Every morning and evening at San Antonio College, more than 50 stray cats gather at their bowls outside of the Moody Learning Center and the Allied Health and Nursing Building, awaiting a meal from some familiar faces. Fed by volunteers around the San Antonio College campus, the cats show their appreciation with warmth and affection for their caregivers.
For some students and faculty, the cats have become a welcome fixture. Victoria Warren, a first-year education major, said she loves seeing the cats lounging around campus, especially outside the Moody Learning Center and the nursing building, where they are guaranteed to find love and refuge.
“I look forward to seeing the gray cat at the Chase building and the black one at Moody [Learning Center] between classes,” she said.
But for the handful of cat-loving volunteers who donate their time and money to feeding, fixing and rescuing the dozens of strays that live on campus, their adopted mission is straining their resources.
Qing Liu is a professor of graphic design at SAC and one of three regular volunteers who run San Antonio College Cats, a self-funded group of cat lovers dedicated to caring for and controlling the stray population around campus.
Liu said while irregular volunteers sometimes help the group feed and find homes for cats, SAC Cats is in desperate need of more financial support, long-term foster care and regular volunteers.
Roughly 20 to 25 cats have made San Antonio College home, according to Liu, and SAC Cats volunteers feed them every day at more than a dozen locations around campus.
“We need feeders and fosters desperately,” Liu said.
San Antonio College Cats volunteers have trapped, neutered and released or re-homed more than 100 cats and kittens Since 2020. The group currently cares for more than 50 cats, feeding some and fostering others. The care, which often includes veterinary services, is costly.
Liu said it costs at least $25 per day to feed the more than 50 cats that rely on the group’s care, meaning the group pays at least $9,125 for food annually, most of which the volunteers pay for themselves.
Other costs include vaccinations, flea control, foster homes, and gas for transportation. Liu said veterinary services are the biggest expense. Some cats have severe problems, including cancer, kidney issues, and a hip dislocation, and the group has spent more than $8,000 for veterinary services in 2023.
San Antonio College Cats has been around since 2015 when Michele Tippit, a client support specialist in the SAC Office of Technology Services, first started caring for cats around campus. Tippit told San Antonio Report that shortly after she began her efforts, she was joined by a fellow faculty member, a former student, a retired faculty member and two volunteers not associated with SAC.
Liu got involved after noticing the large number of strays around campus. When she mentioned to her colleagues that she wanted to help, they directed her to Tippit.
In addition to the constant flow of cats and kittens from nearby neighborhoods, Liu and her colleagues suspect some cats may also be dumped on campus. Abandoning cats is against the law, and strays are at risk for thirst, malnutrition, disease and attacks by other strays.
Liu launched SAC Cats’ Instagram account in January 2020 to document progress, increase awareness and raise funds for the cause. The account, which has more than 1,000 followers, is one of the platforms the group uses to bring in donations. Several followers donate to SAC Cat’s Venmo account, @tory_bambam_sadie, which is linked to their Instagram. The account is named after three cats, two of which have been adopted by families in Alamo Heights. Liu is currently fostering the other, Tory.
In 2022, SAC Cats collected $820 in donations, and Liu said they invested $600 to initiate the legal process of becoming a nonprofit organization, which is nearly complete.
Liu said the volunteers who make up SAC Cats hope that becoming a nonprofit will allow them to bring in more donations and support so they can continue the work they do caring for and controlling the stray population around SAC.
Anyone who would like to support or volunteer with SAC Cats should reach out via Instagram or contact Liu.
