Every PV student knows the Viking mascot, but most may not know that PV has a large population of cats living on campus as well. However, this problem is not restricted to PV’s campus; feral cats are an issue among many schools, which makes it a district-wide problem.

Due to the increased amount of construction on campus for projects including PV’s future new building, feral cats have been hiding in various places on campus. While exactly how long the cats have lived on PV’s campus remains unknown, the effort to get rid of them has continued for over a year.

The main reason behind the school’s attempt to remove the cats is to avoid health issues; some of the animals could be sick and expose students to illness.

Feral cats only come out at night and find places to hide during the day, either behind the D and E buildings or under the portables. In the fall, the cats know that mice are under the portable buildings and migrate there.

A major obstacle in removing the cats involves neighbors around school feeding the felines. Feeding the cats encourages them to stay, and counteracts the efforts of Vice Principal Renee Spaggiari and other administrators and staff. People have been known to throw bags of cat food over the fence and into the storage area behind the welding building.

After a negotiation with the school, most of the cat feeders have stopped feeding the animals. One community member has even volunteered to help with a plan that Spaggiari thinks will help tackle the issue. Spaggiari proposes to humanely catch some of the cats, spay or neuter them, make them identifiable, and keep them on campus as "mousers" to prevent new cats from moving in. The administration will continue to catch and relocate the rest of the felines, which they have been doing so far. Some people have adopted some of the cats to rehabilitate and domesticate them. Others have been relocated to Loma Vista and Marigold Elementary, and some have been fostered by the Chico Cat Coalition.

Despite the hassle of the cats that continue to live on campus, many people are doing their best to help the cats and make the school a safer place.