Konawaena's Wild Cats of Agriculture

A variety of wild cats now live up by the agriculture building at Konawaena High School.  Seen here are cats Bj, Munchkin, Squishy, and Boots.  COURTESY/ Ms. Alcain 

By: Brighton Kimball

Staff Writer

Our school is famously known for the wildcats.  Despite Hawai’i not having any known species, this name holds more truth to it than told.  As it turns out, Konawaena has some wild cats of its own.   But where would you find such felines?             

Located near the top of Konawaena Road is the agriculture building.  Surrounding the area are green pastures and farmland, along with portable classroom buildings.  The sounds of wind, chickens, and geese can be heard.  As you walk to the class, you come across a strange sight on one of the outside tables.  Resting by a container of food, is a big brown, tiger-striped, domestic short hair cat, with green piercing eyes, and sharp paws, named Munchkin.  

Continuing to walk around the room, you’ll find a friendly, but smaller, white colored cat, matted with brown patterns, with light green eyes, named Squishy, laying on top of a large cat tower.  If you were to explore even more, you’ll find many other cats who roam around the area, often visiting inside the classroom. 

These cats bring enjoyment, memorable experiences, and healthy emotions to students and teachers alike.  They can connect and share people through interactions, and they have a short, but compelling history in this school, such as where they came from. 

“I’ve always had cats.  But the reason why we have so many here in agriculture is because they were strays.  They came, I fed them, and they stayed.  I think they knew it was a safe place to come to… When they show up here, I usually catch and fix them, so we don’t have any more,” said Ms. Tina Alcain, the longtime agricultural teacher at Konawaena High School, who always had a love for animals.  She’s the owner of the cats, of which there are a total of 9 at this school.    

The majority of the school cats came from a single stray, Momma.  Most cats here were not brought in by anyone.  They are a breed of domestic short hair.        

Momma is the oldest and first cat to have shown up around the area.  Before being neutered, she had two litters of kittens, therefore making her the mother of most of the cats at Konawaena.  Momma is very skittish, disliking the general presence of most people.  ‘

Boots, Toby, Poe, and Bj, who is also called Porkchop, are the children of Momma.  According to Ms. Alcain, a cat named Buster Jr was one of the fathers.   

There are some cats who did not come from Momma, but instead were found as strays when they were young, including Munchkin and Squishy.   

Squishy had been found as a young kitten by the hospital, sick with an eye infection.  He used to go by the name “Felix," but had a name change due to his apparent “squishy-ness”.  Squishy is two years old, making him the youngest cat here.  He often visits students in the nearby classroom of Ms. Green’s.    

Munchkin was caught in a life-threatening situation, found as a tiny kitten running across Konawaena Road.  He had almost been run over by a car.  A group of students rescued him and brought him to Ms. Alcain.  Munchkin was raised with fellow cat, Bubbies, who was discovered tangled in the school tennis court nets.   

Munchkin is three years old.  He is a “bully” to cats, but nice to humans.  Unfortunately for students, he and Squishy are the only cats who come near people.  The other cats are not as friendly.  

“I think that people who like cats will always gravitate towards them because cats are so soothing.  When you pet a cat or pet a dog, endorphins are released, and you tend to become more calm… Even people who didn’t really like cats, or know cats, are getting to be more comfortable with them,” said Ms. Alcain, who believes that cats can help people emotionally.

She cares a lot about the animals in agriculture, and it shows.  Recently, a new cat tower was placed inside the classroom as a shelter for them.  On weekends and during the summer, Ms. Alcain comes by to feed the cats, and if she isn’t here, a cat sitter is needed.

But she isn’t the only teacher who cares for the cats. 

“I think like any animal, I think it is a positive for students.  Like I said, I’ve hardly ever had any students that complain about him.  It always seems to make everybody happy when Squishy comes in,” said Ms. Angela Green, who teaches subjects such as human physiology and health services in P building, and a fellow lover of felines. 

Squishy likes to go to her classroom often, receiving lots of pets and attention from students.  One time a student even brought cat treats for him.    

The day that Ms. Green got her keys, and started to arrange her things in the classroom, was the first time Squishy visited.  He introduced himself, immediately making himself right at home.  Ever since then two years ago, Squishy has been a common sight, and Ms. Green doesn’t mind, wishing that the other farm cats were as interactive. 

Squishy can be described as friendly and social towards people, well-fed, and according to Ms. Green, he is “very handsome”. 

Fortunately for Squishy, the other cats never come inside the classroom, only ever hanging out by the front door, meaning he has the place all to himself.  There is also food, and many places for him to rest.  Squishy is kept away from people who are allergic to, or dislike cats. 

Squishy can cause interruption for students, but it doesn’t last.

“I don’t think that they are an interference at all.  I have not seen that in my classroom, normally Squishy is the only one that comes in.  He will come in, make his rounds, students will pet him, then he just sits off to the side, and we just go right about on our normal day,” said Ms. Green.  Cats do have the potential to be distracting in a school environment, but as Ms. Green puts it, it is a “welcome distraction."

She thinks that pets can have positive effects, and petting an animal can bring peace to a person, which calms and helps students.  Besides this, the attention on Squishy doesn’t last, and students will refocus on their work. 

“I think that they are really nice and social,” said Samara Kirchner, who is in the 10th grade.  Samara is a student who often interacts with the cats in agriculture, especially Munchkin and Squishy, enjoying their time and presence.  She thinks that cats are kind and communal animals, and they make her feel calm and happy.  

“He’s really friendly and social.  He’s really calming, and he likes to get pets a lot,” said Samara Kirchner.  

Her favorite cat is Squishy, due to Munchkin, on multiple occasions, scratching her, and due to Squishy’s more friendly nature.  

Overall, Samara believes that in a classroom environment, cats would help out students mentally. 

The cats of Konawaena have an interesting story.  They can connect people through experiences, bringing happiness and emotional calmness.  As Ms. Alcain said they “aren’t funny”, but they have their quirks. 

Munchkin is an affectionate, and dependable cat.  He likes attention, but loves food even more, and at times he acts childish.  However, he is a bully, and doesn’t mind scratching and biting you. 

Squishy is more friendly than Munchkin.  He won’t attack you, but he still has his boundaries.  Although he isn’t around as much, and most of the time is likely sleeping underneath some box.    

For kids, it can be something new to spruce up the learning environment, like in Ms. Green's class.  Students like Samara Kirchner love the social aspect of it and the soothing experiences that felines give.  Eventually, most students will go back to doing their work anyway.  They show that cats can belong in a classroom, and even in a school.  

Maybe the next time you’re up near the agriculture building, you can give them a visit.