Whenever walking along the Fairfield Solano campus, you see almost zero creatures outside of your average college squirrel or bird. Yet, one of the most prominent creatures that exist on the campus aren’t just random rodents, they’re cats. Solano Community College currently houses a small feral cat population dominating the groves behind the Fairfield campus, and even making their way up towards the theatre building.
The population currently has 18 feral cats, spanning multiple generations that have all since been neutered due to the efforts of Solano’s designated cat organization: The Campus Cat Coalition. The mission of this group is not to operate as a sanctuary or as a dumping ground, but rather help take care of the feral cat population that has grown over the years, including trapping, neutering, getting their vaccinations, etc.
“We saw this constant turnover of cats being captured and taken to the shelter where they were euthanized, but there was no strategy or focus upon the cats that were trapped. They would have babies and repopulate, so it was just a constant cycle.” Wendy Phillips, the founder of The Campus Cat Coalition stated.
Phillips decided to start her organization after noticing a group of stray kittens, hoping to address the feral cat-astrophe, “So, I was retired and started taking classes at the college…I swore I wasn’t going to do feral cats [Trap-Neuter-Return] anymore. I had done it while I lived in Texas, but when I moved back to California I said ‘oh it’s too time consuming, I’m gonna take a break and take some fun classes.’ Well of course, there were kittens over by the theater and I figured out who was feeding them and what was going on and found a history.”
What started off as a side project for Wendy quickly became a fulltime effort. The coalition would end up forming in 2012, but would gain its nonprofit status in 2017. Since then, it has attracted a variety of volunteers all around Solano who have helped provide food, shelter, and love for these feral feline friends.
“We have animal biology majors, autistic people, special needs people, and they all are united by their love of cats. It’s a diverse club, it’s really great to see everyone come together.”
One of those many volunteers who serve in the organization includes Lillian Luu, an architecture major at Solano. She had heard about the club via Instagram, after the organization requested more members.
“At the time there were some volunteers that left so they definitely needed some more help for the days. I was kind of nervous because I had never volunteered before, but if I get to see cats in the morning then I will definitely try it out.” Luu explained.
However, this is no stroll on the cat walk for these volunteers. The volunteers would have to go to the nine stations scattered throughout campus, often venturing into the groves behind campus. The responsibilities include feeding the cats, cleaning, and generally making sure the cats are doing well.
“Because it was getting warm, we knew there were a bunch of wasps by the stations. So we had to get up before it got too warm. Which meant getting up at 5 a.m. and feeding around that time, but we would be done feeding before 7 a.m.”
Luu added, “Its not just the feeding, but I also have to clean my tools afterwards so its not leaving a mess in my car…when I started they gave me a supply box, you got treats and some clorox wipes, and some food scrappers because the wet food sometimes gets stuck in there.
“We wipe down the stations, we restock the food and that’s when the cats come out, and sometimes they don’t.”
Despite the hard work they do, the members find the volunteering rewarding.
Luu stated, “I’ll be honest, I’m not much of a morning person, but I get to see the cats. I adapted to waking up at least once a week, and it wasn’t too bad. I thought it was gonna be harder.”
Phillips in particular has always been a cat person with background experience in the TNR practice, meaning she became used to the volunteer schedule. Despite this, running an organization focused on cat care presents new challenges, “That’s what’s beautiful about this program, we want people to know about it, but we don’t want people to get the wrong idea and think it’s a sanctuary to dump cats.”
Phillips explained, “You want to get the goodness out there; We want people to know, but then there’s those who take advantage of it and make things really worse.”
In a recent incident, there was a case in Fairfield where two french bulldogs were released on the back of the groves, resulting in the death of one. Acts of abandonment are strictly prohibited, and The Cat Coalition gave their own statement on the matter of animal abandonment.
“If we find any cats or dogs that were dumped or wandered onto campus, they go immediately to the animal shelter.”
Despite the challenges present, this has never deterred the volunteers like Lillian Luu nor Wendy Phillips. The campus cats continue to thrive, continuing a long lineage.
Phillips emphasized, “There’s always been cats on campus for twenty, thirty, fourty…however long the campus has been open for.”
If you want to help contribute to cat care and feeding, the organization does accept donations on their website. They also provide information regarding volunteering and even include photos of the many cats that you may see here at Solano College.
