It might not be well-known to students on campus that for almost 14 years, SJCC has been shelter to a little black cat with white paws named Socks.<\/p>\n
Since she was a kitten, Socks has found comfort in staying on campus; perhaps it is because, with the exception of a few, students and staff on campus rarely stop to realize she’s there.<\/p>\n
English Professor Raymond Brennan has been in charge of Socks\u2019 welfare for the last 14 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first saw Socks, it was after an evening class in the fall of 2004, and as it happened, it was a cold, rainy evening,\u201d Brennan wrote in an email. \u201cI wondered what such a little kitten was doing on its own in that kind of weather.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brennan decided to care for the kitten, and has been providing for her since.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next day, I brought some food and put it in a bowl in the bushes that used to be in front of the theater building, which is where I had first seen her,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
When hungry, Socks visits the feeding station Brennan has set up for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere she is fed is not something that should be publicized, but I can tell you that her feeding station has been moved several times over the years due to construction and landscaping changes,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Brennan also shares his interest in Socks\u2019 well-being with a former SJCC student Herman Ybarra, who even years after leaving SJCC, has made sure Socks has food everyday.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor several years now, Herman — even after he was no longer a student — and I have shared the responsibility of being sure Socks has food and water each day. Each of us feeds Socks a few days each week, and the other person covers the other days,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Regarding Socks\u2019 personality, Brennan wrote that she is very cautious around campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Socks’ defining quality is her caution. She knows she is more safe on campus than off,\u201d Brennan wrote.<\/p>\n
Socks not only likes to wander around campus, sometimes she likes to sojourn in areas outside of campus, to which Brennan is already used to. Nevertheless, Socks considers SJCC\u2019s campus her \u201cpurr-manent\u201d residence.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has disappeared for as long as six weeks at a time in the past,\u201d Brennan\u00a0wrote. \u201cSo far she has always returned to campus where I think she spends most of her time because she knows it is safe here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSocks knows me — and knows my car — which is proven because some evenings after a class, she will be sitting under my car hoping for a treat,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Even though Socks has been on campus for more than a decade, only few people know about her existence and only a handful know about her whereabouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I know,\u201d Brennan wrote, \u201c the only three people Socks trusts enough to reveal her whereabouts to if called are myself, Herman and my wife, Carina who shares my interest in Socks’ welfare.”<\/p>\n
Many students at SJCC were surprised to find out about Socks. They believe it is good to raise awareness about some of the animal life that resides on campus; whether it is wild or domestic.<\/p>\n
Student Alexis Villalpando was thrilled to hear about her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a cat on campus?,\u201d he said, \u201cThat\u2019s awesome, it gives the school a different vibe, it makes me feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m worried that she doesn\u2019t have a permanent home, and that an evildoer could eventually abuse her,\u201d transfer student Quinn Morillo said, \u201cbut I think that it\u2019s a neat quirk of the campus.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It might not be well-known to students on campus that for almost 14 years, SJCC has been shelter to a little black cat with white paws named Socks. Since she was a kitten, Socks has found comfort in staying on campus; perhaps it is because, with the exception of a few, students and staff on…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":502,"featured_media":12181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,379],"tags":[471,473,467,470,472,469,93,85,468],"staff_name":[709],"class_list":["post-12180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-life","category-showcase","tag-alexis-villalpando","tag-brissa-molina","tag-cat","tag-herman-ybarra","tag-quinn-morillo","tag-raymond-brennan","tag-san-jose-city-college","tag-sjcc","tag-socks","staff_name-brissa-molina"],"yoast_head":"\n