Noelle Pappas
Staff Writer
During the final week of October, college students came upon two campus cats have been killed by automobiles. Campus Cat Club has begun a petition that’s working with campus Safety concerning extra security measures round busy visitors areas on campus.
The most recent deaths, Carrot and Jasper, occurred at busy intersections close to campus. Carrot was hit on Lake Hollingsworth Drive and Johnson Avenue, whereas Jasper was over on Frank Lloyd Wright Way. The Campus Cat Club, like many college students, are grieving the losses of those cats.
This petition was created by Christina Meiser, Campus Cat Club founder and present care group member, and Nicole Richmond, Cat Club President, after the deaths of Carrot and Jasper. It has surpassed the unique 1,000 signature aim and is now aiming for 1,500 signatures, as of Nov. 7. While the petition was began independently by the membership, they nonetheless hope the school will present assist when approaching the City of Lakeland.
“After their deaths, the execs had a meeting where we decided to create this petition to vouch for speed bumps, cat crossing signs, speed limit signs, and other traffic safety measures,” Richmond mentioned.
Not solely would this petition make the roads safer for the cats, however for pedestrians as effectively.
“The end result would be these different safety measures put in place to possibly avoid something worse than what has already occurred in these areas. With these precautions we hope to make FSC an even safer place for both humans and animals” Richmond mentioned. “While these measures will help the cats, we mainly want this to protect the student body as well.”
The petition appears to be like to realize “support of not only the student body, but safety as well to truly have the help of Florida Southern College with us in this effort,” Richmond mentioned.
Before Carrot and Jasper, there have been different cats that died as a consequence of a highway accident. Cats like Christina-Renee, Batman and Fuzzy have been all hit by automobiles.
Nonetheless, college students are likely to cling to those cats. Their welcoming presence, likability and luxury brings lots of safety to college students who’re on the lookout for one thing comforting. Richmond mentioned that “people use many of these cats as emotional support animals.” Students ceaselessly discover that cats turn into part of their each day routine, as they have an inclination to hang around across the similar areas.
The Campus Cat Club has been on campus since 2015 and has been formally acknowledged by the Student Government Association since 2016. They maintain occasions geared towards fundraising, in an effort to help with the prices of meals, vet care and anything the cats might have.
Caretakers are accountable for many issues, like feeding the cats, giving them their drugs, cleansing their stations, monitoring their well being and far more. Through doing so, they develop shut relationships with the cats and turn into hooked up to them, making deaths that a lot tougher.
“We love each and every cat as one of our own. Losing an older cat to cancer or other age-related ailments is heartbreaking enough… additional deaths caused by cars have absolutely devastated our team. We hope the petition will result in the improvement of traffic safety around campus, thus making Florida Southern a safer place for both humans and the cats,” Meiser mentioned on behalf of the Campus Cat Club.
