Angel Alvarado | Nov. 3, 2026
Dewey Decimal relaxing in his dorm at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, N.C. (Echo/Sonny Church)
Sonny Church, a senior at Warren Wilson College (WWC), took in a white and orange colored American short-hair cat in late May. Church found the kitten, at the time around 2 months old, in a tree before taking him home. The now-grown, 8-month-old kitten was named Dewey Decimal. Church believed it was a fun and nerdy name.
“I thought Dewey was the only name that really stuck,” Church said. “He also kind of looks like Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle, especially when he was a little baby, with his big ears. And I worked in the library, and I like the Dewey Decimal system.”
At his young age, Dewey gained the nickname of “sweet little jester” from Church’s friends and suitemates, for being energetic and friendly. Dewey chases Church’s friends around when he’s in a good mood. However, Church said that Dewey is in his ‘terrible toddler’ phase where he seems to be fond of chaos and destruction alike.
Recently, Dewey has accidentally discovered spicy curry. Despite Church’s concerns over the spice level, it seems Dewey is a heat fan, as he now stares and licks his chops whenever he sees someone eating curry around the suite.
Church shared that his favorite thing about Dewey is the way that the kitten has not yet grown into his tail, making Dewey chase after it as a dog would. One can imagine it makes an adorable sight.
Student, Jacob and his dog, Daisy sitting together in Sage Circle on Warren Wilson College Campus on Oct. 28, 2026 in Swannanoa, N.C. (Echo/Finn McKenny)
Jacob White, a junior at Warren Wilson College (WWC), has an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix dog who is now about a year and a half old. White adopted her while working at King Veterinary Hospital in King, North Carolina, when she was around three months old. A case came in of a puppy being attacked by another dog. The puppy’s original owners couldn’t afford treatment for her and made the decision to surrender her to the clinic, where White decided to care for her. White’s mother named the puppy Daisy Mae, as she's a fan of “Southern belle names.”
Daisy is a very energetic dog, demanding multiple walks a day. She is also a reactive dog, and dislikes large crowds or other dogs. Daisy is a big fan of spray cheese, which works well as a way to give her medication. When White originally got her, he had signed up for a pet toy subscription, which ended up making Daisy spoiled with many toys. Not that she’s complaining, especially with squeakier ones.
Mocha in a pumpkin harness out on a walk. (Echo/Alaina Castengera)
Alaina Castengera, a senior at Warren Wilson College (WWC), adopted her orange cat, Mocha, when he was around a month old. Castengera and her boyfriend wanted a friend for their other cat, Mango. They decided to continue their tradition of giving their cats mismatched names; Mango is brown, and Mocha is orange. Castengera describes how she finds amusement in making friends guess which name belongs to which cat.
“We were like, how would we introduce these cats?” Castengera said. “‘This is Mango and Mocha. Guess who's who?’ And people always guess the wrong thing.”
Mocha, who is now one year old, is a lively, friendly and crazy cat. He loves to play and always has high energy, especially when it comes to getting his favorite snack of Churu Cat Treats. A friend who visited Castengera’s dorm even got a video of Mocha being extra protective over an opened Churu tube.
Castengera’s favorite thing about Mocha is his love of climbing up high on his scratching tower and simply surveying his surroundings, similar to how a king would.