Help with E-Mail to College Students

[callista]

We have a small (15-ish) colony of feral cats in our college town; and they're cared for by the owners of a small restaurant nearby. I've talked to them about the cats some--every time I come in I ask how they're doing--and they say that often times, college students will adopt kittens, then abandon them when they move away. Naturally I think this is a pretty awful thing to do, and it adds to the cat problem too.

It isn't a very bad cat problem, chiefly because the restaurant people have been good about feeding, neutering, and re-homing the tamest of the strays, and sometimes sending others that are too wild to be house cats to live on a family member's farm. That's why there are only a couple dozen cats, at most, and the ones I've seen are pretty healthy.

But now it's kitten season, and they tell me that some of the cats they couldn't trap or didn't have enough money to neuter probably have litters. That means it's going to cost them even more to take care of the cats. They're owners of a small business, not millionaires--and feeding and TNR costs a lot of money.

And on top of that, school will end in a month or so; and some of the college students, like every year, will say to themselves, "Oh, Fluffy will be fine on her own--this is such a small town," and dump their cats.

So I've been thinking:

Our college has a pretty good computer network, and everybody gets an e-mail address. I think I could probably get permission to send out a mass e-mail to everybody--I know one of the Deans, and she likes cats--telling them not to dump their cats.

But I'm not sure what to say. I want to explain how horrid it is to abandon a pet, and I want to tell them to find a shelter instead... I don't know where there are any no-kill shelters in Ohio though. The restaurant has a little "tip jar" for the cats, and maybe I could ask them to put change in that when they go to eat there.

I'm not very good at communicating though...

Can you help me?

 

[tnr1]

Good article:

http://cats.about.com/od/responsible...satcollege.htm

http://cats.about.com/od/responsible...tcollege_2.htm

Some colleges that practice TNR:

http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/afcat/feralprogram.htm

http://www.auburn.edu/prevet/catnap/meet.html

http://www.cofc.edu/~campuscats/tnr.html

 

[callista]

And it's been sent out...

Here's hoping the students will pay attention--at least to the shelter locations, if to nothing else.

 

[valanhb]

Would you mind sharing your email? It could be helpful for people who are in a similar situation in the future.

 

[huggles]

what a wonderful thing you have done!! good on you! I would also love to have a read of the email you sent. I sure do hope it helps and people take notice of what your saying

 

[zissou'smom]

As a college student in Ohio who takes care of the cats others dump, I'm not sure how I feel about that. I think people blame us for everything that's wrong with the town, including the stray cat population. If I received an e-mail like that, I would be offended. I'd be glad that someone cared, and I fully understand that your intention wasn't bad, but I doubt the students are fully to blame.

 

[callista]

Yes; the town people abandon cats, as well. However, college students make up fully half the population of the town; so if there's a cat problem, then the college students are likely part of it because they're part of just about everything in the town.

I can't find a copy of the e-mail now. Basically, though, what I said:
--Summary of dangers faced by stray cats
--Summary of the problems feral/stray cats cause
--List of shelters in the vicinity
--Request to take cats to shelters or, if no time, leave them with someone who can take them to the shelter (Finals week is usually very hectic, and none of the shelters were under 45 minutes' drive away)
--Phone numbers to call if help is needed (mostly the above shelters).

 

[ashleynicole]

I think its great you did that! I live in a pretty small college town, and I see alot of cats roaming around the area I live (about 5 minutes off campus). But I do believe MOST of the ones I see have home, they are just indoor/outdoor which makes me sad b/c people here drive recklessly, and its not safe. Every person like you that tries to make a difference helps!