Stray cats have seemingly taken residence in the open space at BC. It is rumored that there are over 20 cats on the entire campus.
For years now it seems that stray cats have found their home on the BC campus. These cats seem to like the General Science building and areas around the library building, as that is where they have taken residence. From lounging in the sun to roaming the campus, these campus cats have made themselves right at home.
“I see a lot of them all the time when I walk to my class in the morning,” said Nallely Tovar a Bakersfield College student. While speaking to Tovar and her friend Aaliyah Harris two cats were seen cuddling but when they were approached, they hissed and ran away. Harris mentions how these cats are “so cute and friendly to each other.”
While the campus cats are cherished by many, their presence does raise questions about their well-being. This semester, student Caitlin Wright has taken steps to ensure the cats’ health by doing trap neuter return (TNR). This ensures that these cats cannot reproduce and creates a problem of overpopulation of cats.
Wright has been working with “Critters without Litters” and other organizations to get them neutered. It is important to know that if a cat has been TNR, they have an ear tip. Which is essentially a tiny piece of their ear cut off. Another benefit of TNR is that they get their rabies shot and FRCP which is a basic cat vaccine.
Wright explained that “Some of these cats are fine, and they are happy here” so she releases them back as soon as it is safe to do so. Wright along with her mother traps them and takes them to appointments. They do what they can to ensure their health.