NATURAL STATE
straY PROBLEM : CAT POPULATION BOOMINGBy BILL RODGERS Tribune Chronicle
Article Photos
Fact Box
WAYS TO HELP
Animal Welfare League's special adoption rates for cats:
- Spayed and neutered cats: $100
- All others: $50
- Adopt two cats for $75
Hours are Monday through Saturday 1 to 6 p.m.
Call 330-394-4122 for more information
Bill Summers is retired from working on his Fowler farm, but he has another job that was literally dumped on him: cat wrangling.
People driving past his property may see him trying to coax a cat into a pet carrier with food. When the cats take the bait, he pushes them in and shuts the door behind them.
"I tried wearing welding gloves (to catch them). I got all clawed up once," he said.
Summers is trying to deal with a problem the most humane way he can: by catching the animals and getting them neutered. Nearly 50 felines run all over his property. He says that since he owns a farm, people looking to dump their unwanted pets drive past, see his barn and assume his property would make a good home.
Really, what these people are doing is turning his property into what Wilma Crawford of Trap Neuter and Release calls a "cat colony." The strays cause messes and become more numerous every month.
Summers, who is on a pension, says it's a hardship buying the three or four bags of food they eat. But no one will take them off his hands and he said ignoring the problem or killing the cats would be inhumane. He said he doesn't want to be as cruel as the person who left a six-week old kitten outside his house on a night when the temperature dropped to -10 F. The kitten would have frozen to death had he not heard it meowing while he was fixing something in his basement.
He spoke with a little bit of frustration because if it wasn't for the help of Crawford's group and his veterinarian, he wouldn't be able to control the situation at all.
Dealing with Trumbull County's stray cat population is becoming more difficult for group's like Crawford's and the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County. The welfare league is lowering its adoption rates through the end of the month to reduce the number of cats it houses. As for Crawford, whose group catches, neuters, vaccinates and releases cats into a safe area, the money has simply dried up. Each cat the Warren nonprofit takes in costs about $100 to fix and treat for disease. In the last two years, the group has taken care of 186 cats, but that's barely a dent, some of the colonies can have as many as 80 cats, she said.
"We can't do this. We have one vet, eight volunteers and no money. Because the economy is bad the first thing people stop doing is donating," Crawford said.
This also contributed to the stray cat problem, she said. People are not spaying and neutering their pets and are leaving them behind as they move.
"They're just throwing the cat outside saying 'it can fend for itself.' They're becoming a nuisance. This is not a cat problem, it is a people problem," she said.
Municipalities are starting to notice more strays as well.
Recently a group of citizens complained about a colony of about a dozen cats in Newton Falls. Crawford said she was contacted by a city resident who demanded that she take the animals away.
"They want us to be their knights in shining armor, and we're not," Crawford said.
Paula Humphrey, a humane worker with the welfare league, said she believed every community the county was having at least a few stray problems. League president Barb Busko said they haven't noticed any more cats coming into their shelter, but the number of adoptions isn't there to pick up the slack.
"A lot of people's answer is to drop them on a farm. No. No. No. All that does is move the problem," she said.
The league cannot go out and pick up cats running at large, Busko said. And she said a problem facing animal control officers is the lack of funding. Dogs can have licenses, but there are no cat licenses in this area.
Licensing was tried in Niles about three years ago, but the proposal was killed in committee after people, including Crawford, spoke out against it. Crawford said many people would simply refuse, and people's pets could hang themselves if forced to wear a collar. She said there need to be more low-cost spaying and neutering clinics. Busko said she is opposed to the idea of feline licenses as well.
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TNRofWarren
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05-26-09 1:23 PM
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Please call Wilma Crawford @ 330-503-4788 if you are interested in donating food, arrangements will be made for pick-up or drop-off. You can also email tnrofwarren@yahoo****. TNR is also in need of people with barns to re-home some of these feral (unsocial) cats. The cats will have been altered, tested and vaccinated. If you are interested, please email or call! Thanks!
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TNRofWarren
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05-26-09 12:44 PM
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Donations can be sent to TNR of Warren, PO Box 2477, Warren, OH 44484 and are truly needed and appreciated. A post will be forthcoming with info on where food can be dropped off. There are many people out there feeding colonies of cats that can use the help.
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ohcorky
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05-26-09 10:21 AM
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sorry fofelines@netzero****
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ohcorky
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05-26-09 10:20 AM
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Anyone who wants to help TNR of Warren (Trap Neuter Release) or Mr. Summers can email TNR at fofelines@netzero****
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reesecup26
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05-25-09 5:42 PM
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Would he accept donations of cat food to help him out a bit? I'd be willing to donate bags of cat food for him.
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Slave2Beer
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05-25-09 12:19 PM
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80 cats, huh.. Might that be considered an act of terrorism?
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Karrilyn
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05-25-09 10:23 AM
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Sorry I kept referring to Mr. Summers as Mr. Crawford.
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Karrilyn
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05-25-09 10:21 AM
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I feel bad for Mr. Crawford, he is being forced to take responsibility for animals that do not belong to him. He obviously has a good heart, Mr. Crawford, I am going to see what I can do to help you with some food. Would Mr. Crawford be able to claim these expenses on his taxes?
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maryjm
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05-25-09 9:59 AM
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I commend Mr. Crawford...I to have tackled this inhumane problem in my neighborhood and so far am winning the battle by catching them spaying, or neutering and releasing them..These wonderful animals do not deserve whats happenning to them.I do agree that the Animal Welfare League should not be adopting these animals out if they are not spayed or neutered...Wake up Barb and Mary Busko they very reason you exist is because peolpe are not responsible pet owners.So spay and neuter them before they leave the shelter and lets start to be a solution to the problem not a contributer.I not trying to bash the Animal Welfare League because I believe you do a very hard job with little funding but this should be a must a top priority.The Veterinarians in our County should do more also to help fight this problem by banning together and networking a month to month low cost spay and neuter clinic at their offices.Each one contributing a month out of the year.Lets ban together and fight this problem.
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ohcorky
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05-25-09 9:43 AM
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Trap Neuter Release of Warren has already done so much with so very little. They are a very small non profit and EVERY animal is spayed and neutered. The people in this orgasnization all have such big hearts and are working tirelessly to try to find solutions to the over population running rampant in our area. They need all the help anyone can give. They need donations of money, cat food and many other things.
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ohcorky
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05-25-09 9:33 AM
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How can Animal Welfare League adopt out animals which are not spayed and neutered? That should be their top priority since it is the reason the majority of animals are in shelters in the first place! Do they really think people will follow an honor system and have them spayed and neutered. Animal Welfare League should stop giving themselves the large salaries and the fancy office equipment and spend the money they receive where it is needed. Getting these animals spayed and neutered.
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reader
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05-25-09 8:56 AM
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This article tells ilt like it is. People dump their animals all over the county. It is use to be rural areas. Now with that boy mauled by dogs in Warren, we can see that people aren't even taking the time to jump in the car to take them to a rural spot. I have my own animals and I have to be careful that those animals dumped don't infect mine. So if people think their animals will be picked up and cared for, I hope you would think twice. Vet costs have more increased immensely over the years. 6 heart worms tablets cost $105. Not to mention flea meds, heart worm checks, and shots. And leaving your home and not either taking your animals or finding a home for them is horrible thing to do. It is not fair to the animal nor the neighbors who get hurt. Thanks Mr. Summers.
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gistol
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05-25-09 6:46 AM
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MR. SUMMERS - God Bless You! Words cannot express what a kind soul you are to care for all these 'dumped' cats. Those who would just 'dump' a cat or dog because you don't feel like caring for it, you are the lowest of the low. It sickens me that someone could just package up a defenseless animal and drop them in the woods or on the side of the road and never look back. Never caring how that animal will eat, if it will get hit by a car or if a larger animal will attack it. How can you sleep at night? It IS a people problem. Irresponible and heartless people. A pet is a commitment, not a toy you can play with for a few months and get rid of when you don't want it anymore.
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