Editor’s Note: Due to incorrect information from a source, numbers originally published in this story have been corrected. The corrections were made Sept. 17, 2015.
Ozgur Araz’s first semester at UNL was purring right along when things got a little hairy.
While teaching a College of Business Administration course on Sept. 1, the assistant professor of management received a phone call. On the other end was Husker Cats volunteer Marilyn Fenton, who was trying to contact Araz about a kitten that had climbed up into his car.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Araz said. “I went to my car and there were all these people trying to rescue the cat. I just couldn’t believe it.”
The folks trying to coax the kitten from the auto were primarily volunteers with Husker Cats, a group that oversees a trap-and-release/feeding program for UNL’s feral felines. Formed with approval of UNL administrators in 2008, the group has trapped and lined up veterinary care (including spaying/neutering) for 165 cats. Of that total, nearly 10 percent of the cats have been adopted; the others — being too feral — were returned to campus.
This year has been a busy one for the Husker Cats group as they have handled 19 cats so far.
“In the last two weeks alone, we’ve had kittens — including engine kitty — coming at us from all directions,” said Becky Cahoon, a Husker Cats volunteer and a biochemistry research lab manager. “We’re running ahead of the average number of cats we pick up and take to the vet for care, and the added medical expenses are exceeding our donations.
“We still have money in the treasury, but we’ve started to seek additional donations and we are always looking for more volunteers.”
Working through the Cat House, a local no-kill shelter, the Husker Cats group receives discounted veterinary care for campus felines. However, even with the discount, the average cost to care for one of the cats — from capture to adoption/return to campus — is $300.
The group is currently caring/seeking homes for three kittens. Those include “engine kitty” (also known as Husker Cat 252), which was rescued with assistance from mechanics at Lincoln’s Auto Connection.
“I drove the car very carefully to the mechanic. We knew it was OK because we could hear it meowing,” Araz said. “They had to take off all these parts. It took about an hour before they found it up by the gas tank.
“I thought it was a pretty beautiful kitten. If I were more pet-friendly, I would want to adopt it.”
Cahoon said the kitten, along with recently captured Husker Cats 251 and 253, will soon be available for adoption.
Individuals who wish to adopt a Husker Cat, give donations (from money and food to animal carriers and old toys), volunteer or foster kittens, can find additional information online or by contacting Cahoon via email at rcahoon2@unl.edu. The group is also active on Facebook.
