until rescued by the shelter's operator, these cats had been loved. They had been vaccinated, and spayed or neutered. They had been provided, no doubt at great sacrifice, with food and shelter. The cats surviving the brutal attack had required extraordinary veterinary care. If they were judged to be worth significant money, their murderers would be guilty of a felony because of the value of the damaged property. But, shockingly, the defense convinced the jury that these cats were worth no more than the adoption fee at the local animal shelter. Because, the argument went, you can pick up stray cats and "free to a good home" cats anytime for nothing, the cats could not be considered to be valuable property. Therefore the men were found guilty of a misdemeanor. Although some townspeople were shocked by the attack and wanted strong punishment, others who were interviewed stated they were angry that the men were held accountable at all--"It's just cats." The state in which this occurred is now passing new legislation to make this level of cruelty to animals a felony.
What are cats worth? Every cat deserves care. The homeless ferals here on campus are provided with food and as much protection as we can give them. And more--they are provided with love. As one volunteer put it, "They are my family." Even feral cats are priceless. That is what they are worth.
And remember--if you are choosing not to spay and neuter your cats, if you are allowing more kittens to be born, then you are contributing to the reason some people see cats as having no value, because they are given away for free in their endless thousands every kitten season and tossed out like garbage in places like this campus. Please, do whatever you can to get your cats spayed and neutered now. Cats are not mere property--they are individuals capable of wonderful companionship with us. Show that cats are worth whatever it takes to give them a decent chance.
CATS ON AND OFF CAMPUS
Northern Campus Cats **Gray Kitty killed** Gray Kitty, who crouched near-invisible in the shadows of the trees, waiting for her food, wandered onto Stockdale Highway and was killed in November. Huge-O, the other cat to use this feeding station regularly, decided to move to the Modular buildings over the Christmas break in hopes of better shelter. So the current user is The Phantom, a scraggly long-haired tabby who appears now and then but seems to wander all over campus. If he settles down in one place we hope to be able to trap him.
Western Campus Cats **Tortiegirl returns!** After vanishing for many months when bushes around the Classroom Building were removed, Tortiegirl reappeared, to the astonishment and glee of her many fans. We think she may have crossed the fields to our west and found a friendly feeder at the hospital, but she hasn't let us in on her secret. When she reappeared, she was plump and shiny, so we know she found handouts. During the winter, she made friends with Laura Bishop, who took on Katy Kessler's feeding duties while Katy was out of town. Thanks, Laura! It is possible that Ashes lost a litter of kittens recently; Katy is trying to trap her so we can make sure she is spayed and healthy. Other cats here are a bit bewildered by more groundcover and shrubbery removal. We hope to give them a more secure base and to get them out of the central courtyard by installing a nearby feeding station that should be in place next week.
Southern Campus Cats **Bibs chats with feeders** Two gray tabbies have become regulars at this feeding station. One, Bibs, is quite a talker. An orange tabby was here several weeks during the winter, but moved on before he could be trapped.
Eastern Campus Cats **Black Kitten's near-death experience!** In November, staff at the Modular buildings reported that Black Kitten had been badly hurt. He'd been seen "with his leg hanging off," and left a blood trail. Intense rescue efforts went on for days, but he managed to hide himself or stay away from traps and nets. (Nooblak, a newcomer, was caught during these efforts.) His wound gaped, raw, for about three inches under one foreleg. He was seen after about two weeks limping painfully to the feeding station. Somehow, his leg eventually healed on its own. He's now completely recovered but sports a big scar. The cause of his injury was never determined. He and his brother Silva wait together for food when they aren't chased away by Huge-O, who thinks that he's top cat now that he moved from North Campus. Huge-O is certainly the biggest cat ever! White Kitty and Chatty Kitty have also learned to stay out of his way. For a few days, Patches, a feral male new to campus, attempted to move into this area but then moved on.
Big Dreams This summer Carol will be touring regional cat shelters to get ideas for the hoped-for cat haven. The California Feline Foundation in Fresno will be the first stop, next week. Next year we'll be shopping for a local property with the potential to be a dream home for cats rescued from campus.
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 Just after our last newsletter, Gray Kitty, a long-time campus resident , was run over and killed on Stockdale Highway. She had become almost ready to be touched on the nose when fed in her last few months here, after years of being seldom seen. Rescued cats Pip and Bear also died this winter. Sarah, diagnosed with leukemia when taken off-campus last Fall, died this Spring after staying in good shape until her last few days.
CATS WAITING FOR HOMES
There are a lot of cats waiting for adoption, but we'll just feature two here. Pictures of cats can be seen on our bulletin board across from DDH D113. 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 fairly well with other cats--he's a great big lovebug of a cat--he adores being draped over your shoulder or cuddling up at your feet--this guy deserves a home where he can get attention and the love he's so ready to give
Recycle, female tuxedo adult with the cutest nose, 1 1/2 years old, loves to be petted and gets along very well with other cats--she's done a complete turnaround from the skinny, frightened, abandoned cat found here last spring--she loves to play with toys and check out everything that's happening
RESCUE and RELOCATION LOG
11/97--Nooblak --trapped and relocated--Once several cats were removed from the Modular Buildings area last summer and fall, Nooblak moved right in from off-campus. He was trapped while a rescue of wounded Black Kitten was underway, and it seemed like a good opportunity to neuter him and take him off-campus, where he is getting plump and shiny though keeping his shy ways.
ADOPTION--LUCKY KITTY!
Congratulations to the family who adopted this fine campus feline!
Misty, Sandy Severy and family--5/98--Misty is making an adjustment to a home where there are no other cats and a whole human family--how strange for her! Luckily, Sandy and her family have lots of patience to try to see if Misty can make a go of it. Sandy says that Misty is initiating interactions and playfully "pouncing."
Spay/Neuter Coupons Temporarily Suspended
Kern County Animal Control has temporarily suspended the discount coupons toward spaying and neutering cats and dogs. Please keep your fingers crossed that they reinstate the program soon--we need it! Meanwhile, if you believe you may income qualify, contact the Cat People for an application for Spay Today (327-4706). Do it now--processing applications takes several weeks, as funds become available. If you adopted a kitten this spring, don't let teenage parenthood happen this summer. And if your cat had kittens, be sure to spay her before Round 2.
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.
Thanks for Donating and Buying All That Stuff!
We held three fundraisers this year--a jumble sale in November, See's candy all winter, and a used book sale May 21. Thanks to you, they were each a big success! Special meows go to Linda Mikita for her help with the jumble sale. Loud purrs go to the candy distributers who helped convert hundreds of chocolate bars into cash--Barbara Espinosa, Terri Guinn and the whole staff at Extended University, Lorraine Navarro, Armanda Ghilarducci, Melanie Butler, Patrick Choy, and Phil Whitney (who's spaying cats at BC now--yay, Phil!). The book sale was made possible by an amazing donation of 19 boxes of books from Lenore Pounds and Mary Moreland, along with bags of books from Jackie Kegley, Katy Kessler, Nelda Higgins, and Linda White. The cats did flips over all this generousity! (We have a great start on a book sale for the Fall Quarter, but if you have spares to donate, just get them to Carol.)
Thanks to Laura Bishop and Cyd Walker for feeding cats this winter when regular feeders were out of town.
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-- 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.
We picked up this reprinted list from the Summer 1998 newsletter of Alley Cat Allies.
Cat's Rights
Distributed by the San Francisco SPCA, "Building a No-Kill city."
The growing popularity of cats as companion animals has gone hand-in-hand with increased efforts to legislate, regulate, and even eradicate these animals from our midst. In light of this growing threat to cats' lives and welfare, we feel obligated to come forward and offer our perspective. We hope everyone will listen to all sides, participate in the debate, and reach their own conclusions. The fate of millions of cats depends on it.
1. The Right to be recognized as a unique and important species.
2. The Right to have their individual lives cherished and protected.
3. The Right to be free from cruelty and abuse.
4. The Right to receive aid and comfort, including food, water, shelter, and medical care.
5. The Right to a fair share of public resources for the care and treatment of companion animals.
6. The Right to be treated as equal members of the animal kingdom.
7. The Right to be represented accurately and humanely by those who speak on their behalf.