Amidst the setting sun and cool winter breeze of an early December evening, a small figure darted its way under cars and skirted along sidewalk curbs. She moved so quickly — a flash of gray fur and olive eyes through the dusk then gone.
She never showed her face for long or let anyone come too close, but she captured students’ attention — and their hearts — instantly.
Near the end of the fall 2025 semester, residents of Franklin Residential College discovered a kitten wandering outside their dorm. The tiny animal, seemingly living in the curb inlet in front of Franklin, began exploring the front lawn and parking lot.
As the semester drew to a close, residents didn’t get to see much of her as finals wrapped up and everyone headed home for winter break.
No one expected to find the kitten still lurking around in January, but she seemed to be staying for good. Franklin residents began to leave food and water dishes out for her.
Toward the end of January, with the big snowstorm moving in, everyone was concerned for her safety. An unknown student placed a makeshift crate by the sewer entrance before the storm. The kitten’s new home consisted of a plastic tub with a small opening cut out of the front leading into a nest of blankets. The outside of the tub read “Lot Goblin,” which was shortened to “Lottie” — and the name has stuck.
Lottie has done nothing but flourish according to students who have seen her. She has grown from a thin stray to a healthy-looking, well-fed street cat. Residents leave her food consistently, and she is becoming less and less skittish around people.
Where she once only ventured along the edge of the sidewalk and back to the storm drain, Lottie now roams the area freely — not only up and down the sidewalks and grass around Franklin, but also through the parking lot between Franklin and Hart Residential College.
Lottie has grown much more comfortable around people, and while she doesn’t want to be touched, she will walk up to people and can often be seen tailing behind them.
Ask any Franklin resident, and they will tell you about the overwhelming love and care for Lottie from the community. Sidney Lasley, a sophomore marketing and entrepreneurship major, has had a few opportunities to feed Lottie herself.
“I was walking back to Franklin and saw her sunbathing by a car,” Lasley said. “I gave her a piece of tuna from my sushi. Whenever I came back from running errands, she had finished the tuna and was still just sunbathing.”
Lasley said that while she is allergic to cats, she has loved being able to help care for one indirectly alongside other residents.
“I’ve honestly been really touched by how the whole Franklin community has come together to make her shelter and keep her fed in a way where she is safe and comfortable,” she said. “(Watching) her become more comfortable around people has been so sweet.”
