For at least the last 35 years, there have been cats on the site of what is now the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University. Whether they were feral cats already in the area or were dumped there by irresponsible owners, the fact is that from the early days of the existence of the southside campus, cats have been here coexisting with the human occupants. During that time, individual animal lovers in different departments and areas of the university have taken care of the feral cat population on campus. They fed the cats, caught them and had them spayed or neutered, got them their rabies shots and other immunizations, all at their own expense. These individual have also found homes for many of the adoptable cats, especially the kittens born on campus.
In the fall of 2001, when the Armstrong State University administration became concerned about the campus feral cat population, it was decided that the individuals who care for the cats needed to organize in order to better communicate with the administration and the public what is being done with regard to the campus cats. This was the foundation of our group, the "Friends of Cats".
Our mission involves several facets: first, to continue the work of the original volunteers (many of whom are now members of the group), by feeding and providing medical care (spaying, neutering, immunizations, etc.), thereby ensuring that the campus population will be healthy and stable, with as near a zero population growth as possible (this goal has been met); second, to keep accurate records of the cats, including photos, so that we can easily identify which cats have had medical treatment, who the caretaker is, and where the cat normally stays. This information is available on this website under photo album. ; third, to educate the rest of the campus about what we are doing and the ways that others can help. Just as important, we need to communicate what things, though well-intentioned, are actually counter-productive and harmful to the cats.
In consultation with the administration, the Friends of Cats have established feeding stations at specific sites around campus where the
cats are fed regularly, twice a day. Most students and staff are not aware of this because the feeding normally takes place in
the early morning hours before classes start and in the evening when there are fewer people on campus. The cats are more than adequately
fed and do not need additional food. It is not helpful for someone to leave left-over fast food on the ground for them, nor for that matter,
catfood, if it is left in unauthorized areas during other times of day than the normal feeding hours. To do this encourages the cats to stay out
in the open during times of greater traffic and could cause accidents or other incidents. For this reason, we appeal to all animal lovers on
campus:
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE CATS. Be assured that they are being well cared for by our group.
On June 21, 2007, Friends of Cats, Inc. officially became a nonprofit corporation, organized under the laws of the State of Georgia. If you would like to help care for the campus kitties by donating catfood, you can contact the members of our organization: (See members). Or, if you would like to contribute monetarily, you can send a check to Friends of Cats, Inc., c/o Barbara Brown, 1939 Beech Street, Savannah, GA 31404; or you can take a donation to Southside Hospital for Animals where the Friends of Cats have an account, the "Friends of Cats/ASU Rescue" fund, account #6569.
For more information, check out the rest of the website. To contact us, email us at
mail@friendsofcats.freeservers.com
Thank you for your help and cooperation!
