University Gardens Cats

are on the move!

April 2009

    We now have shelters in place for the cats in the Binkley/UG area.  Further improvements wait in the wings.

November 2008

    We're still working with CPPO on plans to make the area more cat friendly.  Now that all the buildings have come down, we've positioned several dog houses along the retaining wall.  We currently have carpentry plans submitted to CPPO for more elaborate kitty kondos.

July 2008

    A glitch in the lawsuit over who has rights to the UG land has stalled the establishment of new cat habitat in the UG area.  However, we will continue to feed, monitor, and attempt to shelter the cats while they remain in the demolition area north of UG.  We are aware of 2 new kittens under one of the buildings -- offspring of a known "trap-smart" cat -- and as soon as momma brings them out, they will either be trapped and socialized, depending on their age, or trapped, sterilized, and returned to the area when they are old enough (TNR).

June 2008

    We hope this used dog house, now cat house, will be the first in a long line of many!
 

Apr 2008

    The feeders and shelters are moving to the Central Expy retaining wall, as this area should remain passable even once demolition and construction begins.  We are accepting donated small cat shelters and re-purposed dog houses, and we will continue to use the familiar feeding stations.  More shrubs will be planted along the retaining wall, providing natural shade and shelter.  And the field certainly needs some basic landscaping.  Our goal is to keep the colonies intact, and we look forward to the long-term plans of there being a nice park-like setting around the Bush museum and library.

Dec 2007

    For the upcoming year, we will prepare for the demolition of all the Binkley apts.  Plans for the cats are already underway.  We'll keep you posted!

Oct 2007

    Update:  three four ALL kittens have been retrieved from the area.  One older teenager and the dad have been spay/neutered.  Our efforts continue every day.   

     Now that mid-terms are over and volunteers are more available, we've resumed TNR trapping in the area.  We are aware of a new litter of 5 kittens -- the momma being an unknown cat who flushed out of the UG area.  We plan to retrieve the kittens, now that they are old enough, socialize them, and put them up for adoption.  Mom and Dad will visit the vet as soon as we can get them there.

Aug 2007

    The row of townhouses has come down, and as far as we can tell, the cats made it out.  The three on the west end seem happy and relaxed.  The three who are the main group in the center made it out.  Dolce, who had been missing for awhile, showed up for dinner.  And even Jazz turned up one night.  We expect all to turn up eventually.

July 2007

    We've had two litters born of cats flushed out of the Univ Gardens complex during demolition.  Moms and babies will go on the spay/neuter list and treated as soon as they're old enough and we have a volunteer available.  In the meantime, we continue to move the cats northward.  We haven't seen Julie or Jazz for awhile, but we trust they will turn up.

May 2007

    The buildings are coming down fast, eh?  We are continuing to lure the cats further north by slowly moving the feeding stations.  Hopefully, new buildings will be established, as mentioned below, before the remaining apt buildings, the white and red apts on Binkley, come down in the upcoming years.  We continue to keep a close census and address any problems as they arise.  By mid-month, one additional cat has been spayed and vaccinated.  According to our census, all but 2 or 3 have now been sterilized.

April 2007

    As the construction workers begin to seal off the last buildings, we're keeping a close count of the cats.  So far, all cats are present and accounted for.  Spay/neuter trapping will continue this month, and the feeders will continue to make more moves northward.  It would be silly not to think that, ultimately, all apartment buildings in the area won't be torn down.  We'll just try to stay two steps ahead of all the demolition and hope new structures go up as fast as old ones come down.

March 2007

    Because we've been able to establish a regular feeding routine in the area, we were able to spay and vaccinate two young cats this week.  The cats, Julie and Jazz, were then returned to the area.  Why?  The Trap-Neuter-Return protocol is the most effective way to manage feral cat colonies.  The neutered cats will prevent other non-neutered cats from moving into the area and perpetuating the homeless animal situation.  Our neutered and vaccinated cat populations will perform much-appreciated rodent control as well.

    You can expect feeding stations to make more northward moves this month.
 

February 2007

    The feeding stations inside the construction fence are rapidly approaching the fence line.  One has made it outside the fence line, and the little gray cat is readily eating there.  Northward movement will continue as the demolition moves northward as well.

    This wildlife relocation system has been successful for other campus demolition/construction projects:  Letterman Hall, Blanton & Collins Exec buildings, Jenkins Hall.  While this project has been challenging for several unique reasons, as long as cats have an easy way to leave the area, we anticipate a successful move.

Update 2.22.07:  All feeding tubs are outside the fence, and the cats are doing fine with the change.  Onward and northward!

January 2007

    To avoid the hazards of demolition and construction, the feral cats who call University Gardens and Oxford Terrace home are on the move!  The SMU Feral Cat & Wildlife Program is currently working to lure these cats further north -- in a natural way -- into safer territory.  Temporary  green tub feeding shelters are being used to move the cats from University Gardens to Oxford Terrace, then from Oxford Terrace to Binkley white apartments.  A shelter and a wooden feeding station are set up at the new refugee location.

    This process is expected to take several weeks; food is moved no more than 5' per day.  As of January 2007, all but one cat has made the move from UG to Oxford Terrace.  Both the Feral Cat Program and cooperative workers in the area have enlarged the space for the cats to be able to move more easily from Oxford Terrace to Binkley apts.  It's an on-going process.  Team members are out there every day feeding and adjusting stations.

    Thank you for your patience during this time of transition.

    We'll keep you posted as the move continues!  Visit our website at www.smu.edu/cats.

Working with the Office of Legal Affairs, Campus Police, and the Office of the President,
the SMU Feral Cat Program is supported by all levels of University Administration.
For more information on TNR managed feral cat programs, visit our website at www.smu.edu/cats.