Precious, a brown and white striped community cat who has resided in UF’s College of Public Health and Health Professions since 2008, went missing from the area July 2.
Renowned for her friendly disposition, her disappearance leaves many concerned for her health as the at least 16-year-old cat requires a specific prescription diet for kidney disease.
Theresa Sumrall, a UF College of Medicine clinical data manager, is Precious’ primary caregiver spearheading the effort to bring the beloved cat back home.
Tuesday, Sumrall saw Precious twice: once during her routine morning greeting as she made her way to work, then around 2 p.m. when she gave the cat a snack for her diet. When she left work at 6:15 p.m. and couldn’t find the cat after an hour of searching, she began to be concerned.
After creating flyers and spreading the word through social media, she received multiple tips the next day leading her to believe Precious was stolen.
A UF employee witnessed a white couple estimated to be in their twenties hanging around Precious that morning and evening, Sumrall said. The woman had dyed purple hair and the man had natural red or brown hair.
Later between 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., two UF students studying at the building witnessed a woman matching the description pick up Precious and carry her into the passenger seat of a black pick-up truck, Sumrall said. The truck drove off and Precious has not been seen since.
Sumrall filed a police report with UFPD Friday.
Even if someone took Precious with good intentions, every meal she eats that isn’t a prescription kidney diet is harmful to her, Sumrall said.
“If she was stolen, if she was taken with good intent, I don’t want to prosecute anyone,” Sumrall said. “We just want our friend back where she knows she’s loved and where she’s comfortable and spent her entire life.”
Students, faculty and alumni familiar with Precious worry for the cat’s safety.
Sandra Winter, a research assistant scientist at the Department of Occupational Therapy, has studied and worked in the building where Precious resided since 2004. Most of her time there overlaps with Precious, and she tries to visit the cat whenever she is on campus.
“She’s always been there. That is her home,” Winter said. “To be removed from that for some reason is distressing. It’s really pet grief, too.”
Kendra Hamilton, an academic program specialist at PHHP who enjoys spending time with cats in the area, said Precious is the most person-friendly. She recalled witnessing Precious comfort a coworker who gave away his cat by letting him hug her.
“She’s just very receptive to love people want to give her,” Hamilton said. “It’s very sad to know that she’s missing right now.”
The cat’s impact stretches farther than just Florida.
Alex Martocci, a graduate of UF’s PA school who now lives in Maine, carries fond memories with the cat and continues to donate to Sumrall’s GoFundMe raising money to support the campus cats.
During the thick of PA school, Martocci’s early morning study sessions began with a greeting from Precious as she walked into the building.
“To be greeted by Precious on my way in was the best part of my day during some really dark times,” she said. “Some days I’d miss her, but she always happened to be there on the mornings I had an exam. So I started to think of her as my good luck charm.”
Precious’s disappearance is the second incident involving a community cat taken off-campus. In March, Tenders, a brown and white tabby who famously resides in the Tolbert Area, was found four miles away at Cabana Bay apartments after being missing for a day.
Ines Aviles-Spadoni is a research coordinator at UF who also runs the Instagram account @Campuskittiesfl. As someone who takes care of community cats and volunteers with Operation Catnip, this situation hits close to home.
“I think this is the top thing on our minds, that somebody may do harm to the cats,” Aviles-Spadoni said. “It really causes a lot of emotional stress for community cat caretakers.”
Community cats can be identified by a clipped left ear tip that shows they have been trap-neuter-returned, according to the cat advocacy group, Alley Cat Allies. This method manages populations of feral cats by live-trapping, neutering and clipping an ear for identification before releasing them.
“I want to emphasize that when people see community cats and they’re ear-tipped, most likely they’ve got caretakers, she said. “And before they take them they should try to reach out to the caretaker before doing anything.”
People with information regarding Precious’ disappearance are encouraged to contact Theresa Sumrall at 352-681-3208.
Contact Bonny Matejowsky at bmatejowsky@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @bonnymatejowsky
Bonny Matejowsky is a fourth-year journalism major and editor of The Avenue. When she’s not writing, you can find her delicately crafting a Pinterest board or at a local thrift store.
