By Matt Kyle | Staff Writer
Shadow, the cat who has lived behind Castellaw Communications Center for over 10 years, recently got a new covered, elevated feeding station.
Dr. Doriann Beverly, senior coordinator of community service, said the station is a prototype of the stations the informal group of cat caretakers plans to install around campus. Beverly said having a covered, elevated feeding station would prevent other animals from accessing the cats’ food, keep the food dry during weather events, easily identify the cat colonies and keep the area where the cats live clean.
“One of our main goals in working with the cats has always been to improve and increase the health and safety of everybody on this campus,” Beverly said. “We don’t want to attract skunks or raccoons or anything else that might be attracted to cat food. Giving the caretakers a feeding station where they have a specific place to put the food, it’s easily identifiable. If someone were to fill in for me, they could find the feeding station and put the food exactly where it needs to be.”
Beverly said the station was built by Aramark, and a second one was also built for the cat colony at Cashion Academic Center, which has yet to be installed.
Beverly said the plan is to install these stations at every colony around campus, but the current issue is actually getting them built. Since the group of caretakers is an unofficial one, Beverly said the funds for the stations must be raised through donations.
Beverly also said she was looking to possibly make the building of the stations a service project at Baylor or for an interested student group so that there would be more people who could actually help build the stations.
Another possible option would be the creation of an official student group to care for the cats — something the cat caretakers have been hoping to do for a while.
Dr. Tim Campbell, a lecturer in the department of anthropology who feeds the cats at Cashion and North Russell Hall, said several students have expressed interest in forming an official student group. By having an official group, Campbell said it would give the cats better care by establishing regular feeding schedules, and if one of the caretakers cannot feed the cats, someone would be available in their place.
“If I’m gone for a couple of days, who’s going to feed them?” Campbell said. “If there’s a good mass of people, when someone gets sick or leaves, there’s a backup. It would take the burden and stress off of people like me.”
Fort Myers, Fla., freshman Ashley Walters said she currently helps feed the cats whenever Campbell isn’t able to. She said she is trying to spearhead the creation of a student group because she believes it is important to take care of the cats on campus.
“I’ve always been a cat lover,” Walters said. “Having cats on campus is a stress relief. Knowing that the cats are happy and they’re having a good life helps me have a better experience at Baylor.”
Campbell said any students who are interested in joining the potential student group can contact him at timothy_campbell@baylor.edu.
