One of my favorite things about being a student at FSU is that, when I walk to and from my classes, I’ll occasionally see little, furry blobs darting about, tails flicking this way and that. Like many college students, I left my childhood cat back home when I came to Tallahassee. My mom sends me daily photos of my cat, but it’s just not the same as being able to see her in person. When I catch glimpses of the campus cats, she doesn’t feel so far away.
I knew that there had to be other people at Florida State who were fans of the cats. I even knew that there were groups of students who had taken to leaving little tins of food out for the cats to eat, an activity that was quite popular in the areas surrounding the Psychology building.
However, I had no idea that there was a club dedicated to them!
What is the Campus Cat Club?
I was inspired to join the Campus Cat Club at FSU by my friend, the Campus Cat Club’s Vice President, and the Outreach Coordinator at Her Campus at FSU, Emma Wasserman. She expressed that the Campus Cat Club is a place for cat-loving people at FSU to meet one another, while still having a tangible impact on the community we know and love, aiming to promote responsible animal engagement.
She also showed me some photos of her favorite FSU cat, Onion, and I fell in love!
What They Do
These feline fanatics do more than kneel before any cats they see and go “pspspsp,” although there was a lot of cooing at the general body meeting I attended on Sept. 25. The Campus Cat Club focuses on educating the FSU community about how to properly interact with feral cats and works tirelessly to care for the campus cats. Some members of their executive board even foster some cats themselves!
According to Campus Cat Club President Katherine Bullough, this organization is “knowledge-based,” and serves as a “teaching moment for the community to learn proper engagement with the feral cat population.” I was lucky enough to attend a meeting where a guest speaker was present!
More info and How To Get Involved
Michelle Hartsfield is the President and Founder of the Feline Advocates of Leon County (FALC). She’s also helped start up Fat Cat Cafe and Fat Cat Books in Tallahassee, two organizations that work to get cats adopted into loving homes. The Cafe focuses on kittens and young, energetic adults, whereas Fat Cat Books serves as a quieter environment for older cats.
Hartsfield has also addressed the club about the dangers of interacting with feral cats without proper knowledge and explained some of the work that she does with the Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program, which helps combat the growing population of feral cats in Tallahassee. The club is incredibly passionate about its efforts to “make campus safer for the cats and students,” says Secretary Melisa Crane. Her favorite part about the Campus Cat Club? “Seeing the happiness the cats bring” to the Florida State community.
This organization meets every other Thursday from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., locations TBD — The meetings are often advertised on the club’s Instagram! Their next social event is a painting party on Oct. 3! Paints and brushes will be provided, so all you need to bring is yourself and something you’d like to decorate. I hope to see you there; I know I’ll be.
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