This semester has introduced a mysterious enhance within the variety of stray cat sightings round campus, and a few college students have found the photogenic nature of our newfound Commodore cats.
These cats have grow to be a subject of dialog amongst college students throughout campus, who see them every day because the cats roam campus. Recently, a gaggle of campus cat fans has fashioned a GroupMe supposed to share sightings and tales of the brand new campus habitants.
There is a scarcity of conclusive proof as to precisely the place these stray cats got here from. However, college students often noticed cats across the Carmichael Towers earlier than their demolition in 2021 which was carried out to make room for the brand new building of Residential College C. The implosion of the towers appears to have pushed the cats out for the previous two years, however now they’ve made their reappearance.
Students have found patterns of their sightings with these cats. Junior Zander Raycraft is a member of the Vanderbilt cat sighting neighborhood and commented on his noticings.
“Every morning without fail I see a cat with a bobtail chilling and hanging in the forest outside [Featheringill Hall],” Raycraft stated.
The cat has been nicknamed “Purrnelius” by college students, quick for “Purrnelius Vandermeow,” and has a particular quick tail.
A detailed-up of Purrnelius, as photographed on Oct. 10, 2023. (Hustler Multimedia/Alice Tang)
Another stray cat often encountered by college students is a grey kitten that visits the Alumni Hall and EBI space day-after-day. The grey kitten is well-liked amongst college students and has garnered nicknames similar to Rothschild, Spooky and Homeless Melody. Other cats which have been sighted embrace a black cat round Blakemore and two kittens close to Kissam, one striped and one black. The Kissam kittens have been noticed collectively on a number of events.
The grey kitten sits in entrance of EBI, as photographed on Oct. 24, 2023. (Hustler Multimedia/Alice Tang)
Several members of the cat sightings GroupMe, Vandy Cat Sightings, have taken it upon themselves to feed the cats. Senior Shelby Pybus purchased kitten meals and retains it along with her for run-ins with the grey kitten.
“I’ve bumped into the gray kitten several times [and] feed it kitten food, give it water and have tried catching it once,” Pybus stated.
These stray cats have confirmed themselves capable of finding meals on their very own; Purrnelius has been witnessed searching squirrels and bunnies on campus. Students have famous that whereas the cats appear pleasant, they nonetheless have feral tendencies and that college students must be cautious when approaching the strays. Sophomore Rachel Marlowe shared her story about an encounter she had earlier within the semester.
“I got too close and caught [the gray kitten] off guard. [It] scratched up the palms of my hands,” Marlowe stated. “They seem to be more domesticated, but always be cautious.”
There have been discussions about what subsequent steps must be taken in caring for the stray cats. A scholar adoption was organized for the grey kitten and is at the moment pending. Junior Lark Harrington is a member of the Vandy Cat Sightings chat and says there was discuss of different actions as properly.
“Someone posted that an organization called the Pet Community Center will be doing a trapping event for our campus cats starting on Dec. 11,” Harrington stated.
The Pet Community Center goals to cut back the feral cat inhabitants by vaccinating and spaying/neutering feral cats.
While these stray cats aren’t the same old campus critters that college students are used to, they’re turning into a part of the Commodore household.
