“We knew we were in trouble as soon as we named him,” said sophomore Olivia Williams.
“Yeah, after that we knew we were going to have to keep him,” sophomore Emily Broderick added as they told me their story.
A few short weeks ago, while attending a toga party, Williams and Broderick stumbled upon a surprise: a stray orange tabby cat.
“He is the friendliest cat I have ever met,” Williams smiled as she showed me the picture. “He just walked right up and let us pet him.”
In the following weeks, Williams and Broderick continued to go back to the house where the cat visited. They would leave out food and water and gradually a bond formed between the three of them.
“Mark Antony loves to give hugs. He just likes to be held,” Broderick said.
The cat, named after Cleopatra’s famous lover, continued to receive visits by the girls until they heard something startling.
“They were going to call Animal Control on him because they thought he was bothering other cats in the area.” Williams said. “We were really worried because there is no coming back from Animal Control. The Humane Society takes animals in. Animal Control puts them out. Later we found out that it wasn’t even him; but that doesn’t matter now.”
“And since we were already really attached to him,” Broderick said, “we figured we would have to do something.”
Indeed, the girls did something. They created a donation cup and went around campus asking for money. They needed over $200 to pay for all of Mark Antony’s vaccinations and tests, and of course, to get him fixed. Without the money, he wouldn’t be safe to adopt and would most likely be put to sleep.
“Girls were really responsive,” Williams said. “I think it just tends to be that girls are just more attached to cute things.”
Their biggest contribution, however, came from a boy who handed them a five dollar bill.
“Every little bit helped. The average donation was probably twenty cents, but it all adds up.” Broderick said.
In the end, the girls raised over $150 and were able to pay for all of the veterinarian bills.
Mark Antony now lives at Williams’ home with her parents and is enjoying his new comfortable life off the streets.
The moral of this feel-good story is to remember that we, as students, have the ability to affect change in a positive way. We only have to get up the gumption to try.
So the next time you see a donation cup, remember Mark Antony.
300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782