2008 Woodie Awards
Cats cause controversy
Felines prowl into hearts of some, aggravate allergies, nerves of others
Yvonne Freckmann
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: Trinity Life
Trinity certainly has its share of whiskered residents. The felines, who amuse, pester and befriend people here with their personalities may well have been college students in their past lives. It's not surprising, with the good care and attention they get, that they decide to spend at least one of their nine lives at Trinity.
Sophomores Eric Friedrich and Ravi Webber Coutinho share a suite on the sunny side of Isabel Hall and have had their share of cat visitors. Cat Alliance Trinity (CAT) feeds the cats outside Isabel balconies.
"It's like when you go to India, and there are cows everywhere," Coutinho said. "Here, you walk in the hallway and there are cats around."
The cats add a unique flavor to campus, Coutinho said. "Conan," a cat with a persona to match his size, often paws at the door.
"We named him after Conan the barbarian. He's buff. He's pure muscle," Coutinho said. "He can bench like 220. I've seen him do it. Conan can bench me."
Friedrich is not usually a cat person but does not mind them. They are good stand-up citizens, he said, because they leave when you tell them to leave the room.
"To others it may sound unhygienic and hobo-ish, but I don't see it that way," Friedrich said.
In the fall of 2004, the University approved the use of the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method for managing the campus cat population. CAT is the manager of this program, the first campus in the San Antonio to apply the TNR method. CAT cares for all free-roaming cats on campus, stray and feral, by feeding, neutering, vaccinating and providing for veterinary care as needed.
But Conan, Cheesewhiz and other cats that make the best of Trinity's dorm living do annoy some students. Sophomore James McNiff said they always come to the room and perch on the beds like they own the place.
Sophomore Meg Ottmans, also an Isabel First resident, said she does not like the cats, even though they give the campus personality.
"They come in. They shed on my chair that's sitting on the balcony," Ottmans said. "I'm more of a dog person. The worst part for me is when they come running in and I don't notice them."
Sophomores Eric Friedrich and Ravi Webber Coutinho share a suite on the sunny side of Isabel Hall and have had their share of cat visitors. Cat Alliance Trinity (CAT) feeds the cats outside Isabel balconies.
"It's like when you go to India, and there are cows everywhere," Coutinho said. "Here, you walk in the hallway and there are cats around."
The cats add a unique flavor to campus, Coutinho said. "Conan," a cat with a persona to match his size, often paws at the door.
"We named him after Conan the barbarian. He's buff. He's pure muscle," Coutinho said. "He can bench like 220. I've seen him do it. Conan can bench me."
Friedrich is not usually a cat person but does not mind them. They are good stand-up citizens, he said, because they leave when you tell them to leave the room.
"To others it may sound unhygienic and hobo-ish, but I don't see it that way," Friedrich said.
In the fall of 2004, the University approved the use of the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method for managing the campus cat population. CAT is the manager of this program, the first campus in the San Antonio to apply the TNR method. CAT cares for all free-roaming cats on campus, stray and feral, by feeding, neutering, vaccinating and providing for veterinary care as needed.
But Conan, Cheesewhiz and other cats that make the best of Trinity's dorm living do annoy some students. Sophomore James McNiff said they always come to the room and perch on the beds like they own the place.
Sophomore Meg Ottmans, also an Isabel First resident, said she does not like the cats, even though they give the campus personality.
"They come in. They shed on my chair that's sitting on the balcony," Ottmans said. "I'm more of a dog person. The worst part for me is when they come running in and I don't notice them."
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