2018 Icon: Peaches

Peaches, a calico cat living near Keohane, cannot in enroll in classes or carry a Duke card. She can’t cheer on the basketball team in Cameron or visit West Union. But with a 24/7 fully-heated cat house and the love of almost everyone who knows her, she’s as much a part of campus as anyone else. 

Although she has also been known as “Pepper,” “Angel” and “Sunny," the name Peaches stuck after senior Anna Li created a Facebook group dedicated to the cat. Li set up the group, called “Caretakers of Peaches (The Calico Cat),” after worrying about the cat during the winter. She also helped create a GoFundMe page to raise money for vet visits and vaccinations, which led to Peaches’ cameo in People Magazine’s pet pages. 

Now, Peaches is living the high life in her heated home behind Few Quadrangle, with frequent student visitors stopping to rub her belly between classes. Spending time with the outgoing calico is a way for students to relieve stress, especially when they are missing their own pets back home. 

“A lot of people have told me that Peaches is just as therapeutic as CAPS for them,” Li said.

But Peaches also has a manipulative streak. 

“She’ll run up to you and then roll onto her back and have you give her a belly rub,” Li said. “It’s really hard to turn away from this cute, fluffy animal.” 

Editor's Note: This profile is part of our new initiative called The Chronicle 18. We are highlighting 18 people and groups who are defining what it means to be at Duke this year. Read about the project and more of our selections.

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