What a Year for Our Whiskered Residents

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USI Campus Cats is Not a Rescue
I feel like a broken record some days, but it’s important to say again: we are not a rescue. Still, abandoned cats and kittens continue to show up on campus. Please work with a local rescue instead of leaving unwanted pets in a feral colony. It’s unsafe for the cats and disrupts the established colony dynamics. This fall alone, two new tabbies appeared at separate feeding stations and have significantly disrupted the routine and behavior of the resident cats.

Not a Rescue but Yes, We Did Rescue in 2025
Because some people continue to dump pets, 2025 brought several cats needing help. We are endlessly grateful to Feline Fix for their partnership in TNR and adoption efforts.

January: I was contacted about a cat on campus near the Support Services building. She had a clipped ear indicating she was likely a fixed feral. The staff in the building nicknamed her DC and took turns feeding her during the week. A USI Campus Cats volunteer fed her on weekends. DC’s sweet and friendly demeanor won over one of the employees who took her home the end of May.

February: Two kittens, tabby brothers, were left at our most recognizable feeding station in February. A USI employee fostered these beauties through Feline Fix.

April: A beautiful black cat showed up at one of the feeding stations and it was clear this cat was someone’s pet. Long story short while not microchipped we were able to determine its owner. USI Campus Cats covered the costs to neuter, vaccinate, and microchip the cat. After about a week with us, owner and cat were happily reunited.

May/June: Finally we trapped an adult cat that started showing up in February (Hobbes) and a kitten who was found in early June (Poppy).

August: Students started sharing on social media about a kitten in Housing. After closely following the posts over a couple of weeks, I realized it wasn’t just one kitten. It was two. They were just hanging out in two different apartment areas on campus and once we trapped them in September it was clear these two were brother and sister. The brother, now known as Onion, was adopted by the student who caught him. His sister, who I named Evie joined me and my other two cats.

October: A male unneutered tabby showed up at one of the feeding stations completely upsetting Nox and Loki. Right now I call the cat Tabby and his presence has caused Nox to go weeks without showing up at feeding time. Nox is just now starting to show up again but not yet consistently. The plan is to trap Tabby, get him neutered, and determine if he can become an indoor cat. Yes, we will check for a microchip.

Also, around the same time that Tabby arrived on campus another tabby began visiting our largest feeding station. This cat has a clipped left ear indicating it may already be a fixed feral. Unsure of its gender, we have nicknamed it Elphie (Wicked reference) because she is extremely vocal. In the beginning, Marley was very sweet and would headbutt her in a comforting way to help calm her. The other cats were tolerant of her too. However, that has since changed and she is more combative with the cats and Indie seems somewhat scared of her. Again, we plan to trap Elphie to have her checked by a vet and confirm she isn’t microchipped.

Those We Carry With Us
This year we experienced loss.

On Memorial Day, we finally trapped New Kitty who was renamed Hobbes. He had started showing up on campus in February. His sporadic presence made it difficult to know when and where he might be to set up a trap. Observations suggested he was older and not in the best health. Suspecting that this might be a hospice foster situation, Hobbes was seen by a vet on the fourth day after being caught. The news was devastating. While not as old as anticipated (just around five years old), he was terminally ill. USI Campus Cats volunteers chose the compassionate decision to end his suffering and let him rest in peace.

A couple of weeks later a tiny kitten was found by a volunteer at the largest feeding station. Clearly, this kitten was starving and had been abandoned on campus. I took her home to foster. Affectionately named Poppy, she enjoyed two weeks of love, attention, and care. Unfortunately, Poppy’s health suddenly deteriorated, and the emergency vet diagnosed her with FIP. While there is now treatment available for FIP, Poppy was too frail and the illness too advanced for her to fight. As hard as it was to make another decision so soon after Hobbes, we chose to not let Poppy suffer any longer and let her body rest peacefully.

Then in early July, Dusty, our big man on campus, disappeared without any indication as to what happened. His disappearance was followed by Mama T going missing a month later – they both lived at the same feeding station. Their absence is still felt deeply and not knowing what happened makes it even more overwhelming to accept. They were familiar faces, big personalities, and steady presences in their spaces, and we miss them every day.

Volunteers and Donors
None of this would be possible without our incredible volunteers who feed the cats twice a day, every day, and our donors who help supply food, cover vet care, and provide essentials like our new wooden feeders. Donated food makes it possible for students to participate without worrying about cost, and monetary support keeps rescued cats healthy and safe.

As we enter the new year, we remain dependent on the kindness and commitment of both volunteers and donors, and those who share our social media posts to bring awareness to what we do.

And remember…spay and neuter your pets.

Melissa