Cute kitty, tender solicitude

Caring for small animals on campus

Many students at Tsinghua show a strong attachment to small animals. In 2012, a group of like-minded students established the Student Association for Small Animal Protection（SASAP), aiming to provide help and protection to little animals in the sprawling green campus of Tsinghua.

Today, the association has over 300 members, all of them student volunteers striving to make the Tsinghua campus a warm home for small animals living here.

The welcome party for the freshmen of SASAP in 2021 September.

SASAP carries out its work with great professionalism. Students in the Feeding Department supply the cats with food and water at set times every day, identify them, take their photos and keep a record of them. If some cats happen to be in danger, students in the Rescue Department rescue them immediately, offering them necessary treatment. 

The association also implements trapping sterilization release (TSR) to control the population of stray cats. Apart from that, its Adoption Department looks for suitable foster adopters for them. There are also student members responsible for publicity, peripheral design and seeking sponsorship for the association.

A cat and his bowl.

SASAP has carried out many impressive works. During the pandemic in 2020, when few students were on campus, a cat was found trapped on a tree. The volunteers and teachers in the school tried to rescue it, but to no avail, as the cat was frightened. Later, an alumnus with veterinary experience climbed up the tree with electrician equipment and blew anesthesia, eventually rescuing it.

“It’s so amazing that we coordinated online and completed such a difficult rescue,” Yang Yuhan, the president of SASAP said. “Luckily, the rescued cat was adopted by a teacher in the end.”

Assigning them creative names  

Yang Yuhan said, “Before I became the president, we had almost no statistics on the number of cats, including their names and photos. "

A kitty whose name is Candy playing in the snow.

To better grasp the situation of small animals on campus, SASAP maintains comprehensive records by collecting new data and analyzing previous records. In 2020, the association created a mobile application archive and estimates about 130 cats to be on campus.

At the same time, to make it easier to sort through their data, the association assigns a name to each of the small animals they keep a record of. Nectarine, Chocolates and even Marx are some of the names given to the cats on campus. Sometimes, SASAP also holds a naming contest, asking all teachers and students in the university to come up with creative names for the animals.

Marx and his house.

One of the association’s important works is the "Tsinghua Cat Handbook" WeChat mini program. 

Collecting information from a program produced by Peking University students, the association developed an online directory, in which an individual can learn the name, character and habits of cats on campus.

“It has become the main way for students outside the association to learn more about the association and the kind of work we do,” Yang Yuhan said.

The user interface of "Tsinghua Cat Handbook", which shows the work of SASAP and the information of cats in Tsinghua.

Making a choice

Protecting small animals is a costly affair with expensive treatments and long-term care involved. Every time they rescue an animal, members of SASAP are faced with difficult choices: Whether to save it or not? What actions should they take?  

SASAP holds a detailed discussion with its members and consults doctors before deciding how to move forward. 

       A cat sent to the animal hospital for health check.

Likewise, SASAP pays more attention to the professional opinions of doctors on the sterilization of pregnant cats, and has developed a clear standard for induction of labor and sterilization.

At Tsinghua, SASAP bridges the world of humans and that of animals,  providing tender solicitude to the animals on campus while inspiring the Tsinghua community to treat nature with more respect.

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Campus | Cute kitty, tender solicitude
Writer: Li RuojiaEditors: Liu Shutian, Sangeet SangroulaDesigner: Li Ruojia