Perhaps you have seen them on your way to class: a glimpse of a fluffy tail darting behind a building or a pair of curious eyes and ears peering from a storm drain.
Roaming felines are plentiful at UCA’s campus and much to the enjoyment of the students.
UCA nursing student Nicole Patton said, “I think [the cats] are so cute and they brighten up my day when I’m not feeling it.”
Fellow student Hannah Smithson said, “I just wish I could pet them. They always run from me.”
Psychology and philosophy double major Magen Parton said, “I love them and they must be protected. I once saw five in a group pass by the library; it was so cute.”
Biology student Mattie Neighbors said she frequently feeds a group of these campus cats.
“They have become quite my buddies,” Neighbors said. “I feed the group of five to six behind Lewis every day, and I even keep a bag of cat food in my car now.”
Neighbors said she has endearingly named four of the cats that eat together after The Beatles.
“They’re always waiting for me at 7:30 a.m. — whenever I get to class — and it’s become my favorite part of my morning,” Neighbors said.
Associate Vice President for Facilities, Kevin Carter said there are no current policies surrounding the handling of campus cats or wildlife around UCA campus but added that it was the physical plant’s responsibility to trap and remove animals “when they become problematic in and around buildings.”
A cat sits next to a pile of food behind the library Feb. 2, 2023.
Carter said, “I will say that feeding the feral cats on campus is problematic because the cat food draws in other unwanted animals like skunks and opossums. About 10 years ago, it got so bad we trapped 27 skunks in one summer.
“Feeding the cats in the flower beds also creates problems for our grounds department because the cats use these areas as litter boxes. When the grounds workers are working on landscaping, it creates an unsanitary environment for them,” he said.
“We do try to remove food from beds when found for sanitary reasons,” Carter said.
The campus cats had a feeding area and kennels in the flower beds behind the hedges of the Torreyson Library Starbucks although they have since been removed.
As for her pack of cats, Neighbors said, “I have only ever seen them in the woody areas where no campus activities occur. The great news is that most of these cats have been spayed or neutered, so the main concern of overpopulation of kittens is not as prolific as one might think.”
“Consolidation of these cats to the areas that are further away from hot spots on campus would be a great idea, in my opinion, to remove them from gardens while allowing them to stay on-site,” Neighbors said.
“Of course, I am an avid cat lover, so I would love to see UCA implement a care plan for feeding and providing housing for them. Until this possibly happens, I will continue to feed them every day and greet them on my way to class,” she said.
“I know that so many of my peers have had nothing but positive experiences with the beloved campus cats. They are a little timid at first, but whenever they warm up to you, they can provide a warm welcome whenever you see them on campus,” she said.
Pre-vet professor Victoria McDonald said, “There’s a long backstory about the campus cats, which are now far, far fewer thanks to our diligent efforts to get them all neutered and spayed.
“I do not feed cats now, although in the past I did when I was actively involved in capturing them for neutering and spaying, as well as accepting kittens from the feral cats, prior to getting them all spayed, to place in foster care with the cat rescue I co-founded named CLAWS,” she said.
“We do not condone anyone other than one person, a library staff person, feeding the cats. This quirky exception will cease to exist within a year or less because the handful of cats remaining just north of [Lewis Science Center] are dying out,” she said.
“We emphatically do not want students to try to be good Samaritans and feed cats on their own initiative. It is actually against UCA policy for ‘wildlife’ to be fed.”
Hendrix College has found a way to make their campus cat population a part of the school community for several years, as a small colony of cats has flourished with the help of students and staff.
Two cats lurk behind Torreyson Library in February 2023. Before the fall 2023 semester, food was left out for the cats in the flower beds by the on-campus Starbucks location.
The Instagram account @hendrixcollegekittens monitors and highlights the colony for the community.
“Hendrix College Cats,” a 2020 book by Shelbey Winningham, catalogs the names and photos of the members of the colony along with the history of this aspect of Hendrix culture.
Winningham’s book can be found in the Hendrix College Spirit Store and on Amazon.
