HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Five feral cats at Northern Kentucky University have become beloved by students and staff. However, some students worry the university may soon remove them.
Senior Natalie Brown said the cats first appeared three years ago and have made the area outside the Landrum Academic Center their home.
"They are just absolutely adored by the students, the faculty, the staff," Brown said.
Brown said students and staff have grown to care for the cats by feeding them and providing them with outdoor shelters.
However, Brown said the university is considering removing the cats.
WATCH: NKU students protested the university's desire to remove the cats
On Thursday, dozens of students and staff protested, calling for the cats to stay.
"There is no humane way to remove a cat colony, because they bond with their physical environment," Brown said.
Brown started an online petition to keep the cats on campus.
"That should really emphasize to the university that these cats are loved, they're wanted, they're needed," Brown said.
We spoke to Corey Best, NKU's chief communications officer, about the concerns from students.
She said rumors that the university would call animal control and remove the cats on Friday are false. However, she said the cats can't stay where they are.
"The reality is that we can't have feral cats living in or around campus buildings," Best said.
Best acknowledged the affection many have for the cats, but said they have caused some issues, such as being in campus buildings.
"One of the cat houses sits right up against a damper, and that has been pulling cat dander and hair into the HVAC unit into the building, which has caused some extra cost to maintenance," Best said.
Best said the university is setting temporary guidelines for students and the cats. That includes:
- Removing shelters placed against university buildings
- Removing any food placed outside after one hour
- Forbidding the use of heated cat housing
- Not allowing cats inside any university building
She said the university is also hoping to collaborate with students and staff about solutions that everyone can agree on.
"We are certainly open to any and all of those ideas the community has for the future of the Landrum cats," Best said.
NKU junior Rachel Paxitzis said she hopes the cats can stay on campus. She said the cats provide emotional relief for students who interact with them.
"It seems like a small issue, but to us, it's really big," said Paxitzis.
