BIRMINGHAM, Ala (WIAT) -- With Birmingham-Southern College closing its doors back in May, students were left to search for new schools to attend. It also left another group to find new homes.
For years, a colony of stray cats roamed BSC’s grounds and a group of students made it their mission to care for them. A student organization called Forward Ever Felines was run by BSC student Helen Poplin with faculty sponsor Greta Valenti.
“My freshman year was 2020, so as one could expect, it was just me for a while,” Poplin said. “I think it was November of my sophomore year that we started actually having a real organization, and we took care of them until the college closed.”
Most of the group’s efforts focused on providing the cats with a better quality of life. There were around 40 students in the organization’s GroupMe, where they regularly provided updates on the cats on campus.
“We fed them, of course. A lot of the time it was just loving on them as well, just making sure that they’re happy and healthy so that anyone that came to campus would see these happy, healthy little cats,” Poplin said.
Since the announcement of BSC’s closing in March, Poplin said the organization has gotten around six cats adopted. Two of the cats, Ophelia and Luke, were adopted by Poplin.
“There might be a couple left because they’re being stubborn,” she said.
The continued presence of the strays, even after the campus was left vacant, was confirmed by BSC officials in a statement.
“Cat food and water are still provided to them in their usual spots, and they seem quite content. The campus has 192 acres, plenty of shade, and the hunting opportunities that come with a wooded environment,” the statement read.
Benny Sexton, one of the originating members of Forward Ever Felines, hopes the remaining cats get adopted.
“My hope for the Birmingham-Southern cats is that, in the future, there won’t be any Birmingham-Southern cats. They should all be adopted into good homes,” said Sexton.
Vet visits were another major part of the organization.
“Before Forward Ever Felines, there was a single police officer that would take them and get them fixed," Poplin said. “They would get fixed for free, which was wonderful, but once she ended up leaving, and once we took over, most of them were already fixed. Near the end, it was just a lot of vaccines and FIV checks, just so that when they go into their new homes, they would have rabies vaccines and we would know if they were FIV positive.”
With Forward Ever Felines, Poplin felt that she had found her calling.
“I think that a lot of people have realized that this is an actual problem in Birmingham,” she said.