By Cara Gargano

It’s of no surprise to see a University’s campus filled with students; however it is singular to see a University’s campus filled with cats. Cats inhabited the campus grounds before the University was founded in 1935. The area that is now the University used to be filled with stray cats. Since Kate Hofstra was an avid cat lover, she left money in her will to care for the cats.

Kate Hofstra left in her will, article 11, “I give and bequeath my pets living at the time of my death to my housekeeper, Elizabeth Hiseredt.”

Hiseredt was the assigned caretaker of the cats then, but today the University’s assistant to the director of the University museum, Camille Marryat, along with a few others, look after the cats.

“My main concern is for the safety and well-being of the cats on campus,” Marryat said. “Contrary to popular belief, there is no fund provided by the University for food and medical treatment of these animals. A few caring individuals at their own expense provide food. Veterinarian fees for the sick kittens I found and the cats I had spayed or neutered were provided by Animal Lifeline, my own funds, and those of an anonymous donor.”

It is true that most of the students and faculty feed the cats and take care of them. One can often find students feeding cats right outside of Dutch Treats or even the Student Center.

“I once saw a cat fall into a trash can, and when I walked over to help it, it jumped out, and scared the living daylights out of me,” Josh Loring, a sophomore marketing major, said. “I screamed like a little girl who fell off her bike.”

The cats on campus need attention because most of the cats on campus are stray or abandoned due to a health issue. Marryat has become a true hero by saving many of the cats in need on campus. She was willing to share most of her heroic rescue stories.

“Last April, a beautiful white cat appeared on campus. I tried to get the cat’s attention but it was very aloof. Subsequently, I found that the cat was deaf. Some heartless person dropped a deaf cat on the campus. With the aid of other employees, the cat was removed from the campus. I am happy to report that the cat named, Miss Kitty, was adopted and is now happily living in a home with two other cats,” Marryat said.

“A few weeks later, I was alerted by Public Safety that two kittens in distress were in a window well of Roosevelt Hall. I was frightened for I had never rescued any kittens before. I gingerly picked them up and put them in a box. They both had severe eye and respiratory infections. You may recall we had a very rainy spring. I could not bring these kittens to the Town of Hempstead shelter because they would be destroyed. The Town of Hempstead provides no medical care for sick animals. Animal Lifeline came to the rescue. The kittens survived and have been adopted,” Marryat said.

Some students are willing to help the cats but never seem to find one in need.

“I came to Hofstra for the cats and I’ve only seen three, it is very upsetting,” CJ Sullivan, a freshman liberal arts major, said. “But if I saw one in need I would definitely help them.”

There are even a select few who find cats on campus in need and adopt them into their homes. Some students have taken it upon themselves to rescue the cats and keep them in their dorms. Although it is an act of kindness, it is recommended that students do not bring the cats or any other pet into their dorms because they will face many consequences. Not only will they receive a $100 fine, but also the individual might receive a summons and have to appear in front of the judicial board. The animal would also be removed by Public Safety.

“In July, the gardeners brought a beautiful striped tabby to my office. I was on vacation but fortunately home that day. The kitten was ill and again Animal Lifeline stepped in. Tara, a 5 to 6 week old female had maggots. She was treated for five days at the vet and cured. Untreated, she would have died a very painful and horrible death as the maggots attacked her female organs. She is completely healthy and now living in my home,” Marryat said.

“On a rainy August day, I discovered a litter of kittens in a raised flower bed located outside of the Law School. Since the mother cat was there, I left the kittens that were not yet weaned undisturbed. Later in the morning, I went back to check on the kittens. One of the kittens was stuck in a drainage pipe. A porter was able to retrieve the kitten and it was placed beside its mother. The pipe was sealed with duct tape. I again went to check on the kittens and heard a cry coming from the taped pipe. Much to my distress, there was another kitten in the pipe. Luckily the same porter was able to help. Since the mother was not there, I took the two drainpipe kittens plus one other. The three suffered from upper respiratory and eye infections. Again, Animal Lifeline helped with their treatment. They have all been adopted,” Marryat said.

Animal Lifeline is a New York State registered charity an organization whose mission is to “trap, neuter, and release,” in order to prevent and guarantee that there is no reproduction of unwanted animals. On their Web site the organization claims, “We are a non-profit, all-volunteer organization, dedicated to rescuing and rehoming all domestic animals.”

Animal Lifeline does not have access to unlimited funds and relies on donations and fundraisers. All contributions are tax deductible.

“Fraternities, sororities, clubs and teams on campus sometimes raise funds for charitable causes. Maybe one of these organizations can hold a fundraiser on behalf of the cats. Any member of the Hofstra community who is interested in helping can make a donation to Animal Lifeline,” Marryat said.

Other students have a different opinion on the cats and feel that they should not have the freedom to roam around the campus. They feel the cats are an inconvenience and are nothing more than another annoyance in their lives.

“I don’t really like having the cats on campus,” Caitlin Cissne, a sophomore broadcast journalism major, said. “I don’t mind that they are here but between all the squirrels and all the cats on the campus, I feel like I’m in a zoo.”

“The cats on campus are really creepy and the people that talk to them really creep me out,” Kristen Kindbergh, a sophomore marketing major said. “And it really freaks me out when a black cat walks in front of me, especially right before I take a test; I do not like that at all.”

The harsh winter is upon us and our feline friends need our help and compassion now more than ever. The legacy of Kate Hofstra can live on with students’ help.

“I will continue to do my part to implement this program and help the cats on campus,” Marryat said.

The best way to help stop the needless reproduction of unwanted animals is by using a trap-neuter-return program, which is described on www.alleycats.com. The motto on the Web site states, “As the foremost experts on feral cats, Alley Cats Allies promotes nonlethal control for feral and stray cats with trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs that effectively reduce their population by sterilization-not euthanasia.”

Even though the cats on campus can´t be taken inside by the students and faculty, the University still gives them food to survive the cold. (Paul Palazzolo/ The Chronicle)

(Paul Palazzolo/ The Chronicle)