By Morgan Webb ’17, Staff Writer

While LVC has a clear policy against students housing four-legged pets in dorms, the campus is still home to more than a dozen stray cats.

Although some of the felines aren’t as friendly as a typical housecat, many students have had the opportunity to approach, feed and even pet the neighborhood cats. This may seem like fun for all of the cat-lovers living on campus, but harsh reality will begin to set in as the winter months roll around and the animals are left without a warm bed to sleep in.

In order to combat this issue and give homes to the large number of stray cats roaming the county, the Humane Society of Lebanon County helps.  It’s a nonprofit organization that receives stray animals from every municipality in Lebanon County, as well as those animals surrendered by residents of the county who cannot or will not take adequate care of their pets.

Animals brought to the Society are entered into a foster program to locate the best possible home. The Society has even waived the $25 animal entry fee for Annville, giving the community even more reason to bring strays to the shelter.

No one is more familiar with this process than Sydney Fuhrman, a junior English major, who adopted a cat she found on campus last April. Fuhrman first met her cat, whom she would later name Ouji, late one night while walking back to her room with a friend.

“He immediately approached us, and he actually ended up sitting on my lap for nearly an hour,” Fuhrman said. “His most notable charm is his friendliness.”

Soon after meeting Ouji, Fuhrman learned that someone had taken him to the Humane Society and he was eligible for adoption. After filling out a simple form and making the proper living arrangements, Ouji was no longer a stray.

“Because the Humane Society determined he was about 10 years old, the adoption fee was waived,” Fuhrman said. “All I had to do was pick him up the day I moved out, and now we have a new addition to the family.”

While Ouji’s story has a happy ending, it is important to note that there are still countless strays living on LVC’s campus without a home. The Humane Society is the only animal shelter located in Lebanon; the nonprofit boasts countless success stories and prides itself in making the process simple and effective.

Fuhrman agrees that a college campus is not a proper home for stray cats and strongly endorses the work of the Humane Society.

“They really do care about the animals,” Fuhrman said.  “Each pet gets checked for viruses and illnesses and their shots are updated. They want to find good homes for all the animals they have, and that’s important.”