Today, FIU’s students and staff speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. FIU is home to dozens of cats (“FIU’s little panthers”). They are fed and loved by FIU’s students and staff alike, many are spayed/neutered, and they are not aggressive. Currently, FIU’s community is feeling heartbroken after hearing the news that, when FIU closed after COVID-19, FIU hired an animal trapper to remove the cats that live around campus. The trapper captured 7 cats and took them to be euthanized. According to Miami NewTimes, the trapper explained that he was hired to "exterminate" nuisance animals such as raccoons and cats. 

We request that FIU stop doing this, and be completely transparent about their actions and the names of the organizations that it is working with going forward. We also request for FIU to release the locations and photos or identities of the cats that were taken. As mentioned previously, the cats are loved by many in the FIU community and have not caused harm. They are NOT a nuisance. We request that in the case that a cat needs to be taken, a formal communication is given of the reasons why and the location the cat was sent to. In addition, we request that the company that FIU contacts for this purpose be a non-kill organization. 

In advance, we’d like to extend our appreciation for your consideration in reading our humble requests. We know that as Panthers, we work together to make a difference and together we can be the change. Thank you.