A new feline friend has joined the ranks of the Trinicats. Sweetpea, a 5-year-old, stout, brown cat recently took up residence near the Murchison Hall stairs.
Nicole Cintron Cardona, sophomore neuroscience major and station captain for Murchison, was the person who first found Sweetpea on a rainy day at the start of spring semester. She explained his friendly demeanor made him one of the easiest cats to catch and bring into the Trinicat community.
“It was raining and I was walking back from the park, and he was just in front of Witt-Winn, all curled up in a corner. I went up to him, and he was just so sweet,” Cintron Cardona said. “It’s actually surprising that he’s a super sweet feral cat.”
Cintron Cardona mentioned that Sweetpea’s name is not a misnomer; he is a sweetheart. Cintron Cardona said he has some particular, sweet behaviors, such as his meow, that make his name apt.
“He’s very vocal, which I love. He’s always meowing. Even if you pass by him and you look at him, he’ll meow. And he has such a soft, high-pitched meow. It’s so adorable,” Cintron Cardona said.
While no one is certain how Sweetpea arrived on campus, Cintron Cardona speculates that he wandered onto campus as a feral cat. Because he lacks identification tags and neutering, Cintron Cardona infers that he came from off of the streets.
Maggie Enriquez, senior environmental studies major and president of CAT Alliance, explained how Sweetpea got his name. Because she was the person to take him to the vet, she finally decided on his name and went with one she felt suited his personality.
“He’s a sweet pea. I’ve named three cats on campus based off of Adventure Time characters,” Enriquez said. “But then Sweetpea came, and I was like, you are a sweet pea.”
Enriquez said that Sweetpea is always looking for human attention and would love to spend some time with anyone interested. She described his outgoing personality through an anecdote.
“The other day I sat on a bench outside Murch doing my homework, and then he walked up and just sat on my laptop to do homework with me,” Enriquez said.
Addie Doss, first-year international business major, was petting Sweetpea when I caught up with her. She expressed her excitement with being able to hang out with campus pets while at Trinity.
“One of the hardest parts about college is leaving your pets and the animals that you love,” Doss said. “And so having, kind of like built-in animals when you come to campus, it is sweet.”
In regards to Sweetpea himself, Doss said her experience was very positive. She described Sweetpea as laid back and sweet, just as his name suggests.
“Sweetpea was adorable. He was very nonchalant, just chillin’ like a villain,” Doss said. “He just let me just kind of pet him, and he looks very peaceful.”
