Lost Paws
Students urged not to house stray cats on campus
Residence halls on campus have a strict no pet rule.
However, that doesn’t stop stray animals from trying to wiggle their way inside with students.
Rachel Kitchens, a Merrill Hall Desk Manager, said that cats, dogs, turtles, snakes – anything that doesn’t live permanently submerged in water – are not allowed in the residence halls.
“You can have as many fish and as big of a tank as you like, but only fish,” Kitchens said. “If an RA finds (the animal) they give (the student) a certain amount of time to get it out of the dorm.”
Within 24 hours, a student must either find a way to give the animal to a friend who lives off campus or remove the animal, Kitchens said. If a stray animal is found, students are not encouraged to try and house them, due to possible infectious diseases. She added the best option is to bring the animal to the proper care facilities located throughout Isabella County.
Kellee Terry, a veterinarian assistant at the Isabella Cat Clinic, said that the clinic unfortunately doesn’t house stray cats, but does advise students to bring in animals if found.
However, she does warn of the dangers of trying to help strays.
“I would leave them be unless you could get them into a cat carrier,” Terry said.
If a student can safely capture the stray, then they may bring them in for potential spaying and neutering services. The Isabella Cat Clinic also has the ability to check the animal for a microchip to see if the cat belongs and return it to its owner.
If the animal is confirmed to be a stray, then Terry recommends calling the Humane Animal Treatment Society, or HATS.
HATS, located on South Isabella Road, specializes adoption services and hands-on care for animals.
Open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, the facility houses strays, hosts adoption events and allows individuals to foster animals.
If a student is interested in potentially caring from an animal from the Humane Animal Treatment Society, they are urged to contact the facility at 989-775-0830.
If students have stray animals that they need to drop off at the shelter, they are also urged to call ahead of time so that HATS may make the necessary accommodations to prepare for the animal.
