Rider Pets: Striper the Cat pounces into stardom

By Teagan Rotella

Her striking blue eyes and mesmerizing features were not the only reasons Striper the cat captured the hearts of many residents in Moore Hall.

Striper, a 7 pound, 7-year-old Lynx Point Siamese cat, was welcomed by residents instantly for her enchanting appearance and was later loved for her feisty personality, according to Olivia Teitelbaum, a junior musical theater major and Striper’s caretaker.

It was love at first sight when Teitelbaum saw a picture of the cat on Facebook stating that she was up for adoption last year. However, it took Striper a lot longer to warm up to her.

“She would always hide from me. Every time I would pet her, she would smack me and run away,” Teitelbaum said.

One morning, Striper suddenly changed her mind, finally showing Teitelbaum affection for the first time by standing on Teitelbaum’s legs, purring and rubbing her face softly against her.

Since then, Striper and Teitelbaum have formed an inseparable bond, causing Striper to hate the thought of being away from her.

One of Teitelbaum’s roommates told her that after she left for class, “[Striper] was standing outside all of [their] doors meowing because she was upset [I was] gone,” Teitelbaum said.

Teitelbaum also noticed that Striper gets sad even when she simply goes to the bathroom. Whenever Striper waits for her to finish showering, she meows impatiently right outside the door.

“I’m definitely her emotional support human more than she’s my emotional support cat at this point,” Teitelbaum said.

Last year before she adopted Striper, Teitelbaum’s therapist recommended getting a cat to help her regulate her emotions, especially after seeing how happy she was when talking about her family pets.

During that time, Teitelbaum was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and was missing her pets at home, so she believed this was a perfect idea for her.

At home, Teitelbaum’s family pets include another Lynx Point Siamese cat named Luna, a Cavalier Poodle mix dog named Mac and a 13-year-old Cavalier Poodle mix named Chloe.

After sending documentation to Student Accessibility and Support Services, Striper was approved to live on campus with Teitelbaum.

Since then, Striper quickly won over Teitelbaum’s roommates. Sometimes when Teitelbaum is busy, they make Striper one of her favorite foods: boiled chicken, along with a quarter cup of kibble every morning.

With a packed schedule, Teitelbaum relies on her roommates to accompany Striper while she is gone. 

One of Teitelbaum’s roommates, Siwon Lee, a senior arts and entertainment industries management major, hangs out with Striper often, earning her trust more and more each day.

Typically, Striper only sleeps in Teitelbaum’s bed; however, on Feb. 10, Striper slept in Lee’s room for the first time.

After that night, Lee realized that having a pet was not as easy as it seemed, as she kept “waking up almost every two hours” to check on Striper because she was “afraid of kicking or hitting her,” causing Lee to lose some sleep.

However, it remains Lee’s favorite memory with Striper, as it brought them closer than before.

Striper is also very sneaky and demanding, always testing Teitelbaum’s roommates’ patience and never being afraid to test boundaries.

Teitelbaum said one of Striper’s favorite things to do is sneak into her roommates’ boxes.

One time, Striper jumped to the top of Teitelbaum’s roommate’s 7-foot dresser to get to a box and knocked it down. Luckily, her roommate caught the box in time before it hit the floor.

Striper also loves to be pet while she is eating, which she demands by meowing and making sure Teitelbaum follows her to the kitchen.

“She wants what she wants, when she wants it,” Teitelbaum said.

After reflecting on her decision to have Striper on campus with her, Teitelbaum said she is grateful she had the opportunity to, despite the reasoning behind it.

“I think PTSD is one of those things that people don’t talk about enough … For me, it was really alleviating to be diagnosed … I think it’s not something that people should be ashamed about, it’s just how your brain responds to trauma … Also, it’s not your fault if you go through something really bad,” Teitelbaum said.