By Wang Wei

A famous technology university in Beijing is alleged to be ridding its campus of homeless cats because of fears the animals will pass A(H1N1) to students.

"I was informed by a security guard in this university they will clean up approximately 50 abandoned cats in the campus, starting on Wednesday," a student surnamed Kui from the Beijing University of Technology (BUT), who looked after the cats, said.

"The security guard told me the decision was made at a university presidential meeting, but they refused to tell me how they would get rid of them," he said.

This appears to support a report by the Beijing News on Saturday, in which a security guard said the plan was genuine.

However, security guards and the university's administration department denied the existence of such a plan when contacted by METRO yesterday.

Despite the denial, a cat shelter was set on fire by a cigarette on Saturday, one day after the decision was reportedly made.

Three cats escaped but were now in serious danger from exposure to the freezing weather, Kui said.

More than 700 freshmen at Beihang University were infected with H1N1 at a military training camp last week. A male student later died.

Kui said his university was concerned about the situation at Beihang University and was trying to take action, which included getting rid of homeless cats.

After learning of the plan, a retired professor surnamed Xu from BUT told METRO she approached the security office and asked them how they would remove the cats. She was told they would first try to find people to adopt them, and would leave those remaining in a field on the outskirts of Beijing.

"I am afraid some cats will be hurt or even killed," Xu said.

Qin Xiaona, president of the Capital Animal Welfare Association, a charity organization established in 1997, said cats who have undergone sterilization operations and vaccinations are not harmful to people.

According to Kui, nearly 80 percent of the cats in BUT have had sterilization operations. Those who hadn't been sterilized were either too young to have the operation or too old to be fall pregnant. Students and teachers covered all the costs of the operations.

"I spent almost 300 yuan ($44) a month to feed them and I know of another retired professor who spent 1,000 yuan recently to have three cats sterilized," Xu said.

"There is not a single medical expert or research to suggest any connection between the H1N1 virus transmission and cats. Furthermore, the university didn't spend a penny on them and the cats don't cause any trouble. I don't understand why they want to get rid of them," Xu said.

Xu is now contacting kindly people and animal shelters to see whether they can adopt the cats. The Capital Animal Welfare Association is also involved.

"Adopting abandoned cats is not really encouraged because it promotes other cat abandoners to follow suit," Qin said.

"The best way to protect abandoned cats is find responsible people to take care of them, let them stay where they are, and give them sterilizing operations and vaccinations," Qin added.

Qin told METRO she would contact BUT and try to convince them to keep the cats.

In February, a group of male students from BUT angered netizens when they stamped on an abandoned cat and left it in a dormitory lobby until it died to days later.