It turns out the cat really did come back the next day
Students and employees have had paws-itive experiences this term, spending time between classes and meetings getting to know Felix – OC’s unofficial campus cat in Kelowna.
The domestic long-hair with tuxedo colouring has been roaming the campus since January, and has gotten so emboldened he started entering buildings and playing around with folks in atriums and other gathering spaces.
At first, people thought the lost feline was a cat-astrophe. Some students caught him and turned him into Indigenous Services, and Jessica Bayer took him home while she got in touch with the owner.
Turns out the cat, who is named Felix, was just going for a wander. He lives with five loving humans on Lowe Court, the cul-de-sac on the other side of Campus East Road. Those humans went on an extended trip in the winter, volunteering at an orphanage in Guatemala.
They brought on a petsitter to make sure Felix was cared for during their absence. That’s when the feisty feline decided to make a break for it.
“They have a cat door from the kitchen, and he used to go in and out, but never went on adventures until I started petsitting. We’re not sure exactly why he started going to the college, but maybe he was so used to being around the energy of two adults and three young children,” said Erin, the petsitter.
The one-year-old cat was apparently feeling claw-fully bored and wanted to see more people. After connecting with Jessica, Erin taped a message to Felix’s collar designed to prevent people from scooping him up in future. The note provides some helpful instructions: “Hi! If found at Okanagan College, please leave me! I live close by and will go home.”
Felix was born into a house with two other litters of kittens and two dogs. From a young age, he acted like a dog, stealing food off the kids’ plates and taunting the neighbour dog. The draw of food, friends and fun at OC turned into a big allure for Felix, who started striving for perfect attendance at OC.
“I would say goodbye to him in the morning, walk out the door and only drive down the street when I would get a phone call from the college saying he was on campus,” Erin laughed.
Between the petsitter and the family, there have been at least 40 calls from people at the campus reporting Felix’s whereabouts, and the cadence definitely increased when the snow fell and Felix started wandering inside buildings. Several people would also take his photo and post it on Facebook groups notifying the community of a lost cat in the area; popping up on an almost daily basis with people concerned for the little guy’s welfare.
“He is the most famous cat in Kelowna,” she laughs.
What really warms their heart are the messages from students. Erin has received text messages from students in HS building about Felix: “I just wanted to thank you for letting him roam around here, he makes mine (sic) and lots of other people’s days so much brighter. I’m a nursing student here and so things are really stressful and seeing him makes me so happy. He’s the best thing about this campus, and I’ve seen him almost every day for the past few weeks.”
The photos of him on campus are hilarious: strolling through the CFL, sunning himself on a courtyard picnic table, curled up at the base of a pine tree, waddling down the middle of Campus West Road or roaming by a trophy case. There are also reports of him trying to get into Skaha Place, keen to find where the party is happening in the dorms.
If anyone is happy about him spending more time on campus, it would be Felix’s fur-brother Marvin: an 11-year-old cat who is no longer interested in wandering. His vibe is the couch – preferably when Felix isn’t jumping on his head. “I think Marvin is usually annoyed by Felix and his outgoing personality,” the family says.
As much as this is a feature on our community’s resident feline, it is a request as well: please do not trap Felix and bring him to your house. He has a human family that loves him very much, and he always makes his way home – eventually.
“He’s not lost. He’s actually really close to home. He’ll love to play with you, but if he is a bother or bugging anyone, then just put him outside the building and he’ll be OK,” Erin said