By Piper Rutherford | Staff Writer
As winter brings chilly and freezing temperatures to Waco, college and employees are participating in conserving campus cats heat and fed — and college students can too.
According to a 2021 Lariat article, campus cats’ caretakers mentioned round 100 cats reside on campus.
Dr. John Cunningham, senior lecturer within the division of training, mentioned he treats Shadow of Castellaw Communications Center as certainly one of his personal, and the chilly climate is not any exception. He mentioned her two homes are lined with blankets, since blocking the wind is essential to conserving her heat.
“Shadow is super resourceful,” Cunningham mentioned. “She will go down the gutter in weather like this by the engineering building, since the pipes are insulated and help her stay warm.”
According to Brooke Farrell, director of group relations at Waco’s Humane Society, college students who’re impressed by Cunningham’s relationship with Shadow can donate blankets to campus cats or seize meals from the pet meals pantry on the Humane Society to feed them.
Farrell additionally shared her tips about making outside shelters comfy for campus cats.
“This can be as simple as using a cardboard box with a tarp around it, in which we encourage students to use straw for insulation rather than hay, since straw is more water-repellant,” Farrell mentioned. “Also, it is important to note that hot water freezes faster than cold water, so we recommend using colder water when caring for the cats to extend the amount of time before the water freezes.”
Farrell mentioned to be cognizant of cats which might be experiencing an excessive or life-threatening response to the chilly climate. She mentioned there are a number of indicators a cat is ailing or injured.
“One of the biggest tells is that a cat is unresponsive, which is not a normal behavior, regardless of whether a cat has a feral or friendly personality,” Farrell mentioned. “When approaching a cat, they should either run away or come closer to you, so if they are not moving, not even shivering, then it is time to bring them into the Waco community shelter.”
