Growing up, the loving companionship of animals had been a constant for me – a living, breathing reminder that life is worth treasuring and slowing down for. Yet, now separated by hundreds of miles, at university the happiness I had felt amongst my animals began to dissipate. That is, until I saw the cat tree in my college lodge and heard the tip-tapping of four paws across the wooden floor. Amidst the relentlessness of term, the joy of college pets becomes unparalleled. Unexpectedly, in the last weeks of Hilary, this is how I stumbled into the highlight of my term: the opportunity to discover what college pets mean to their community.
Professor Biscuit and Admiral Flapjack (St Hugh’s College)
Image credit: @hughsiecats on Instagram, with permission
Biscuit (ginger boy) and Flapjack (tabby girl) are the two resident cats of St Hugh’s College. Both cats live with the Junior Dean, Bethan, who takes care of them. Flapjack is described as the more independent of the two; she enjoys wandering around college, believing everything belongs to her, granting her rights to go anywhere. Biscuit, quite differently, prefers to lounge and snooze at home. However, his nighttime patrols often end up with him in people’s kitchens. Bethan told Cherwell: “Biscuit and Flapjack have been a constant throughout my time here. I met them on my very first day at St Hugh’s, and they helped me settle into a completely new place. Even when my DPhil feels stressful, I know I can pick Biscuit up for a little dance or have Flapjack block my laptop and demand attention. They’ve been an absolute highlight of my time here”.
Walter de Staplecat (Exeter College)
Image credit: Exeter College, with permission
Walter arrived in Exeter College in 2020 during lockdown when a Junior Dean brought him in to accompany her. Walter is described as a relatively grumpy cat, and in typical cat fashion, his affection depends on the person and the day – but is strictly limited to scritches under the chin. In fairer weather, Walter can often be sited in Exeter’s Rector’s Garden or near the Library in the Fellows’ Garden; if it’s cold, Walter (very sensibly) goes inside Palmer’s Tower to keep warm. Helena at Exeter College said: “I love Walter! He’s always outside the library, so whenever I step outside to take a break, he’s there to be cute and friendly and remind me why I love this college. He’s especially friendly in the mornings, so my top tip is to look in the Fellows’ Garden first thing, to find him”.
Isambard Kitten Brunel and Benedictus Benedicat (Lady Margaret Hall)
Image credit: @lmh.cats on Instagram, with permission
LMH has two cats: Isambard Kitten Brunel (Issy, the fluffy Siberian Forest Cat) and Benedictus Benedicat (Benny D, the tuxedo). Since Michaelmas 2019, Issy has been commuting into college on the bus several times a week, riding on the Librarian’s shoulders. Like most cats, Issy loves to be worshipped, and is very happy receiving lots of fuss. The LMH Librarian told Cherwell: “He loves climbing, as a Forest Cat should, but unfortunately isn’t always great at climbing down. This is particularly a problem in the summer, when he will sometimes escape out of the window into the wisteria – but then gets stuck half way!”. Unlike Issy, Benny D lives on site, but is reportedly less people-focused, so students and staff alike see far less of him.
Truffle (Regent’s Park)
Image credit: Regent’s Park College, with permission
Truffle the tortoise became Regent’s Park College’s pet in 2023, after Emannuelle the tortoise had sadly passed away in 2022, having brought the college much love (and glory in tortoise races) throughout her 120 years. Most of the year, Truffle can be seen (often after much searching) free-roaming in Regent’s Main Quad, with her hutch near the Principal’s Garden. Truffle is well-pampered, having her very own JCR-appointed ‘Tortoise Keeper’, and her diet provided for with fresh fruit and vegetables by Regent’s Catering Team. Fun fact: Truffle loves watermelon and having the lower back of her shell scratched. Members of Regent’s have said about Truffle: “In the Oxford world where everyone is rushing, Truffle reminds us to slow down, be present, and breathe”.
Basil and Beatrice (Mansfield College)
Image credit: Mansfield College, with permission
Mansfield College is home to Basil and Beatrice, an uncle and niece cat duo. Their family’s grey tabby gene runs strong, so although they look similar, Basil is differentiated by the nick in his left ear. Their favourite treat is Dreamies, frequently provided by students – the vet reportedly believes them to be overweight (surely no correlation!). Ella, a student at Mansfield, said about the cats: “At Mansfield, our college cats are well-loved and a surefire way to bring people together. They can be found snuggled up together on their armchairs, clamouring for Dreamies, ‘helping’ in the academic office (heavy quotes there) or just generally brightening up everyone’s mood. I don’t think Oxford would be Oxford without the animals that call our homes home.”
Teabag (St Hilda’s College)
Image credit: St Hilda’s College, with permission
Teabag the cat made St Hilda’s College her home in 2014, and promptly became guardian of the lodge, overseeing internal affairs. Teabag can often be found going for walks with one of St Hilda’s tutors, Irina Boeru, who said about Teabag: “She was named Teabag as there was a grey cat named Earl Grey wandering about at the time, who was the father of her kittens, which she had in the Lodge (it all happened rather quickly, and she is now spayed!). Carrying herself like an Egyptian God with emerald-green eyes, Teabag likes going out for walks in the gardens, and is particularly keen on exploring the river pathway in college, from where she enjoys watching punters and ducks, chasing butterflies, feathers on sticks and getting into (gentle) fights with the other feline residents!”.
Reglisse and Ulysse (New College)
Image credit: New College, with permission
Reglisse (all black) and Ulysse (brown and white) are the two resident dogs of New College, both of whom live with the Warden. Both dogs are French (and even have their own passports!), and in France all registered dogs born in a certain year must have names beginning with the letter assigned to that year. So, Reglisse’s official name is Liquorice-Reglisse, being born in the year ‘L’. Their favourite spot in college is the Mound in the gardens. Members of New College have said about the dogs: “Both Reglisse and Ulie are very valued by students – they’ll often be seen bounding around college events, looking for food and attention, which they get in abundance!”.
Alice and Meadow (Christ Church)
Image credit: Abigail Christie, with permission
Image credit: Isabelli Ferrari, with permission
Christ Church is home to two cats: Alice (calico) and Meadow (tuxedo). The cats came to Christ Church as kittens in Michaelmas of 2023 and have since been equipped with a ‘bod card’ each, though they currently prefer to spend the majority of their time sleeping in the office. Izzy at Christ Church told Cherwell: “In the spring and summer they like to tear up the carefully maintained Tom Quad grass. They also occasionally enjoy ‘pet-baiting’ students by walking in their direction and then running away. Having a college cat means a lot to me. In such a stressful environment, it is so nice to have a lovely little cat crawling about that can take my mind off the stresses of life for a few seconds or minutes”.
