By the time I walked toward the pond of Biho dormitory, there was a structure which attracted my eyes. It is named 'Strange Cafe for Stary cats'. As the name suggests, you would know it's a meal place for stray cats which reside near the dormitry. Inside the cafe, it's always filled with cat food : not that much, not that little. I made my question about this cafe : Doesn't this cafe cause any trouble? Since the Cat-Mom issue is very sensitive recently, is that permitted by the school? With these doubts, I had an interview with Stray Cat Helpers.

Q1. What does Stray Cat Helpers do and when did it start?

Stray Cat Helpers is one of the RC programs of Biho dormitory. Students who join this program are called 'helpers', who help and care for those stray cats living near the dormitory. From 2019, we received increased complaints from students who were suffering from mental difficulties, like stress from school. Based on the concept of animal-assisted therapy, we started Stray Cat Helpers with the belief that it could relieve those stresses of students. In the 2nd semester of 2020, we invited Kwon-Hyeok from the Korean Animal Welfare Association to give our helpers a chance to learn more about the activity. We also did TNR for cats as a part of regulating individual numbers of stary cats. We let students attend every single part of it to learn about the preciousness of every life.

Q2. One who objects to the program insists that it only worsens probelms now occurring by stray cats and makes them more dependent on humans. What do you think about that?

Stray Cat Helpers isn't a program that only feeds stray cats. We don't let them reproduce exaggeratedly. Instead, we regulates the numbers by manners like TNR, etc. Also, we try to maintain the ecosystem with continuous care. Furthermore, caring for stray cats could help students to relieve their stress from their daily routine.

Q3. Were there any difficulties during the program?

It's impossible for everyone in our community to accept stray cats as members of the community or co-exist with stray cats. While the awareness of stray cats has changed a lot nowadays, there are still people who love stray cats so much that they even try to give treats to cats personally. This could be harmful to cats and the program. So we let them know that we understand their kind intentions, but beg them to stop.

Q4. Anything else for readers?

The RC program isn't a single separated program. Every single program like the flea market or Stray Cat Helpers relates to complementary relationships. Furthermore, our program was recognized for excellence and awarded a prize. Please join with us. We are a one-of-a-kind program at DU!

Through this interview with Stray Cat Helpers, I hope everyone could have a chance to contemplate the possibility of co-existence. Thanks to Kim-seon Hee for allowing the time for this interview with me.

L.L.F reporter Han-sung Jeong