It is hard to believe our Mississippi State University felines could face deportation from the campus they call home, especially in a society which often values animals as family. Not only are the campus cats adorable, but they have the potential to offer so much more with their presence.
Although deemed “feral,” MSU’s campus cats are quite friendly and often approach students. They seem happy, and their presence causes no harm to students or the campus, and the may even prompt long-term mental and other campus-wide benefits.
College campuses are a stressful environment. Between stressful, nearly impossible courses, to trying to navigate the tumultuous seas of a social life, not one college student can escape the snares of stress and anxiety. However, cats have the ability to ease some of this anxiety.
According to Dr. Kay Judge and Dr. Maxine Barish-Wreden of The Seattle Times, pet owners faced less stress and dealt with stress more effectively than their pet-less peers. Cats cannot get rid of all stress by any means, but having even a little stress eased can make all the difference in the world.
Having cats around also has a multitude of other benefits positively impacting human health. Health Fitness Revolution states cats can decrease the risk of stroke and heart attacks, lower blood pressure and boost immunity to allergens. Cats even act as little four-legged therapists, and “trigger the release of oxytocin, the hormone known for inducing feelings of love and trust,” Health Fitness Revolution states. In addition, I cannot help but think cats probably enjoy our presence as much as we enjoy their presence.
It is as if the cats each have thousands of student owners who will stop for a quick pet before class, and give them the attention they desire. They even have free-rein to roam the expansive campus, which they may not have if they were completely domesticated.
Keeping the “feral” cats also has other visible benefits related to campus upkeep. As said by Alley Cat Rescue, feral cats provide a “pesticide-free solution to rodent control,” and even help boost community involvement through “implementing local Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs.”
According to Hannah Ferrett of The Sun, even the most magical place on earth, Walt Disney World, sees the benefit of using cats, specifically for rodent control.
“Given it’s a kids’ paradise, a lot of food gets dropped on the floor each day. That should spell a rodent problem, which is where the cats come in. After dark, 200 felines are let loose behind the gates to make sure there are no mice. They’re cared for during the day too – staff feed them and they’re spayed or neutered,” Ferrett said. There really is little need or benefit from removing the cats from campus.
Furthermore, keeping the cats can actually mean fewer tax expenditures. “Unlike eradication programs, which are paid for using tax dollars, most TNR programs operate using private money and volunteers. A study found that TNR programs could cut costs in half. With an estimated 87 million free-roaming, community cats in the United States, it would cost government entities about $16 billion to trap and kill these cats as opposed to about $9 billion to support TNR programs run by rescue organizations and individual volunteers,” Alley Cat Rescue explained. 
I truly see no reason to evict these precious creatures, and I am sure many animal-loving student and faculty would agree. Cats supposedly have nine lives, and these felines are willingly choosing to spend them here, who are we to say they cannot?