The CSUN Cat People are holding their second annual Pet Food Drive throughout November to gather cat and dog food used to sustain CSUN’s feral cat colony and to support no-kill animal rescues.

People can donate dry and canned pet food in various offices on campus such as Sierra Hall 376, Jacaranda 2500 and Live Oak 1128.

“This pet food drive is relevant and important to CSUN because its part of having a sustainable campus,” said Sabina Magliocco, member of CSUN Cat People and anthropology professor.

According to Magliocco, most public institutions that have food sources attract feral cats. One unaltered female cat and her litter can create 450,000 cats over their lifetime and become a problem for an institution. Before the group existed, the campus policy was to trap and euthanize cats.

“(Trap and euthanize) is much more expensive in the long run than trap and return. The reason is that once you remove the cats and kill them, new cats move in and the whole thing starts all over again,” Magliocco said.

Louise Adams took the role of trapping, neutering and releasing feral cats that roamed campus almost 13 years ago, when the CSUN Cat People group was created.

“At first, there were about 75 cats on campus and we provided medical care for all of them. We had everyone spayed or neutered, vaccinations, rabies shots, everything. Now there are about 25 cats on campus and that is how it should be,” said Adams, member of CSUN Cat People and administrative assistant.

With the group’s trap-neuter-release solution and feeding stations around campus, the feral cats have become a stable colony that don’t prey on other CSUN wildlife and keep vermin away.

“PPM—that’s Physical Plant Management—tells us they actually like having the cats around because the smell of the cats keeps away vermin like rats, mice and pigeons,” Magliocco said.

Most of the funding for the group’s efforts to create a stable cat colony came out of the member’s pockets.

“The feeders have to buy the food. Every year this food drive really helps us in our ability to feed the cats without it being a financial hardship on any of the individual feeders,” Adams said.

Every semester, student volunteers from classes that require service learning become involved with the group.

“CSUN Cat People takes an ignored problem and tries to make the best of the situation through our love for animals and the environment they live in. Though, we may focus on cats but in reality our focus spreads throughout the wildlife on campus,” said Andrew Krawchuk, a student volunteer.