<p>According to a story I saw last night on the local news, in the two towns near WSU and U of Idaho, they are expecting around 1500 cats and dogs to be dumped out in the next 2-3 weeks (this is the average number of animals that they see each year.) 1500 cats and dogs that have been there day after day to keep college kids company. Please tell your college kids that it’s not a good idea to go out and get a pet while they are in college. If they really want a pet (at least locally) you can go to your local animal shelter and become a pet foster parent for the year and then give it back. </p>
<p>Oh my Lord… as an alum I am acutely ashamed. If you even suspect your kid had a “kind of” pet, insist that they bring it home, take it back to your community to get it a fighting chance to be adopted.
For an even better lesson, make sure your kid takes care of the pet over the summer, finds an apartment that allows pets next year, pays the deposit and takes care of it next year.<br>
It’s good practice for being an adult…especially the stepping in cat barf barefoot at 3AM part.</p>
<p>My daughter does plan to get a cat next year because she misses having one so much. She has found an apartment that will allow her to have one and will pay the ‘pet’ deposit out of her own money.</p>
<p>It will be coming home with her in the summers and if she is gone all summer again then we get to kittysit. Hopefully, like grandkids (of which we have non yet, it will just be visiting! If not I can deal with another kitty. Maybe this one will actually like me! (our current kitty is my husband’s shadow which aggravates me because i am supposed to be the one the cats love !)</p>
<p>I had two cats in college. I had the same two cats when my kids were little, 12 years later. They died at ages 14 and 16. I still miss one of them (the other one was a PITA). Not all college pet owners are irresponsible. My daughter had the same cat from age 7 until it died this past January (age 15). It went to college with her and graduated with her too.</p>
<p>My d’s dorm allows cats, so she’s been talking about getting one. I’ve been telling her no, we already have 2, and she’ll inevitably bring it home when she goes overseas or to graduate school or something. However the male cat died suddenly from kidney failure this spring (and he was only 5!) I really miss that cat and am now secretly hoping that d gets a cat and ends up dumping it on me - another male tabby would be nice.</p>
<p>OMG so sad
My daughter liked her school because they had a cat dorm ( I think DMD77 daughter got to bring her cat one year), many of her bio teachers also had dogs- it is a very dog friendly campus & I do admit that many kids, my daughters current roommate included ,moved off campus when in college so he could have a dog- ( who he has now had for at least 5 years- D is very excited because they are moving this weekend to a house with a fenced yard and another roommate is bringing her dog as well)</p>
<p>Im also wondering if these pets were fixed? that would adding insult to injury if they weren’t :(</p>
!)</p>