CONWAY, ARKANSAS. - It’s not something you’d find on too many college campuses, cats, by the dozens, being cared for by the students who attend the college.
Some Hendrix College students say the cats are more than just a friendly sighting, but can also be very therapeutic. One college student has made it her mission to clean up the cats colony and make campus a place for the felines and the students to mingle together.
“There is usually a couple students that come by every night,” McCarthy said.
Her and a group of friends, including Grace Odom, forget about their studies for a period and focus on the felines.
“We just get to pet the cats, feed the cats and hang out for a second,” Odom said.
The cat colony has called Hendrix home for many years, but for the last few semesters McCarthy, a pre-vet major, saw the population of cats growing at an unhealthy rate.
“The Cat Pack,” as they call themselves, says there are about 20 or so cats that are left in the colony, and they would like to see them stay on campus.
Odom says the cats are like therapy for the students on stressful days.
“I have a cat at home, and I just want to be around some sort of animal. This is how I can do that,” Odom said.
Each cat in its own way holds a dear place in the heart’s of “The Cat Pack” and Hendrix.
“I think it’s just important for them to be healthy. I mean, they have lives just like you do,” Odom said.
Hendrix has given the women the money to spay, neuter and get the care for the animals which they need and a rescue organization in St. Louis has donated the food they use to feed the cats each night.
