Whether you’re meandering across campus during an afternoon stroll or rushing to get to class, chances are you might see one of FSU’s handful of feline residences, collectively referred to as our very own “campus cats.” The most iconic and adored leader of the campus cat clique is Fireball Whiskers. Whether he was named after his bright orange stripes contrasting against his creamy white fur, or after our favorite alcoholic beverage, we will never know, but what we do know is that these cats are becoming the focus of controversy for many concerned students across campus.
What’s the controversy, you ask? It’s about whether or not to bring Fireball (and his pals) to go under the knife. On Fireball’s fan page, a lengthy discussion on the topic brought many ideas to light about options for our feline friend’s fate. Some say to just leave the cats be: to let them be stray cats and leave it at that. On the other hand, many more are bringing the idea of TNR to light.
TNR: Trap-Neuter-Return
TNR is a program where stray cats are trapped, brought to a vet to be neutered/spayed, and returned to where they were found. This idea is highly advocated for by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), who say that TNR is “the most humane, effective and financially sustainable strategy for controlling free-roaming cat populations.” Simply put, rather than leaving our campus cats to populate more and more as time goes on, the idea of TNR is to let existing stray cats live out their lives while not allowing anymore to be added to the problem.
Fireball tends to stay near the Health Center on Campus
Other alternatives to TNR include TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return), TNRM (Trap-Neuter-Release-Maintain), and TTVAR (Trap-Test-Vaccinate-Alter-Release). While it is unclear which option, if any, will be used on the campus cats, it appears as though we can all agree on one thing: above all, we don’t want to take the cats away from their homes, as shown by one student’s comment: “I’m more worried someone will take [Fireball] from campus to ‘find him a good home.’ I’m certain most of us would prefer that he stays where he is.” Others say that he shouldn’t be messed with at all, stating “this is…ridiculous. Leave the cat alone. He was fine yesterday, he was fine last year, and he was fine the year before when I was a freshman and first saw him. There are tens of millions of stray/feral cats everywhere; this one is doing much better than most… adopt an animal that’s already stuck in an awful cage at some shelter and save it from that life of misery.”
There will be a town hall meeting about what should become of these campus cats at a date to-be-determined. Thoughts of starting a student organization dedicated to protecting the best interests of our campus cats are also starting to float around, which will also be addressed at the meeting when it happens. It is certainly endearing to find something that so many Seminoles care for and feel passionately about.
At least three of Fireball’s offspring sunbathe near the Union