Residents at a German Twp. mobile home park said they are suffering the ill effects from the many stray cats roaming in their neighborhood.

Resident Karianne Wright blames the booming stray population at Chateau Estates for triggering her son’s severe asthma attacks.

“He’s gone through an entire rescue inhaler this month,” Wright said. “On a bad day, we can smell (cat urine) up the block.”

Stray cats can spread diseases such as rabies, and cat urine and dander can irritate existing health conditions, said Dan Chatfield, director of environmental health at the Clark County Combined Health District.

Another Chateau Estates resident with respiratory problems said he can’t open his windows due to the overwhelming odor of cat urine.

Wright said one resident at the park, Lisa Fritz, has been harboring more than two dozen strays and has brought more cats to the area by putting out food. According to a health district report, Fritz was investigated earlier this year for the cat odor but the issue was resolved.

Fritz denied that she is responsible for the large number of strays.

“I’ve got two cats, but they’re not mine,” Fritz said. “They try to trap them, but they’re wild.”

According to a Chateau Estates policy, residents are only allowed to have two domestic pets in their home without paying an additional fee. County law prohibits open feeding of strays, said James Straley, executive director of the Clark County Humane Society.

“If you or any of your neighbors are feeding, stop,” Straley said. “If there’s a food source, they won’t go away. The cat’s not going to starve. Open feeding is illegal, and if you’re feeding the cats, the cats are yours.”

The Humane Society doesn’t have space at its shelter to take more cats and won’t euthanize a cat unless it’s sick or injured. Aside from rabies vaccination requirements, no state laws regulate cat ownership and tax funding doesn’t exist for cat population control programs. Stray cats reproduce quickly and will stay in an area where food is plentiful, Straley said.

Administrators at Chateau Estates mobile home park said they have tried to combat the cat overpopulation problem by trapping them and moving them to a farm.

“If people would just neuter and spay their pets, we wouldn’t have this problem,” Maintenance Administrator Jack Duncan said.

Resident Spencer Depriest counted 10 cats in front of his home two days ago and sees other cats eating out of his garbage can. His family has buried eight dead cats they found on their property, he said.

“It’s an ever-growing problem,” Wright said. “It’s compromising the quality of life for everybody who lives around here.”