Stray
cats a campus wide problem
Our
view
Cats
are magnificent creatures, prowling around
with stereotypical feline egotism. Such
animals that formed a bond with man long
ago deserve our respect and most importantly,
our affection.
Stray cats, without the love and attention they warrant, are a problem here
at Cal State Long Beach. Strays freely wander and propagate throughout our
campus.
Around the dorms, stray cats are as common as resident assistants and
roommates. They cower in the bushes, frequently escaping close contact with
humans. They are a wild, animalistic element to an otherwise domesticated student
body.
The brush surrounding the Los Alamitos, Los Cerritos and Residence dorms are
notorious for this. Sometimes it’s safe to say there are more cats in
them than leaves.
It’s not uncommon to see five or six cats while walking to and from dinner
or to hear a wailing cat outside the window at 2 a.m. Parkside residents say
cats roam the asphalt plain that is Lot 14. Residents are constantly afraid
while driving, hoping not to accidentally run over a poor animal.
Strays characteristically live in unsanitary conditions and possibly carry
diseases. What if an infected cat bit a student? Who would be responsible for
the student’s health? The cat would face certain death at the hands of
Animal Control.
Though stray cats are a common problem in urban cities such as Long Beach,
no measures are being taken to curb this dilemma.
In fact, it’s just the opposite. Outside the SSPA building, the Daily
Forty-Niner’s own home front, stray cats are fed daily. This is humane,
but it goes too far. Cats, like any animal, follow basic instincts of survival
and go where the food is. Because the food is here and in steady supply, the
cats will never leave. Consequently, the stray cat problem endures.
While it is good these cats are not starving, permanent efforts like feeding
them keep them on campus. This must be stopped to help the problem.
The bushes around our campus institutions are not proper homes. The cats of
CSULB deserve homes where they will receive the life they deserve. They need
catnip, a warm house and, we dare say, only the best gourmet cat food.
A possible solution to this problem would be to remove the cats altogether.
Animal Control of Long Beach impounds stray animals and through their care
gives them a chance to find a real home. Animal Control or other local animal
shelters could pick up the cats and attempt to adopt them into a loving home.
Some will argue these cats face euthanasia because no one will want to adopt
a practically feral cat that runs from every human it sees.
To prevent their untimely deaths, another option is finding a way to spay or
neuter all the stray cats on campus. Eventually the animals’ population
will dwindle.
However, in order for this particular solution to work, citizens
of the surrounding community will need to face strict consequences for abandoning
their cats on campus because they think they will be fed and taken care of.
If anyone observes this act of animal cruelty, he or she should report it to
the proper authorities immediately.
But maybe the solution isn’t letting these proud beasts die off or be
shipped off to a shelter. Maybe the students of CSULB should rally together
and host an “Adopt an SSPA Kitty-athon.” Staff, faculty, students
and community members could adopt a cat and give it a loving home. |
