Stray cats

I was reading a story this morning, on the website, about a pensioner plagued by feral cats. It turns out this woman is living in our district (45 minutes away from us) and in a council-owned pensioner flat. Apparently, the cats are sleeping under her house and have ruined the under-floor insulation. Council refuses to do anything until people stop feeding these animals. Meanwhile, this woman is left with the horrible smell of cat urine and is unable to garden, due to the high number of cat faeces there. The cats have obviously identified her property as a safe haven.

Apparently, council did try once to remove these animals but the cats soon became trap-shy. One would think any landlord with a problem of rogue animals would have to do something about it. If it was rats, the landlord would be responsible for removing any rubbish lying on the property, unless of course, it was the tenant’s rubbish. Then one would assume the tenant would either be instructed to clean it up or face eviction.

Who is paying for the upkeep of council-owned pensioner flats? Probably us, the rate-payers. Why would one let their assets be destroyed in this way? We all know that not doing regular maintenance escalates a problem, making it cost far more than it initially would have, had it been dealt with straight away. In the case of the cats, surely the fact they are congregating in any area would make it easier to deal with them, than if they were scattered throughout the neighbourhood.

I love cats and I do think it is tragic that it has gotten to this situation. But, if they are not owned by anyone and are causing damage and stress to this woman, I think something should be done to eradicate them. If it were mice or rats, someone would most likely have already been in for eradication.

How, is another issue. I am not sure how one would go about it. Perhaps put in several traps at once to catch as many per time, before the cats learn not to trust them. I am not sure whether there is a poison that could be used that is humane, but then one always runs the risk of harming someone’s pet.

There is another solution and while it wouldn’t solve the problem of cats in the neighbourhood, it would solve this woman’s plight. Get a dog. One that hates cats. I am sure they would quickly find a new home well away from this woman. But actually, thinking about that, Council probably has a pet-free restriction on people inhabiting these flats. But perhaps it would be worth breaking any regulations. And if Council complains, tell them to fix the problem their way.