Aggie Cat services manage feral cat population at USU

Aggie Cat Services began 21 years ago as a pre-veterinary club that trapped feral cats to demonstrate how to spay and neuter them. Today, it is a donation-based trap-neuter-return (TNR) management program. 

Aggie Cat Services was inspired by the No More Homeless Pets program’s TNR efforts in Salt Lake City according to Whit Milligan, USU Residence Life executive director. They wanted to start implementing more TNR programs in different cities. Due to Utah State University having many clusters of feral cats around campus, the administrative assistant of the USU pre-vet club had representatives from the shelter come talk to the club and other faculty about the program.  

“I had never heard of it before,” said Milligan. “We went and thought it was the coolest thing ever.”  

Areas such as Aggie Commons, previously known as The Junction, family housing areas and the mobile home park were places stray cats liked to call home. They were there because there was plenty of food and shelter options, Milligan said.  

“People leave dumpsters open so they can dumpster dive and find food,” Milligan said. “That’s how they were trying to survive.”  

In order to control the population, Milligan and other faculty members implemented their own TNR program.  

“They exist because of humans, so I feel like we have a responsibility to humanely manage what’s going on with them,” Milligan said.  

Milligan said, in order to trap the cats, a feeding station must be established. 

“You identify where cats are and you establish a feeding station because usually there are more cats around than what you’re seeing,” Milligan said.  

When they are trapped, the cats are taken to the vet to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and have the tips of their left ear clipped, a visual sign that the cats have been treated.  

“We have their ear tipped so that we can tell visually that they’ve been trapped,” Milligan said. 

They are then released back to the same place they were trapped to continue living. 

“I estimate we’ve trapped a little over 80 cats in all since the beginning,” Milligan said.  

When cats are released, the feeding station stays in the same place. Aggie Cat Services shelters are also put in place so cats don’t have to search for their own.  

“Once we had shelters and a feeding station on the other side of the fence of the townhomes, the cats had no reason to stay near the houses,” Milligan said. “They don’t want to be around you or your stuff.” 

Twelve shelters were built and donated to the program by a high school student for his Eagle Scout project. Without the shelters, cats would use back porches in family housing areas to live in. To minimize that issue, shelters and feeding stations have been placed in Aggie Village, giving the cats a better spot to stay.  

“Providing them with shelters made all the difference in the world for them being around family housing,” Milligan said. “They don’t want to be on your back porch, but you’re storing a bunch of stuff there. You’re creating all these hiding cubby places for them to winter in.” 

Aggie Cat Services volunteers help with feedings and keep the shelters clean and stocked with fresh straw in the winter. If the snow gets too high for the cats to get in or out of the shelters, they also shovel paths so they can roam around as usual.  

“We’ve had cats get trapped in those shelters they can’t even get out, especially if the wind blows,” Milligan said. “You have to go and shovel a path out so they can walk around.” 

Stockton Benson, an Aggie Cat Services volunteer, said he loves being able to help these cats.  

“I love getting to know that I’m making a difference and helping these cats out,” Benson said. 

This is Benson’s fourth year at Utah State and his second year as an Aggie Cat Services volunteer. 

 Each volunteer has specific feeding days to ensure that all the animals are sufficiently managed. Benson is the Friday feeder.  

“It’s a cool experience to see the cats every Friday,” Stockton said. “I really do love cats, and so getting to see them is always a pleasure.”  

Central Suites residence director Avery Pearson has been a volunteer for five years.  

“This program is making sure these animals are safe and taken care of,” Pearson said.  

Prior to implementing the program, when USU would get a complaint about a stray cat, the police or housing facility staff would trap the cat and have it euthanized, Milligan said.  

“It was just a trap and kill,” Milligan said. “You can’t keep up with that, not with as fast as cats have kittens.” 

Cats can have up to three litters per year. TNR programs prevent treated cats from reproducing.  

“They can have up to three litters a year,” Milligan said. “Female cats also go into heat at about four months old and have kittens right away — it’s just out of control.” 

While the program has reduced the number of cats, there could still be new strays coming into the area.  

“If this program just goes away, more cats are going to come in and you’re going to have to do something,” Milligan said. “I would hate to go back to trap and kill again.” 

Twenty-one years ago, feral cats were a common complaint at USU. The program has been successful in reducing the number of cats as well as those complaints. 

“We’ve easily prevented the birth of over 9000 kittens by doing this,” Milligan said.  

 Its success shows the difference a long-term commitment to caring for the cats can make. 

“It’s a really important program,” Milligan said. “It’s been really effective.”