Student care for cats around West Campus Suites

Since the beginning of the academic year, sophomore Rachel Rushman noticed stray cats have startedto call the West Campus Suites’ parking lot their home. Since then, Rushman put effort into socializing with the cats throughout the school year. 

Rushman said she has identified at least three cats consistently in the parking lot since August – a white cat with orange spots who has a collar, a female orange cat and a male orange cat she named Pumpkin. Rushman said she also noticed Pumpkin’s clipped ear that indicated he was a Trap Neuter Return cat, which is why she believes Pumpkin was frightened of humans. Rushman said in order to socialize Pumpkin, others needed to interact with him as well.

“Something that I realized was that it takes a village to fully resocialize an animal,” Rushman said. “If you’re doing it by yourself, they’re gonna get really attached to you and it causes separation anxiety… I had to realize that I needed to really convince my friends to come out and start saying hi to him.”

Rushman said Pumpkin gradually opened up to others, and she would spend time with him in freezing weather caring for him. To care for Pumpkin, Rushman said she created a warm box for the cats across the street at her friend’s off-campus residence. She also fed Pumpkin minimally to ensure he still retained his hunting instincts. 

West Campus Resident Advisor Max McCracken said they were concerned about the cats’ growing proximity to the building and students littering cat food containers around West Campus.

“I think there is a fine line of doing these good things for the cats because it’s good, it’s humane and it’s something that we feel we need to do,” McCracken said. “But also, we have to think about people with allergies and the general safety of a building and the safety of the campus as well.”

Rushman said she contacted animal control, the Adair Humane Society and other local non-profit organizations for help. However, Rushman said each organization was full and did not have enough space to take in the cats. Rushman said she reached out to the West Hall Coordinator and was told the cats’ care was outside of Truman’s jurisdiction. However, Rushman said the C-Store was selling cat food for students to purchase

McCracken said there has been an overwhelmingly positive response from residents to the cats. Both McCracken and Rushman said they wish to see organizations take initiative to assist in providing for the cats. 

“I don’t think Truman has a responsibility to [care for the cats],” McCracken said. “But for publicity and for the general goodwill of keeping students happier because nobody likes to see cats freeze outside.”

Rushman said she wants students to continue to interact and care for the cats. Although Rushman has a close bond with Pumpkin, she said she cannot adopt him due to her allergies. She said her hope is for Pumpkin to find a forever home. 
“I have been specifically trying to keep the cats as far away from this part of the building as possible, as somebody who is allergic to animals and picked a non-pet housing facility for that reason,” Rushman said.