UT Campus Cats
This page is for people who are concerned with the stray/feral cats and kittens who live on the campus of the University of Tampa.
There are currently several groups who are trying to trap them so they can be taken to a shelter for TNVR (Trap, Neuter/Spay, Vaccinate, Return/Adopt). My group (which is technically based in Temple Terrace but has residents at UT) is working to make an official campus club to bring everyone together whether they want to be involved in TNVR or just helping the kitties in some way. If you are a student, faculty or staff at UT, please use our contact page to let us know. We are putting together a mailing list to let you know when we are meeting and the progress of our club, or you can ask questions about campus cats. You can also report them to us. Just make sure you give a specific location. Like, the north side of Plant Hall (as opposed to Plant Hall, which is way too general). We are currently aware of the Beck construction group outside Tech/GHS, the GHS/Rec Center group, and at least one Plant Hall group.
What do we do? We lure them out or set traps so we can take them to one of the rescues we work with to be fixed and vaccinated. Kittens are usually then put up for adoption, as they have not become fully feral and have been getting a lot of attention from the campus community. Adults are evaluated for adoption. If they are too feral, they are generally returned to where they were found. However, if the colony is related to a construction area, they may be relocated to another on-campus colony.
Sometimes they are adopted out through a shelter and other times they are fostered by trained individuals. We also have the same scanning device vets use to check to see if any are microchipped and may have an owner (this is also done during TNVR).
Why keep feral colonies? Feral cats, especially after TNVR, can live happily in their colonies. They have a smaller lifespan than an indoor cat, and thus colonies sometimes reduce to only a few cats after a couple of years. For example, the Cass Annex used to be home to many cats and kittens. As of now, only two adults live there. They are named King and Queen and are happy to be fed and pet. TNVR of feral colonies is a humane and effective way to reduce the stray/feral population and most importantly reduce the kill shelter population. Keeping stay/feral cats from having kittens is the key. Cats can become sexually mature and have kittens as young as four months of age. So the sooner they are neutered/spayed the better, even if they live in a colony.
TIPPED EARS - When you see a cat or kitten with what looks like part of their ear missing, this is called tipping and is done after it has been through TNVR. Even some owned cats are being tipped now in case they get lost or are outside cats, it is clear they are being cared for as either a feral or a pet. (Both cats in the above photos are tipped, but it's hard to see).
For more information on feral and stray cats, TNVR, and other issues, visit Alley Cat Allies at AlleyCat.org.
You can also visit the other pages of this site, which is a companion site for Lost and Found Kitties of Temple Terrace groups on social media. It is focused on the Temple Terrace area, but much of the information is useful anywhere. However, IT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION to be finished by the end of 2022 or early 2023.
Thank you for your interest in the campus kitties :)
There are currently several groups who are trying to trap them so they can be taken to a shelter for TNVR (Trap, Neuter/Spay, Vaccinate, Return/Adopt). My group (which is technically based in Temple Terrace but has residents at UT) is working to make an official campus club to bring everyone together whether they want to be involved in TNVR or just helping the kitties in some way. If you are a student, faculty or staff at UT, please use our contact page to let us know. We are putting together a mailing list to let you know when we are meeting and the progress of our club, or you can ask questions about campus cats. You can also report them to us. Just make sure you give a specific location. Like, the north side of Plant Hall (as opposed to Plant Hall, which is way too general). We are currently aware of the Beck construction group outside Tech/GHS, the GHS/Rec Center group, and at least one Plant Hall group.
What do we do? We lure them out or set traps so we can take them to one of the rescues we work with to be fixed and vaccinated. Kittens are usually then put up for adoption, as they have not become fully feral and have been getting a lot of attention from the campus community. Adults are evaluated for adoption. If they are too feral, they are generally returned to where they were found. However, if the colony is related to a construction area, they may be relocated to another on-campus colony.
Sometimes they are adopted out through a shelter and other times they are fostered by trained individuals. We also have the same scanning device vets use to check to see if any are microchipped and may have an owner (this is also done during TNVR).
Why keep feral colonies? Feral cats, especially after TNVR, can live happily in their colonies. They have a smaller lifespan than an indoor cat, and thus colonies sometimes reduce to only a few cats after a couple of years. For example, the Cass Annex used to be home to many cats and kittens. As of now, only two adults live there. They are named King and Queen and are happy to be fed and pet. TNVR of feral colonies is a humane and effective way to reduce the stray/feral population and most importantly reduce the kill shelter population. Keeping stay/feral cats from having kittens is the key. Cats can become sexually mature and have kittens as young as four months of age. So the sooner they are neutered/spayed the better, even if they live in a colony.
TIPPED EARS - When you see a cat or kitten with what looks like part of their ear missing, this is called tipping and is done after it has been through TNVR. Even some owned cats are being tipped now in case they get lost or are outside cats, it is clear they are being cared for as either a feral or a pet. (Both cats in the above photos are tipped, but it's hard to see).
For more information on feral and stray cats, TNVR, and other issues, visit Alley Cat Allies at AlleyCat.org.
You can also visit the other pages of this site, which is a companion site for Lost and Found Kitties of Temple Terrace groups on social media. It is focused on the Temple Terrace area, but much of the information is useful anywhere. However, IT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION to be finished by the end of 2022 or early 2023.
Thank you for your interest in the campus kitties :)