“Sometimes there may be as many as maybe 30 or 40 cats congregated in a very small area,” Holycross said, “that aren’t really being cared for by any particular person.”
Residents often think they’re doing the humane thing by feeding the animals, he said, but it makes the problem worse. Plus it attracts other wild animals, he said, like raccoons and skunks.
“They bring with them a torrent of health-related issues and concerns to the community,” he said.
Dixie Leelane, who lives on Henry Street in Bellefontaine, noticed cats hanging around an abandoned home in her neighborhood.
“Sometimes they come around back,” Leelane said. “They should call the dog catcher and come and get them.”
Stray cats should be treated as stray dogs are, she said.
The city council will discuss the growing stray cat population at it’s next meeting, Holycross said, that will be held on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. The council will discuss if a ban on feeding the animals would stifle population growth, he said. It wants to hear opinions from locals, he said.
No decision has been made as to a penalty for violating a ban on feeding cats, he said, or how such a ban would be enforced.
One good option he’s heard to stop the stray cat population from growing, he said, is to capture stray cats, spay and neuter them, and then release them where they were found. City leaders would be willing to work with anyone who comes forward offering those services, he said.
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