Who was Critter?

It all started with a cat named Bella. She lived with her owner in a house on 56th Street, two doors down from sophomore Mattie Davis and her family. In the summer of 2007, Bella gave birth to a litter of five kittens, and Davis fell in love.

Numerous times Davis would visit Bella’s house to play with the kittens. She begged her parents time and time again to let her have one, but her father was highly allergic. Finally, after weeks of convincing and a promise that the cat would stay outdoors, Davis was able to pick out her new, furry friend.

‘We put all the kittens on a bed, and while all the other ones stayed in the middle, one of them decided to explore,’ Davis said. ‘He ended up getting stuck between the bed and the wall.’

At that moment, Davis knew which kitten would be hers; the beautiful, gray kitten named Critter.

For the first few weeks, Critter lived in a play house in the Davis’ backyard. But once he was let out, Davis said, there was only one other place than home where he could be found’”St. Teresa’s Academy.

In the fall of 2007, Critter placed his first paw on the campus of Windmoor. At first, he played by the dumpsters behind Goppert Center, according to Ms. Marion Chartier, former secretary of Donnelly Hall. He soon started coming through the back doors and would lounge in the gym.

‘I remember when [Ms. Ann] Bode first found Critter in the gym,’ senior Paige Vondemkamp said. ‘He was lying on Bode’s chair, and my whole freshmen gym class was petting him. She called him ‘Baby,’ at first, but his real name was Critter.’

It was at that moment that a legend was born. According to principal for student affairs Mary Anne Hoecker, after a numerous calls to the Davis family, it was decided that Critter would be allowed to stay on campus. And he did.

‘In the beginning, we tried to keep him outside,’ Hoecker said. ‘But Critter had plans of his own.’

Almost every morning, Critter would be standing outside the doors of Donnelly when Mr. Ben Casey arrived, letting him know that he was ready to come inside, Chartier said. If Critter did not cross paths with Casey, he would simply wait for any STA student to open the doors, allow her to enter first, and then sneak before the door could close.

Despite some complaints from faculty and staff, Chartier said, herself and a few other animal lovers immediately fell in love with the little “critter.”

‘[Ms. Roseanne Hudnall, Ms. Sue Marquis, and I] just decided one day that Critter might be hungry,’ Chartier said. “So we all started bring food for him. And then treats.’

With many loud students entering Donnelly and roaming the halls, Critter often was forced to stay outside. However, he finally found napping in quieter spots, including the couch in Zahner Lounge, under the table in McDonnell conference room, and his favorite spot–a chair right next to Chartier in the front office of Donnelly.

‘I didn’t have the heart to always put Critter outside, so I would let him come into my office,’ Chartier said. ‘Once he knew he was welcome, he never left.’

From then on, food bowls and cat toys were stocked in the supply closet, the chair in Donnelly was always taken, and Critter had found his second home.

Every day, according to Chartier, Critter would come into her office, jump up on the window sill, and look out the front window. He understood his title, Chartier said, and he knew it was his job to keep a watchful eye over the STA campus.

‘I’ll always remember coming in every morning,’ Chartier said. ‘I would call Critter’s name and he would come running down the hall. I would greet him with the usual pat, and then he’d follow me into my office and lay by me all day long.’

6:16 a.m. Arrive at STA and wait for Mr. Ben Casey or Ms. Sue Marquis to open the front doors of Donnelly

6:45 a.m. Go to Marquis’ room for breakfast

7 a.m. Make the rounds of the third floor of Donnelly

7:15 a.m. Greet Ms. Marion Chartier outside the doors of her office, play a game of ‘ËœChase the Cursor’ on the computer with Chartier, then settle down for a nap on top of her desk

10 a.m. Venture over to Zahner Lounge to take a nap

12 p.m. Stand on the front stairs of Donnelly, watching the students enter the building. Then slip into the McDonnell conference room for an afternoon nap

1:30 p.m. visit Ms. Nan Bone in her office, then climb on top of the water fountain to get a drink

2:00 p.m. Travel to the art room to sleep in one of the cubicles

3:00 p.m. Head home from STA in the arms of owner Mattie Davis

Source: Ms. Marion Chartier

What happened to Critter?

‘Critter is gone. He was hit by a car last night.’

Although only two sentences–a few short words–the email from Marquis left Chartier speechless.

‘I was in disbelief,’ Chartier said. ‘I just thought that he couldn’t possibly be gone, and that I would never see him again. It was a very emotional feeling for me.’

Earlier, in the wee hours of the morning of October 28, the Davis family received the terrible news.

‘My parents woke my brother, sister, and I up early and gathered us in the living room,’ Davis said. ‘They told us Critter was gone, and that someone brought him to my neighbor’s house, but I wasn’t really listening.’

The Davises immediately notified STA, according to current Donnelly secretary Kelly Drummond. When the news surfaced later that morning as students arrived on campus, it was apparent that the Davises weren’t the only ones who were heartsick.

‘People were devastated.’ Drummond said. ‘We had graduated seniors calling all morning because they had heard the news, and girls coming in and asking if the rumors were true.’

What’s on your mind?

Within minutes of the terrible news, STA students updated their statuses on Facebook to commemorate, Critter the campus kitty.

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During announcements that day, president Nan Bone announced that Critter had passed away. The entire STA community shared a prayer for Critter’”with bowed heads and teary eyes.

‘It was a sad day at the Academy,’ senior Paige Vondemkamp said. ‘People just weren’t ready to say goodbye.’

Critter Lives On

Although Critter has passed away, his soul remains at STA.

According to Drummond, president Bone purchased a small, ceramic statue that looks out the window where Critter used to sit in Donnelly, right next to Critter’s actual nose prints.

‘[The statue] is just a little reminder that Critter is still here in spirit, always watching over us,’ Drummond said.

In addition, On the morning of Oct. 29, STA students, along with the Davis family, gathered in the Quad for a candle light vigil.

‘It was really nice to see the Davises there, and that they knew we were thinking of them

during this hard time,’ senior Maddie Lueke said. ‘We all just sat in a circle and remembered a great, campus cat, with tears streaming down our faces.’

Critter won over the hearts of everybody at STA, according to Chartier. He was a part of

the STA community, and his memory will live on forever.

‘There might be animals that come around, but none will be like Critter,’ Chartier said. ‘He just loved being around the girls, and I don’t think there is any other animal that would have his personality or would mean as much to anybody else.’

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