Ziggy is an outdoor campus cat at The Grogan & Betty Lord Residential Center, an upper-class coed apartment complex located on the west side of the Southwestern University campus.

Ziggy went missing in June 2023. Her absence was noted by the SU Police Officers who had not seen her for about 10 days.

Our students love the campus cats! On June 27th, Brady Williamson, a student, reached out to the Cat Partners student organization to report that Ziggy was back on campus, looking very skinny and acting very hungry. The skinniness was alarming, so a veterinary visit was planned. Soon more than one student was involved in the trapping of Ziggy, taking her to the vet, and following up with tender loving care indoors following her veterinary appointment. When Brady had to leave campus, Allison Hentges took over the care of Ziggy. A parent, Kristy Ditzler, even offered to help. That is the loving campus community that we have here at Southwestern University.

Ziggy is normally aloof. She will allow some petting, but not much. The last time Ziggy was to the vet was June 2018 for rabies vaccination. Thus, trapping was not easy. It was necessary to trap her using a drop trap (a metal box, propped up with a stick, and a long rope to pull when the cat goes under the trap to eat). Brady and Allison did the hard work of trapping Ziggy.

Ziggy was confined to a bathroom overnight while awaiting her veterinary appointment. She tried to escape, jumped up onto the wall sconce/light, and cut her leg. She also possibly injured her tail during trapping.

Ziggy’s veterinary visit showed that she does not have parasites or FIV. She received her updated shots, had her tail repaired (small cut on end of tail), antibiotics, ear cleaning, flea treatment, fecal test, and blood test for diabetes. The official diagnosis was ear wax, oral cavity and dental grade of 2/4, cardiovascular arrhythmia on the left side of the heart, small laceration 0.5cm on tip of tail, and negative for FELV/FIV. Her glucose was elevated and also had presence of glucose in urine, indicating either stress, hyperglycemia, or diabetes mellitus. The vet recommended further testing - fructosamine level testing. Her follow up test showed normal glucose. She is due for another follow up test on October 5, 2023.

Ziggy received love from two students who provided her indoor rest and recuperation for one week. She was a lover dovey when inside…sleeping in the bed with the student. Amazing! She is back outside living her good life now, and due for her check up October 5th.

We have considered finding a forever home for Ziggy. She seemed to LOVE being inside, after the initial night in the bathroom, which was stressful. She used the litter pan and loved petting. However, she has been an outdoor community cat her entire life. She may not be happy with a drastic change to her living arrangements. Ziggy has survived very hot summers, multiple ice storms, and the comings and goings of various other colony cats. She is an important part of our campus community and we love her. If you see Ziggy, say hello. She is frequently found sleeping under parked cars at Lord Center.