The University of Missouri-related social media communities usually consist of football, class and political content. That changed when posts about the cat that resides outside of MizzouRec named Treadmill – Millie for short – began to flood social media.
The online outcry for Millie began after many students noticed that she wasn’t outside the MizzouRec. Many students took their frustrations to Yik Yak, an anonymous social media site.
“Give us back Rec Cat or I will be very angry. And I will write you a detailed letter to tell you how angry I am,” said one post with over 600 upvotes.
The posts showed a mix of anger and sadness.
Brenden Poteet, a sophomore at MU, said that he loved seeing Millie around campus and found out about her mysterious disappearance through Yik Yak.
“Opening Yik Yak there were so many people posting about it,” Poteet said. “It was a nice little bit, especially because I feel like there was a lot of people that were just kind of hating after the election.”
Alongside Yik Yak Millie enthusiasts, the anonymous Instagram account @mizzou.reccat, which regularly posts pictures and updates about Millie, has expressed the cat’s significance to the campus and its students.
“Millie represents a sense of warmth and community on campus,” the Instagram account administrator said. “As a cat who’s become a familiar presence, she has a way of bringing people together, offering a bit of joy and stress relief in the midst of busy student life. She’s not just a pet; she’s a shared experience that reminds us to slow down and appreciate the present.”
The account posted three pictures all with hashtag #FREEMILLIE.
The Instagram account @squirrels.mizzou also joined in the social media frenzy with a picture of a squirrel and the caption “today’s #squirreloftheday is actively trying to sniff out millie rn. FREE MA GIRLLL⬛⬛ @mizzou.reccat.”
First-year Allison Rojas said that she became worried when she didn’t see Millie by the Rec, but assumed that she was taken in by the University. She became concerned when Yik Yak posts suspected she disappeared.
Rojas said that the social media reaction was unifying.
“It is a little bit silly, but also at the same time, it’s not because this does have to do with Millie’s well-being,” Rojas said. “It feels like advocating for this is a cute way that we’re all sort of bonded.”
Millie’s absence has brought people closer together.
“I think Millie has had a great positive impact on the students here,” the administrator of @mizzou.reccat said. “She is such a highlight on campus for so many, and I get DMs about how happy it makes people to visit her. Being away at college can be very difficult for some, and I know for me personally, leaving my pets at home was one of the most difficult things.”
In addition, many students made memes out of the situation.
“I feel like there was a way to make light out of the situation by kind of being funny about it,” Poteet said.
Rojas said that she had only seen the whole campus unite over sports before this.
“I’m not super interested in football, but when there’s a game and we’re winning, we think that’s awesome,” Rojas said. “It sort of feels like that same thing where there are probably people who don’t even really care that much about cats. But because this is basically everywhere, they’re still invested.”
Edited by Eric Hughes | ehughes@themaneater.com
Edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com
