Beloved Feral Cat Missing From Washington DC College Campus

WASHINGTON, DC — Wonk Cat, the feral feline who's become the unofficial mascot of American University in Washington, D.C., is missing.

"A couple of people said they saw her more recently than that, but she's definitely been gone for one to two weeks," Stephanie DeStefano, AU's grounds operations manager.

Wonk Cat is one of the more well-known felines in the D.C. area. She has her own student-run Instagram account with more than 5,000 followers and she was named the People's Choice for Washingtonian's Cutest Cat in DC 2019.

"I've heard some students said she's the unofficial mascot of the campus,"DeStefano said.

Although many students and staff members interact with Wonk Cat on a regular basis and people volunteer to take care of her, DeStefano has been her primary caretaker since the cat first appeared about four years ago.

"She just showed up on campus," DeStefano said. "I didn't go get her. It's unknown where she came from."

When Wonk Cat arrived, one of her ears had already been clipped, which indicated she had been trapped, spayed and then released. This is done because it's difficult to domesticate some feral cats. Rather than euthanizing them, the cats are caught and then altered, as a way to minimize the number of feral kittens born in the wild.

DeStefano and other members of the grounds crew take care of Wonk Cat's home and food station near the McKinley building.

"People who visit our campus, they intentionally walk by her house on the way back to their residence hall or wherever they're going to see if she's home, see if they can pet her or give her some treats," DeStefano said. "She gives students a few moments to relax. If they have a pet at home, she can fill that void a little bit or take a little stress off them while they're visiting with her."

If someone on campus wants to share information about Wonk Cat's whereabouts, they can email DeStefano or call AU's Facilities Management office at 202-885-2349. At night or off campus, people can call the animal control emergency number at 202-576-6664.

"A lot of students love her," DeStefano said. "They're so disappointed when they get back on campus and she's not here."