It appears as if Cal Poly not only has a soft side for mustangs but for cats as well.
The Cal Poly Cat Program (CPCP) was started in 1992 as a senior project to minimize the amount of feral cats roaming around on campus. Since Garret Quindimil took off with his idea 18 years ago, the program has saved the lives of more than 450 cats.
The “Test, Trap, Vaccinate, Medicate, Alter, and Release (TTVMAR)” method, as named by the National Feral Cat Resource Center, was used by the program to prevent and care for the miscellaneous cats wandering around.
“When we first started, there were over 400 cats running around campus and a majority of them were sick or not fixed,” said program director Edie Griffin-Shaw. “Now, there are 30 or so around campus and about 50 in the shelter.”
As a way of determining which cats have been cared for and which haven’t, the program uses a clipping system.
“Once the cats have been taken care of, their ears will be clipped,” Griffin-Shaw said. (This is) when the tip of the ear is taken off. It’s a universal way for people to see that the cat has already been nurtured.”
After the cats have been spayed (female) or neutered (male) and vaccinated, they are either released back onto campus or put into the shelter. There are 12 feeding stations throughout Cal Poly, which provide the felines with dry food. Volunteers of the Cat Program monitor each station a minimum of twice a day to record any problems the cats may have or to find new ones. Primarily, the shelter room and CPCP are financially supported and operated by volunteers, who play a vital role in the program.
“The university provides the space. But for the rest, such as food, bills and litter, that is all funded by volunteers, community members and the general campus community,” Griffin-Shaw said.
The CPCP is constantly working on building more publicity in order to gain volunteers. As a way of getting attention from the Cal Poly community, it advertised during Week of Welcome’s (WOW) Block Party. The club set up a booth in hopes of acquiring new volunteers, and attracting the attention of students, including aerospace engineering sophomore Melody Hawkins.
“Originally, I saw the booth at WOW and signed up for the e-mail list,” Hawkins said. Since then, I’ve adopted two cats.”
However, some students are unable to adopt because of their living situation.
“When I first heard of the (Cal Poly) Cat Program, I thought of adopting,” said liberal studies senior Brittany Hall. “The only thing stopping me was where I lived. I lived in the dorms and wasn’t allowed. But it’s good that we have this because it gets stray cats off of campus, which we have a lot of.”
Students have witnessed a great deal of stray cats around campus but some have never been exposed to the CPCP.
“I’ve never heard of the CPCP on-campus, but I think it’s a good cause and very beneficial to have a place where stray cats can be. It’s a good contribution towards animal awareness,” said communication studies junior Fatema Etemadi.
Nevertheless, stray cats, especially younger cats and kittens, end up finding a home whether it is in the shelter or out in the wild. Several cats are even brought into the shelter due to health reasons or complications with a previous owner.
“We’ve had cats for years and years and we do have a decent number of additions,” Hawkins said. “Younger cats and kittens get sold really fast. (With) some of the cats, we know the history, like where they came from and why. Some were hurt, and we fixed them back up. Some cats had to be handed over to the shelter (voluntarily) because the person had lost their job and couldn’t afford to keep it.”
Because CPCP is mainly volunteer-based, there are many ways for students to be active and help support the program. Fundraising events are designated, such as raffles, to help promote and receive contributions for the CPCP. By purchasing a dollar raffle ticket, that money not only helps pay for the cat’s medicine and food, but it also increases the chances of winning a luxurious prize. Winnings in the past have included netbooks, a digital camera or dinner at a fancy restaurant.
“Even though some students may be allergic to cats, they can still help,” Griffin-Shaw said. “By donating, you’re giving money to the (Cal Poly) Cat Program. And even if you don’t win the raffle, you win in your heart.”