A stray black cat and the birth of her six young kittens on campus pulled at OCC employees’
heartstrings and had many giving up their time at all hours to ensure they were safe
and fed.
One employee gave advice about how to care for them while on her honeymoon.
Another came to campus over the July 4 holiday weekend to feed them.
And, several others frantically searched for a wee one who went missing. He was later found inside the wheel well of a maintenance truck after it had driven across the College’s Auburn Hills campus.
Mamma and her kitties are now living with an employee who is caring for them until they are old enough to be adopted through the Animal House of SE Michigan.
Like a cat’s tail, there’s a good story to be told filled with emotion. Here’s how it happened.
The discovery
OCC Art Paraprofessionals Melissa Beadia and Riley McCarthy first discovered the mama cat and her kittens on June 27 after a student said they saw a cat with a mouse near a storage cage in the art alley near Building E.
“The kittens had just been born and were around a week old,” Beadia said. “Their eyes were just starting to open, and their ears were still pretty closed. Mamma was very thin and very young. She seemed friendly and wasn’t afraid, but (she was) skittish.”
The two began calling animal rescues to see if they could take the family, but all were at capacity. Beadia began feeding the cat so she wouldn’t have to hunt for food and even came to campus over the July 4 holiday weekend to bring food. To her surprise, they were all gone when she returned to work on Monday.
“We tried to find them and didn’t know where they had gone,” said Beadia, who has a cat of her own and cares for an outdoor neighborhood cat. “We were pretty devastated.”
A change of scenery
A few days later, Faculty member Cameron Berrier walked into his outside storage area behind the Welding lab and saw the cat standing near one of the acetylene tanks.
“I started talking to her to keep her calm and noticed the kittens hiding behind the tank,” he recalled.
Berrier had no idea the cat had moved her kittens from a different part of campus where other employees cared for them. He texted a photo of the kittens to his teammate Shelby Hardy, also known by many as the “Cat Lady,” and asked for advice.
The Welding and Fabrication Specialist was in the Florida Keys on her honeymoon. She quickly responded with feeding instructions and names of rescue organizations.
Berrier and his students spent the next week making the animals feel at home. Berrier, known for his rugged exterior and heart of gold, fed the cat every morning, and students turned the often-loud environment to one more conducive for the kittens by quietly disposing of their metals outside.
Hardy returned from her honeymoon and put a plan in place to get the animals moved
safely and ready for adoption. Her plan, though, hit a roadblock when one of the kittens
went missing. A two-day search ensued with employees scouring the large campus in
search of the kitty.
Gone missing
Sherri Colon and Cathryn Farmer were on their way back from lunch when they noticed an OCC maintenance truck with its hood open in the M-TEC parking lot.
The Economic Workforce Development (EWD) department employees walked over and found two workers banging on the vehicle with a tool, trying to get a kitten out of the wheel well. They weren’t having any luck.
Colon decided to give it a try and for nearly a half hour she whispered to the kitten in a soft voice.
“I'm allergic to animals and I didn't want to get scratched, but I knew I had to help,” she said. “I got the kitten to follow my voice. It popped out and I pulled on the back of its neck like the mom would pick it up.”
Doris Breece, mailroom/shipping and receiving clerk, brought the kitten to OCC Maintenance Superintendent John Nagalski. He took one look at the kitten and just wanted to hold him.
“I wrapped him in an OCC staff shirt and took him home,” he said. “My girlfriend and I went to the pet store and got some kitten food in paste form, a can of ‘mother’s milk’ and a feeding syringe. He was very sweet, and he didn’t know how to feed himself, so he needed encouragement.”
Meanwhile, Farmer had taken a photo of the kitten and posted it on Facebook in hopes of finding the owner. It read:
“Whether it’s helping students or rescuing a kitten stuck in the wheel well of a maintenance vehicle, the EWD team is always happy to help! Sherri is officially promoted to cat whisperer! #OCCollege.”
A former OCC employee saw the post and contacted Hardy, who had been searching nonstop for the wayward kitten for two days. Ecstatic, Hardy drove to Nagalski’s home and reunited the kitten with his mom and littermates, who are all now living with Hardy.
Foster Mom
Hardy describes the whole experience as life changing and is still trying to process that she has six cats living in her spare room. Her goal is to find a home for mamma and her kittens. One kitten has already been adopted by OCC Adjunct Welding Faculty Robert Watson and Nagalski plans to adopt the kitten that was found.
“The fact (that) everybody is able to come together to do something for the greater good, shows how good people are who work at Oakland Community College,” Hardy said. “Everybody realized we needed to help the cats. I’ve had people reach out with donations for medical costs and food. It’s been a really heartwarming situation and I'm happy to be a part of it.”
If you are interested in adopting the OCC kitties, email adopt@ahsem.orgfor an application.The kittens will be listed for adoption in 8-9 weeks on Animal House of SE Michigan, where donations can be made and information given about how this nonprofit provides a safe haven for homeless, abused or injured animals.
About OCC
Offering nearly 100 degrees and certificates, OCC is Michigan’s largest multi-campus community college and No. 1 transfer institution in the state. The College provides academic and career training and enriching experiences; to empower students to reach their potential and enhance our community. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. A seven-person Board of Trustees governs OCC. Board members are elected on a non-partisan, at-large basis, serve as volunteers and are not paid. Mission statement: OCC is committed to empowering our students to succeed and advancing our community. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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