Cats at UHM welcomed: Stray cats find a home on UHM campus

By Matt Tuohy

Walking to the cafeteria on campus just before it gets dark is always an interesting journey. The stars come out showing off their brilliance to all, and the moon casts its light down on to the grass reflecting off of many sets of eyes. Dark huddled masses sit under trees and around dumpsters letting out occasional meows in the night. These are the cats of the University of Hawaii.

Our Furry Little Friends
These are often some of the first animals seen by anyone when they first arrive on campus. The numbers of stray cats on the island of Oahu are in the tens-of-thousands, and they are all types of typical house cat breeds ranging from all black to marmalade. According to the Hawaii Cat Foundation, the reason the number of cats is so high is due to the warmth year round, the lack of predators and pet owners who simply throw the cats outside to fend for themselves.

However, there are some individuals on campus who actually hunt the cats down for sport. Matthew Scherder, a resident of Hale Kahawai, had roommates last year who were known to go out and try to hunt the cats with a spear gun.

“It bothers me that people would go and kill these animals when they are not really bothering anyone," said Scherder. "I like having the cats around; they make me fell like I’m not alone when I walk around campus late at night.”

What about the cats who do have homes? The authorities round up the animals and euthanize 87 percent of them almost indiscriminately.

The Hawaii Cat Foundation cites a law that has come in on the side of cats called the Cat Protection Law, it was enacted in 1995. Though this law mostly pertains to the cats that have homes, it states that cats are allowed outside and will be left alone as long as they have the proper identification tags and are sterilized.
This will not have any affect on the growth of the cat population, mostly because most of the cats that have all the proper requirements to live outside are not the ones who are reproducing at a speedy rate. The Hawaii Cat Foundation stated that females can have three to six litters of kittens a year at only 4 months of age. This would account for why there are so many.
But numerous or few, the cats on campus at UH are welcome by most, and for students like Scherder, “it’s nice to have the company at night.”

Where have you been, Kitty?

Cats are one of the most invasive species on the planet. More so than rats and insects, the cat is on every continent, except Antarctica, and can multiply rapidly. The domestic cat first gained its popularity in ancient Egypt. They killed mice and other pests that harmed food storages and caused disease. They became so valuable in the Egyptian society that they achieved the status of Gods.
The cat’s popularity spread to other cultures which made them a must for travelers and colonists setting up camp in foreign lands. The only draw back to having such a rapidly and resourceful animal around is that they don’t depend on people to survive. Nationalgeographic.com calls the cat the perfect predator that is able to adapt to any environment that it is introduced to.