Photo Credit: Bella Turner
Several Arkansas Tech students reported seeing a small, gray tabby cat wandering around campus since move-in day. While this cat roamed all around campus, she seemed particularly fond of the area near the Jones dorm buildings.
While many students took a liking to this cat, who was referred to by many as Jonesy, one student in particular fell in love with Jonesy the moment she saw her. Freshman Bella Turner, a physics major from Branch, took Jonesy in as her own and provided a loving home for her off the streets.
“What made me decide to take Jonesy in was how she seemed to follow me wherever I went. Whenever I started noticing her, I had already made a plan to take her home with me. She always ran right up to me for attention, food, or water, and with how hot it’s been these last few weeks I couldn’t let her stay out in the heat with seemingly no water or food. My family has always taken in stray animals no matter if they were dumped at our porch or stuck on the sides of highways. Having some experience with animals like this, I couldn’t leave her alone in the streets,” said Turner.
Tech officials soon began taking notice of the cat, and they sent an email to students politely asking that they refrain from providing food, shelter, and other supplies to Jonesy. Turner did not want to see Jonesy continuing to live in hunger, so that is when she made the decision to take her in and rename her to “Waffles Oatmeal Jonesy.”
“Jonesy is a very sweet cat. She is a little skittish at first, however, [she] warms up to people very quickly. When I first found her, she was hesitant to even let me touch her but within a day was very happy to crawl into my lap and demand all the attention that she could get. At my home now, she is certainly a little diva. I’ve witnessed myself her new favorite hobby, knocking bottles and cups full of water off of desks and counter tops. She even demands that we feed her at certain times, or else she begins to scream very loudly,” said Turner.
Jonesy is making a big adjustment by moving into the Turner household, but she seems to be taking a liking to living off the streets.
“She has been settling very well! Of course, there are some challenges with relocating a stray cat whose never been indoors before into a house, especially with other animals inside it. However, she has adjusted wonderfully to the new space we have given her (she has made herself very comfortable in my room and bed at home, judging by the amount of cat hair that is now coating my bed.) As well as getting used to a new home, Jonesy has begun to bond with the two kittens we recently rescued from a similar situation that happened to be only a little bit younger than her,” said Turner.
For more resources regarding animal relocation and services, contact Russellville Animal Control at (479) 968-1944 or by visiting 3115 S. Mobile Ave. Russellville, AR 72801.
