By Haya Nashar and Vana Sekian | Staff Writers
Everyone a part of the AUB community has had a personal experience with an AUB cat. Whether or not it was pleasant, no matter who you ask, there are always stories to be shared. With the campus returning back to its former spirit, there is evidently a flair that is lacking in its ambiance. That flair is that of the AUB cats.
In light of the present circumstances, the wellbeing and overall health of the university cats have been severely compromised due to lack of funding and aid . On top of the prevailing outstanding medical bills for the cats, there is currently a virus outbreak that is highly contagious and deadly among cats roaming around campus. Although it is not contagious to humans, it does not mean it is less important of an issue. This virus is impacting the majority of the animal population on campus which has led to an average of 2-3 cats being taken to the veterinary on a daily basis. With the help of the volunteers from the AUBcats Instagram page and the Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (SETA) Club, the cats are not alone in their fight for basic animal rights.
Roughly 8 years ago, the AUBcats Instagram page began as an attempt to document the lives of the beloved cats on campus. As time went on, people began to report sick, abandoned, and at risk cats to the Instagram page. There were no staff appointed to hold the responsibility for the wellbeing of any of the university cats. So, AUBcats became the platform that aimed at helping and caring for the cats’ overall well-being and health. Due to the economic crisis, the budget set for the cats from AUB was further reduced; making AUBcats their main provider for the past 2 years. The decreasing health of the cats has reached an all time low. To the point that Sarah from AUBcats began keeping the sick cats at her house to be able to take care of them due to insufficient space to isolate the cats on campus. At some point, she had 21 cats at her house, some in cages, some in different rooms; to be able to give them medicine in a controlled space.
The SETA Club has also been undertaking the responsibility of caring for the university cats. The majority of the time, SETA members pay from their pockets when there are no sufficient donation funds. And, in emergent cases, they have to purchase medicine from the veterinary, which costs double the price compared to the market prices. Because of this, the club is approximately 16 million LL in debt. According to the president of the club, SETA has a room in AUB that is designated as a safe environment for non-contagious cases of cats. Students upkeep this room just as they upkeep the water and feeding stations across campus. Due to students’ complaints of the disruptive nature of the feeding stations, AUB reduced the number of stations. Fortunately, due to AUBcats and SETA, 11 feeding stations were made available as the cats were suffering from starvation and dehydration.
The Psychology Student Society (PSS) collaborated with SETA in an attempt to raise funds to tackle the large sum of debts accumulated in order to provide the cats with better care. The success of the fundraiser event “Cookies for Cats” not only provided funds for the cats but also raised awareness over the current state of the AUB cats.
The treatment of the AUB cats is in no way justifiable. Animals feel pain just as humans do, which is why they do not deserve to be disregarded in the way that they currently are. AUB is their home just as much as it is ours. Individuals of the community need to recognize that their help is truly needed. If we care for a future for the AUB cats, change is necessary. The cats might be an inconvenience to some, but are loved and needed nonetheless for the AUB atmosphere to prevail. We are in control of their fate, because if we do not step in, who will?