Living among—or rather by—the new residents of Bishop Roberts Hall is Bishop, the stray, orange shorthair cat. Bishop has lived in the area for several years, and is one of many cats that DePauw Campus Cat Allies (DCCA) looks after.
DCCA is a group of DePauw students, staff, faculty, and Greencastle community members. According to their Instagram, DCCA “seek[s] to implement a humane, long-term management plan for the DePauw campus cats and the stray cats in the greater Greencastle community.”
DCCA member and former Bishop Roberts hall resident Margaret Easley first met Bishop last year during her first week as a freshman.
“I was sitting on the curb and saw [Bishop] walking across the parking lot. I was so excited to see a cat, as I missed my own cat at home,” shared Easley.
Since then, Easley joined DCCA and began assisting with feeding Bishop on weekend mornings, adding that he especially loves dry cat food. “I just loved seeing him and knowing I was helping him live, especially in the cold months,” said Easley.
While Bishop has been very friendly and shown interest in being near people, he does not allow people to touch or get too close to him, according to Easley. It is important for people to “give him space, as one can imagine people can be scary for a small [feral] cat,” she added.
The DCCA Instagram (@dcca_depauw) and Facebook pages not only post charming photos of campus cat sightings, but also shar cat-related news and educational content on caring for stray cats.
Easley said DCCA shrunk in members this year due to the majority of its leadership “mov[ing] on.” DCCA has posted information on how to get involved with the club from becoming a volunteer to donating or purchasing items off their Amazon wishlist. Supported entirely by volunteers’ efforts, DCCA has continued to sustain and create a safer and more welcoming space for DePauw’s campus cats.
