2008 Woodie Awards
Campus cat group nominated for award
DANIEL BURNETT
Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: News
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The organization's work caught the attention of Animal Planet, which selected the faculty member behind the organization as a finalist for the Cat Hero of the Year award.
"At first I was reluctant because I really don't like attention," said Kelly Bettinger, a clerk in the plant biology department. "But when I found out about the prize I was thrilled. I'm honored someone thinks we deserve this credit."
Bettinger is competing with nine other cat hero finalists for the $5,000 prize that she said would go to the group.
The club, just over a year old, responded to the overwhelming number of stray cats that call campus home by trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating and feeding the animals.
Marsha Richmond, administrative associate for legal studies, nominated Bettinger for the award after she saw the contest advertised on Animal Planet.
"I thought what they did was amazing," she said. "How they've helped without help from the University, the vet school or anyone. I just thought it was great what she did."
Cats on Campus raises money to take care of the cats through fundraisers, bake sales and garage sales. Any adoptable animal is found a home, and cats that are too feral are released back onto campus and looked after by volunteers from the group.
More than 100 stray cats have been adopted, and between 30 and 40 cats have been captured, fixed and returned to campus.
"Until we reach a time when all pet owners spay and neuter their cats, there will always be feral cats," said Lisa Lowe, career consultant in the Career Center who helped Bettinger start the group. "Our goal is to work on reducing the numbers of feral cats on campus and surrounding territories."
Lowe said abandonment is not the answer for strays.
"Abandoning one's pet is illegal and inhumane. Dumped pets don't do well. There are any avenues for re-homing a pet if just a little extra time is put into it."
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 5
DT
posted 10/13/08 @ 10:17 AM EST
Congrats to Kelly!!! She deserves this recognition for all her efforts. I worked with her when we found a litter of kittens and mother outside our building. (Continued…)
DeAnna a/k/a Dee
posted 10/14/08 @ 1:28 PM EST
Concatulations, Kelly and Campus Cats!! http://catzip.org/ I'm fostering a little Maine Coon kitten rescued from campus who has gone from an emaciated feral kitten to a lovely long-haired beauty with a plume of a tail. (Continued…)
Cappie
posted 10/14/08 @ 5:55 PM EST
With this apparent excess, it's a shame tennis players are still forced to use synthetic gut for strings...
Maine Coon
posted 11/03/08 @ 1:25 AM EST
Our campus has MORE cats now than when these cat hoarders started doing their thing. Don't like attention? Au contraire, mon frere. Cat hoarders love attention! And love hoards of cats! And now they've converted our campus to their own personal hoard! Without permission by the way. (Continued…)
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