Cats

When I heard that "WildCats" is like a trademark for Davidson students, I was extremely excited, among others because I like cats. But my excitement was not for long...

Davidson, like most other colleges, prohibits any interaction with pets. Naturally, we're not allowed to bring any animals on campus - except for fish or anything that cannot survive outside water (Ew). But, in addition to that, we won't be allowed to feed any stray cats or dogs while on campus, since the college (rightfully) notes that, "caring for these animals during the semester results in cruel abandonment when students leave for winter and summer break".

Our cat and one of her babies

There is a very reasonable basis for this prohibition, but I'm still going to miss the activity of feeding and caring for stray cats, which were always around my house in the previous years. For example, there is one cat here at home that has adopted us since some months. In May, she and her sister had three baby kittens each, for which we've cared. Cats are one of the most admirable species, for me. It's very interesting to look how quickly kittens grow up from tiny things that can barely crawl to full-grown, clever adults. I could just watch them for hours...

A newborn, just a few days old

But don't be discouraged, animal-lovers! I spoke with my Cats Connect Mentor (actually a sophomore at Davidson) about this huge worry of mine, and she assured me that there are hundreds of people with puppies and dogs and cats around the town, who'll let you pet them!