Co-Authored by Xiaotong Zha & Peixin Li
Stray cats are DKU’s most recent novelty, capturing the hearts of students and faculty. Still, more than a dozen felines are prompting the university to act and prevent pet overpopulation. In a recent development, student groups and Campus Operations are collaborating in a complex conversation, determining the fate of these animals.
At the front door of Duke Kunshan University’s undergraduate residence building A, a group of students encircles a cluster of five cats, offering them food, playfully teasing them with a retractable wand, and taking pictures of them.
“tài kě’ài le!” So cute, gushed a student as they lay on the floor, attempting to capture the moment of a recently born kitten feeding from its mother. Indeed, the cats have gathered a devoted following comprising all DKU community members. For instance, one of them boasts a distinctive spot above its lips, evoking Adolf Hitler’s recognizable toothbrush mustache and earning it the nickname “Cat Hitler.” Students have captured images of this feline and shared them on WeChat platforms, earning it quite a reputation. Likewise, staff, like the guard at Residence Building A, who now regularly feeds tuna to the cats outside her facility, have grown fond of these new companions.
These seemingly innocent encounters mask a deeper issue confounding campus authorities—the increasing population of stray cats. Their presence has initiated discussions among students and authorities, covering topics such as animal welfare, public safety, and the university’s responsibility in caring for these animals.
“Cat Hitler.” Photo by Animal Protection Agency.
A recent message from students in the International Students’ Group chat urges everyone not to pet or approach the cats unless experienced in animal rescue. The text warns against capturing images or videos of the cats, pressing the maintenance of a low profile to safeguard the integrity of these felines. “Bringing attention to the presence of a dog on campus will possibly result in it being forcefully removed and possibly suppressed afterward,” says Cody Schmidt, an American junior. Schmidt’s warning comes after a group of cats disappeared following the opening of Phase II. “We never saw them again, and we don’t know what happened,” explains Minghao (Rainie) Zhang, lecturer of English Language at Duke Kunshan University.
However, DKU’s campus operations recently declared they are designating funds to care for the cats. “We want to keep them on campus,” expressed Ally Chen, lead of campus operations. Chen notes that with the support of students and other organizations, a coalition, which campus operations would form part of, can effectively take care of these felines.
Despite this recent development, student concerns were not exaggerated, as reports of cats disappearing from campuses seem to be a nationwide problem. In an interview, Shuting Yang, a second-year undergraduate student at Henan Normal University (HNU), told us about a similar event. In preparation for the school anniversary, expecting the visit of important alumni and party officials, all animal presence at HNU vanished. “Last year, to celebrate the school anniversary, many cats in the school were driven away, and the cat nests and bowls were also taken away. I can understand the concerns of school officials, but I don’t agree with the school’s approach,” confesses Yang.
Faculty’s Intervention
In response to the growing feline population at DKU, a student group named “Dogkatu” emerged, advocating for animal rights on campus. With over 230 members, the group, founded by professors Nathan Hauthaler, Rainie Zhang, and Tommaso Tesei, comprises faculty, students, and staff advocating for animal welfare. Additionally, the more active “Animal Protection Academy” (APA) student and faculty group with 21 members has developed a comprehensive database of cats, with images for reference and detailed descriptions about their sex, color, breed, and age. More importantly, this group has raised funds for these animals’ care. “We want a good life for these cats,” explains Zhang.
To prevent animals from being forcibly removed and sent to detention centers, the APA and faculty are striving to find homes or shelter them. Pippa Morgan, an Assistant Professor in Political Science, adopted one of the two dogs about to be sent to the police in 2021. Additionally, faculty created a “Caring for Animals Research Lab” (CARE) to have a leading interdisciplinary scientific hub for research, practice, and policy discussions about animal welfare on campus and beyond. CARE focuses on the ethical dilemmas behind animal agriculture, companionship, trade, adoption, and abandonment, hoping to play a pivotal role in shaping how the university goes about animal treatment. The APA is currently discussing ways to partner itself with the CARE initiative.
The club’s first step will be to dedicate funds to Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) stray animals. For DKU, TNR represents students buying cages to collect cats and take them to Anjiu Pet Clinic to be sterilized and neutered. Thus far, voluntary faculty and student donations finance these initiatives, but the student association hopes to receive support from other offices. Moreover, students have tracked the population of cats and hopes to give them names, hoping to replicate Peking University’s (PKU) WeChat mini program cataloging all stray cats students see on that campus. Called Yan Yuan Mao, the program tracks stray cats on campus by cataloging their names, photos, and personality descriptions and helps coordinate sterilizations and adoption. This initiative has become a sensation among PKU students, exemplifying responsible pet ownership. Seeing its success, the Animal Protection Academy is optimistic that DKU’s student body will be inspired to create platforms like PKU’s and actively engage in its initiatives to care for these cats.
Other Institutions’ Response:
Other institutions across China have taken different avenues to deal with stray animals. For example, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s (XJTLU) campus operations division has supported student clubs and helped them connect with other organizations like the Suzhou Small Animal Protection Association (SSAPA). SSAPA is a non-profit animal protection organization backed by the Suzhou Agriculture and Forestry Bureau. It rescues, shelters, provides medical care, and facilitates adoptions for stray animals, advocating for humane treatment and promoting responsible pet ownership across the province. SSAPA delivers workshops in XJTLU to train students in animal care while helping them locate potential owners in neighboring areas. Zhang believes DKU can “learn” from other institutions, with campus operations supporting instead of hindering student efforts. In particular, the APA continues to plead with the university for resources to fund TNR initiatives, securing the vaccination and neutering of cats. Zhang echoes the students’ demands and suggests that faculty and student collaboration, supported by Operation’s involvement, can lead to a more organized and effective TNR process. In particular, Zhang states that a similar organization at DKU could also partner with SSAPA and offer equivalent workshops that familiarize the community with animal care.
Broader Context
Advocacy groups like those in DKU are these cats’ only line of defense, as the legislation in China surrounding stray animals is ambiguous. Currently, the country does not have nationwide legislation on dealing with abandoned cats and dogs in metropolises. One policy, Article 1250 in the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China, adopted in 2020, supports the claim of compensation for damage caused by an animal from its keeper or custodian. Still, it does not mention who bears the responsibility for animals without a direct owner.
Local authorities manage stray animals at their discretion. Searching on Peking University’s Law Database will yield regulations and pronunciations from local departments on controlling and governing stray animals in cities.
Suzhou has historically taken a stringent stance on managing stray animals. On August 6, 2008, the Jinxi Government of Kunshan stated: “We always maintain a high-pressure situation and immediately deploy a dog management team to apprehend them upon detection.” This unwavering approach persisted into 2022, with the Kunshan Agriculture and Rural Bureau asserting, “(We shall) focus on the surveillance of rabies among rural and urban stray dogs and cats, as well as those receiving treatment at animal hospitals,” as outlined in their Work Plan for Animal Disease Monitoring and Epidemiological Investigation. The Regulations on the Management of Dog Breeding in Suzhou City underscores the pressing concern for the welfare of stray animals in the area, including the felines at DKU. In the absence of claims by individuals or organizations, local authorities could relocate these strays to shelters.
Campus Operations Response
In a recent interview with DKU’s lead of campus services, Ally Chen expressed concerns regarding the increasing population of stray cats on campus. Despite the affection these cats garner from students, Chen highlighted potential health risks, including the transmission of diseases and parasites. She stressed that stray cats could transmit rabies and may carry parasites like fleas and ticks, which can transmit diseases such as Bartonella (cat scratch fever) and typhus to humans through bites or contact with contaminated feces. Still, thanks to the initiatives taken by students, the majority of cats are vaccinated.
Furthermore, incidents of cat aggression resulting in scratches and bites have raised safety concerns among campus health staff. In response to complaints from DKU’s campus clinic regarding cat-related injuries to students, Chen proposed relocating the cats to less frequented areas of campus and establishing feeding stations to mitigate potential conflicts. Meanwhile, student efforts, such as those led by the Animal Protection Academy, have already begun addressing these concerns through initiatives such as deworming and sterilization.
Chen emphasized the need for collaborative efforts to address these issues, suggesting forming a student group to coordinate trap and neuter initiatives due to the lack of expertise among campus operations. Chen said that campus operations had initiated discussions with NYU Shanghai to replicate its funding models for campus cats, citing NYU Shanghai’s successful sponsorship of their campus cat, Princess, through merchandise sales. However, she also stressed the importance of diversified funding sources, as they explain that campus operations cannot be the sole sponsor of these cats.
Meanwhile, five kittens huddle together under the CCT bridge, seeking warmth from Kunshan’s freezing air, protected by their mother’s piercing stares at any stranger. Students, faculty, and staff coo over them, occasionally feeding and petting them. Soon, those kittens will roam around campus and join more than 20 cats on their adventures, lounging outside residence buildings, catnapping in the staircases leading to the parking, and idling in the water features of Phase I. While authorities and students passionately debate about their future, cats continue to live, blithely unaware of the controversy they’ve caused and of the hostile world awaiting them outside Duke Kunshan University.
