Roaming Chaparral Village for over 12 years, Harry, a stray orange and white tabby known as ‘Chap Cat’, has been a cherished presence in the UTSA community. Months after he was announced missing on Dec. 20, 2024, friends of Harry gathered on the evening of March 6 on Chaparral Village’s patio to express condolences, write supportive messages and create artwork commemorating him.
The memorial, organized by Chaparral Village resident assistants and the Roadrunner Cat Coalition, allowed the community to grieve and properly acknowledge his disappearance.
“Coming into this semester, there’s a lot of uncertainty from residents. [They are asking] ‘Is he gone? Is he missing?’” said Manuel Bocanegra, a Chaparral Village resident assistant who thought up the memorial. “I didn’t want the year to conclude with no way of being able to grieve or celebrate his life.”
Karen Williams, a cofounder and faculty advisor of the Roadrunner Cat Coalition, began the memorial by recounting Harry’s origins.
“In 2012, we saw him way over in West Campus in the woods, and we trapped him,” Williams said. “He was not a baby then. We got him fixed, and he gradually made his way over here, and then he loved it so much. He loved everybody.
“When we all were gone over the breaks, in the summer, he was not happy. We’d come daily to feed him, and he would be moping around. He’d always be here because you guys are here to pay attention to him. He was always so happy when his buddies were here.”
Attendees sang along to “Amazing Grace” performed by Krystal Elliston, a junior majoring in music. They then visited Chaparral Village’s pool and buildings one, three and eleven, which the resident assistants and Cat Coalition deemed Harry’s favorite spots.
“I would always be walking home, and Harry would follow me to my door. I would feed him, and he would sleep overnight,” said resident assistant Alondra Castillo.
“One time I was going to class, and I saw him leaning over the [pool] edge, drinking the water,” a student said, to which the assembly laughed.
Many recalled Harry being a constant presence throughout their daily routines.
“I give housing tours pretty much every day of the week, and I always loved pointing [Harry] out to prospective parents and families,” housing ambassador Jaclyn Lerma mentioned. “It’s nice to know you have a little stray friend around and about. I miss seeing him on my tours.”
“Every time I go to the cafe, every time I’m going to an exam [or] going to class, Harry has been my companion through it all,” Bocanegra said. “He was just always there, and even when he was grumpy, he would want your attention and want to cuddle up with you.”
The memorial ended with Bocanegra placing a photo of Carolyn Campa and Harry onto a shrine. Campa, who runs an Instagram account of Harry with nearly 6,000 followers, has posted updates on Harry for more than seven years since acquiring the account from its original owner. She worked with the Cat Coalition in coordinating information on Harry’s whereabouts and, weeks before the memorial, addressed the UTSA community’s concerns for him via Instagram.
“I know many of y’all, including myself, are deeply saddened by the disappearance of Harry. We all hope that wherever he is, he is happy. I imagine he’s curled up taking a nice little nap in the sun like he always did on nice days,” Campa wrote. “While part of me still hopes that I’m making this post for nothing and tomorrow I’ll wake up to [a] flood of messages saying he has been found and [is] playing with his friends at Chap, I still can’t help but think how long it has been.”
A UTSA alumna and former campus tour guide, Campa still recalls her experiences with Harry and expressed gratitude for students who cared about him.
“He was a celebrity. He was just a silly cat who was also a little sassy,” Campa said. “Once he was over me, he was over me. He [would be] wiggling out of my arms, like, ‘Okay, I’m done. Let go.’
“It’s amazing to see [students] love this cat so much,” Campa said. “There’s so much passion people have for something that seems so silly, but it really is important with how [big] Harry’s impact was.”
A member of UTSA’s community for over a decade, Harry attracted the attention of students, faculty and even those unaffiliated with UTSA. While Roadrunners may no longer see him on the way to class, the Cat Coalition plans to create a housing scholarship under Harry’s name, so he will continue impacting students. The Cat Coalition has also been discussing installing a memorial bench in Harry’s honor.
“We would like to get a memorial bench permanently [installed]. Maybe with a cat sitting on it — in memory of Harry,” Williams said.
To learn more about the Roadrunner Cat Coalition, visit utsacats.com. To see photos of Harry, go to @chap_cat on Instagram or visit Harry’s shrine in person, which will be up through March in Chaparral Village’s front office.
English
Spanish