SACRAMENTO — Many college students like seeing the pair of felines roam freely at Sacramento’s Camellia Elementary School, however the district says they’re now not welcome.
Meet Fred and Gracie, two cats who’ve lived on the campus for 3 years.
Margaret Myers is a trainer who started caring for the cats once they first appeared, and even now that she’s retired, she nonetheless comes again to examine on them.
“They’ve actually been instrumental in serving to convey stress reduction and luxury to the children and workers,” Myers stated.
The two cats actually have a column within the campus newspaper.
Gracie is feral and does not often method folks, however Fred is pleasant and, sometimes, he is been invited into school rooms.
“The children are very accepting of Fred,” Myers stated. “He’s by no means scratched anybody, bitten anybody.”
A criticism was lately filed saying the cats do not belong on college grounds.
“There have been some issues that maybe having Fred on campus posed some well being issues,” stated Brian Heap, a spokesperson for the Sacramento City Unified School District. “There are a few of our college students and workers who could be allergic.”
So the college district says Fred has to go.
“In this explicit case, we’re speaking about both feral or stray cats, and we simply haven’t got a means to have the ability to management them wandering by way of the halls, going into school rooms and doubtlessly inflicting a nuisance or a well being and security danger,” Heap stated.
The college has not but advised the youngsters in regards to the choice.
“I believe they are going to be actually upset,” Myers stated. “I believe it’ll be considerably traumatic for a few of the children.”
The college, which has a cougar as a mascot, is now hoping to place Fred in a brand new home.
However, Myers desires a compromise: hold the cats out of the buildings however permit them to remain.
“Just let the cats be,” she stated. “They’re not hurting anybody.”
The district says there is no agency timeline for elimination, and the town’s animal shelter says it at the moment doesn’t decide up wholesome stray cats.
