Missing your furry friend from back home? Cal Poly has many hidden gems, but one especially close to my heart has been our on-campus cat shelter. You haven’t heard?! Have no fear; I’ll let you in on this purrrr-ecious resource for all cat-lovers!
According to the Cal Poly Cat Shelter website, a decision was made in 1992 by “Garret Quindimil to solve the problem of a rising cat population at Cal Poly. At that time, nearly 400 cats and kittens roamed campus. The majority had been abandoned by students and other residents.”
The idea was to test, trap, vaccinate, medicate, alter and release many of the cats back into the wild. Some of the feral cats were caught and euthanized. However, while the cat population did decrease, it did not fully solve the problem.
Another senior project took it a step further and tried to put some of the domesticated strays up for adoption through creating an adoption program “where students domesticated feral cats and found good homes for them.” After years of the combined efforts of many students and volunteers, a shelter was created to host and care for adoptable cats while they wait for forever homes. On select weekends, a few of the cats make the journey to PetSmart, where volunteers help pair them with people that are looking for a new addition to their homes. Since partnering with PetSmart in 2010, adoption rates have skyrocketed and the program is responsible for the placement of over 1500 cats and kittens! In addition, the feral cat population on campus has been reduced to about thirty cats. All of the cats being adopted have been spayed or neutered and have had their first set of vaccinations. The Cal Poly Cat Shelter is small, but strives to take in strays and also save cats that are going to be euthanized at other shelters.
The program relies on donations and volunteers to keep afloat and they are always looking for people to volunteer at their shelter! I volunteered my freshman and sophomore year while I lived on campus and could run there on Saturday mornings for my shift. Whether I went for a pick-me up during weekday afternoons, brought one of my wowies or when I was in need of time away from the dorms, I always found comfort in the form of those lovable, furry creatures. I have had the pleasure of seeing many of the cats finally become adopted, and it has been such a rewarding experience to have been a part of such a wonderful program. There are usually about fifty or so cats living at the shelter at a time, and their personalities vary as widely as their many shapes and sizes. It’s hard to pick a favorite!
Since there are no set operating hours, if you would like to volunteer, you can email Edie Griffin-Shaw at egriffin@calpoly.edu or Ellen Notermann at enoterma@calpoly.edu. If you are interested in checking out the shelter, you can email cpcpscheduler@gmail.com to schedule a time to visit! They are located off Highland, on Mount Bishop, right past the first parking lot on the left. As always, donations such as canned and dry cat food (Friskies brand), Cat litter (Feline Pine brand), old blankets and towels are in high demand! In addition, like them on Facebook! You can get updates on what cats are at the shelter and which ones are looking for homes.