Feral cats could lose home on campus
By: Tom Parr
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: News
Karla Armbruster has been one of the cats' best faculty friends, as well as the owner of one of those bowls. Armbruster, an associate professor in the English department, routinely feeds the cats and has found homes for some of the kittens that have been birthed by the large Siamese mother. A majority of the kittens trapped by Armbruster have ended up as pets for Webster faculty.
Scott and Gina Jensen were two of the many faculty members who responded to a mid-summer e-mail from Armbruster regarding possible kitten adoption and socialization.
"We were a little nervous about bringing in a feral cat," said Gina Jensen, referring to the kitten her children named Midnight. "We have three small children, an older cat and a dog. But she (Midnight) lays with the kids and lets everyone hold her. She's a great cat."
The Jensens said Armbruster had already set up a series of vaccinations for the kittens and Midnight has no health problems.
Armbruster said the Jensen's success with Midnight was possible because the cat was removed at a young age. A count of the cats in the garage as of Sept. 25, was no less than five - though the debris and wandering nature of the cats makes obtaining an exact number difficult. All of the cats in the garage are now older than 12 weeks, the age Armbruster said was the adoption cut-off.
"This current family is too old and has been on its own for too long," Armbruster said. "They can't be domesticated."
Armbruster is aware of the building's future and said she has spent plenty of time worrying about the cats through the years, but now will leave it up to the cats and the administration to make the right decision.
"My hope is the cats will realize what's happening and leave," Armbruster said. "That's probably the only way they will make it out of there."
Armbruster said trapping the cats is almost impossible because of the wariness of the Siamese mother.
"We were able to trap a few of the kittens," Armbruster said. "But as soon as we got two (of the kittens), the mother led the family out of there. She is a formidable foe. She's not going to just stay there and wait for some humans to do as they may to her family."
Armbruster's hope is that during the demolition process, the construction workers will make their presence felt early and give the cats enough time to relocate.
She also has doubts about the use of Stray Rescue, which she said works primarily with dogs.
Armbruster said Webster's cat problem is a product of a bigger issue that she believes has an easy fix.
"If people would just spay or neuter their animals, these situations would never develop," Armbruster said.
Scott and Gina Jensen were two of the many faculty members who responded to a mid-summer e-mail from Armbruster regarding possible kitten adoption and socialization.
"We were a little nervous about bringing in a feral cat," said Gina Jensen, referring to the kitten her children named Midnight. "We have three small children, an older cat and a dog. But she (Midnight) lays with the kids and lets everyone hold her. She's a great cat."
The Jensens said Armbruster had already set up a series of vaccinations for the kittens and Midnight has no health problems.
Armbruster said the Jensen's success with Midnight was possible because the cat was removed at a young age. A count of the cats in the garage as of Sept. 25, was no less than five - though the debris and wandering nature of the cats makes obtaining an exact number difficult. All of the cats in the garage are now older than 12 weeks, the age Armbruster said was the adoption cut-off.
"This current family is too old and has been on its own for too long," Armbruster said. "They can't be domesticated."
Armbruster is aware of the building's future and said she has spent plenty of time worrying about the cats through the years, but now will leave it up to the cats and the administration to make the right decision.
"My hope is the cats will realize what's happening and leave," Armbruster said. "That's probably the only way they will make it out of there."
Armbruster said trapping the cats is almost impossible because of the wariness of the Siamese mother.
"We were able to trap a few of the kittens," Armbruster said. "But as soon as we got two (of the kittens), the mother led the family out of there. She is a formidable foe. She's not going to just stay there and wait for some humans to do as they may to her family."
Armbruster's hope is that during the demolition process, the construction workers will make their presence felt early and give the cats enough time to relocate.
She also has doubts about the use of Stray Rescue, which she said works primarily with dogs.
Armbruster said Webster's cat problem is a product of a bigger issue that she believes has an easy fix.
"If people would just spay or neuter their animals, these situations would never develop," Armbruster said.
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Jeff De pew
posted 9/27/06 @ 9:15 PM EST
"The American Ornithologists' Union, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. (Continued…)
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