by Sheldon Bloom and Emily Mosier
Troy University has updated its animal control policy to include new guidelines barring students from feeding and sheltering stray cats on campus, and not everyone is happy about the new policy.
The first half of the new policy details how leashed animals will now be allowed within open and public spaces on campus. The second part of the amendment threatens “punitive action” against any student caught feeding or sheltering stray animals.
Brig. Gen. Richard Boutwell, the Senior Vice Chancellor for Advancement at Troy University, said that some individuals have gone as far as to vandalize buildings on campus to allow cats to live underneath the buildings, which causes several health concerns. He also said that cats can potentially draw predators, like coyotes, to campus.
“We're faced with a decision of the health and welfare of a feral cat that doesn't belong to anybody, to the health welfare of our students, we'll always default to our students,” Boutwell said. “If one new animal shows up and we end up losing the student because of it, how do I go to that parent and say ‘sorry, we knew and didn't do anything.’”
Kayleigh White, a junior social work major from Clanton, Alabama, leads the unofficial student club called ‘Keeping up with Campus Cats,’ and has been vocal about her disagreement with the new policy.
“The campus cats are important to me because they bring me happiness and they brighten my day,” White said. “I feel the policy is unfair in the fact that the university is aware of what the community has done for the campus cats yet refuses to recognize that effort.”
White said that she and Donna Brockmann, the president of the Humane Society of Pike County, met with Boutwell and proposed what they believe to be the most effective, humane method for controlling the cat population, but that the university elected to trap and relocate the cats instead.
“We talked about how TNR is the most effective way to control the stray/feral cat population,” said White. “We also mentioned implementing a TNR program for Troy University at no cost to the administration.”
Boutwell said the cats are being removed humanely and according to state guidelines. He also said that the university has tried to reach an agreement with White and Brockmann.
“I would like to change the ‘R’ from ‘returning’ to ‘relocating,’” Boutwell said. “I've asked Kaylee and I've asked the Humane Society over twelve times to help me relocate these animals, and both of them refused.”
The Tropolitan spoke with Brockmann, and she said the Humane Society has spayed or neutered around 20 cats over the last few months, and she said she completely disapproves of the new animal control policy.
“I have spoken to Gen. Boutwell only once, in a meeting with Boutwell and Kayleigh White, on Monday,” Brockmann said.
Brockmann also stated that if the university removes the cats from campus, the Humane Society will not spray or neuter any more cats from campus.
Boutwell said he speaks on behalf of university leadership when he says that the policy is strictly for the safety, security, and welfare of the students.
“When I was in Iraq, we had a 23-year-old service woman who was deployed in combat,” Boutwell said. “She saw a cat and became friends with it.
“The cat ended up biting her on the hand one day, and that young lady, unfortunately, died from a feral cat bite.”
In response to the controversy, some executive members of SGA expressed their approval of the new changes.
“I understand that people enjoy them, but overall, it’s not great to have stray animals on campus,” said SGA President Theo Thoenes, a sophomore risk management insurance major from Decatur, Alabama. “As for SGA policy, we’re going to align with the administration.
“We do advocate for changes on behalf of students, but we will never outright go against what the policy says.
Students held a peaceful protest on the main quad, in front of the Adams Administration Building on Thursday, April 28. It was cut short due to the weather, but there is another protest scheduled for the following Monday.
The entirety of the new policy can be found on the Human Resources page of the official troy.edu website.
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