Duke University community mourns Peaches, a beloved calico cat and campus icon
Peaches, a stray calico cat who found a loving home on Duke University’s campus, died Wednesday after being hit by a car near the Animal Protection Society of Durham.
For more than a decade, students and professors have loved on and cared for Peaches, who became a campus icon while living near Keohane Quad on West Campus. Students made a heated shelter, like a miniature cat house, outside a dorm so that Peaches would have somewhere safe to stay and eat during bad or cold weather.
“Duke was her home, and the students were her family,” said Carla Antonaccio, a retired Duke professor of classical studies and art history. She started feeding Peaches and her cat companion, Mamabean, more than 10 years ago.
Antonaccio parked near the quad where the cats would hang out. Every time they saw her, Peaches would jump off the stone wall, run down to her and roll around at her feet looking for some nice scratches, a good stretch and a snack.
One day several years ago, Antonaccio found a litter of kittens with Peaches and Mamabean. She took them to get neutered or spayed and brought the kittens home. She kept one, named Jack, and found forever homes for two others.
‘Sweet as a peach’
Peaches and Mamabean were friendly to anyone they met and weren’t particularly wild, as some cats on campus tended to be. While the calico cat had a variety of names, including Lily and Snickers, Peaches stuck because of her color and disposition.
“She was sweet as a peach,” Antonaccio said.
The cats roamed campus and the nearby woods. After a few years, students took the initiative to corral the cats and take them to the vet to get them chipped and vaccinated.
Peaches became more than a friendly cat to say hi to on campus. She became a family member.
“She was truly an amazing cat and totally irreplaceable. She brought joy to so many people,” Duke alumna Anna Li told The Chronicle. “There might not be another cat in the world that has loved so deeply and been loved by so many people.”
Li received a call Wednesday from the Animal Protection Society of Durham and shared the news with the Caretakers of Peaches (The Calico Cat) Facebook group, which has more than 2,000 members. Li helped create the group in 2017 and together, students raised nearly $2,000 for veterinary treatment and maintained a continuity of care even as some graduated.
There has been an outpouring of grief and personal stories from students and alumni in the Facebook group describing how Peaches provided stress relief and helped them get through their years at Duke.
“Peaches and Mamabean just captured these students,” Antonaccio said.
“It’s really touching,” she said.
‘Independent but loving spirit’
Peaches started wandering a lot this past summer and was picked up a few times across Main Street and away from campus, which worried Antonaccio. She said the pandemic really disrupted the cats’ lives because they didn’t have as much company or attention on campus.
Someone brought Peaches to the Animal Protection Society. But she got out Wednesday, which is when staff saw the accident happen, according to Antonaccio.
“She had quite an independent but loving spirit,” Antonaccio said.
The caretakers group has arranged to have her cremated and are planning a memorial service.
This story was originally published August 18, 2022 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Duke University community mourns Peaches, a beloved calico cat and campus icon."
