It’s time for irresponsible owners of pets to pay up

I’ve known about a particular stray cat situation for some time. But this weekend I heard more about it from people in a neighborhood on Whitley Avenue in Corbin.

Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.

It is where my 89-year-old sister lives. She has been tormented by cat droppings in her yard along with cats ruining her porch furniture with urine, plus attacking birds around her bird feeder.

In talking with Animal Control I believe you can find this situation repeated in various locations throughout the area. But Animal Control has their hands tied trying to control the nuisance. They could catch them, but they have nowhere to put them since the animal shelter doesn’t take them for lack of room. It is a huge problem and Animal Control does the best it can under the restraints that it operates in.

Here is what I discovered in that neighborhood. For one, I saw 11 cats wandering about from yard to yard and one looked pregnant. I had to stop my vehicle because of a cat lying in the road and wouldn’t move. But the worst I witnessed was at one residence.

The family had moved to Corbin not long ago. The lady said in the town she moved from they never had a dog or cat problem. After moving here they did a tremendous amount of yard work and now the back yard is a beautiful scenic area. However, the people can’t enjoy it from their screened in back porch because of the cat droppings which produces an awful smell. Like my sister, they have tried cat deterrents but they are expensive and never seem to work.

Residents in this location are pulling their hair out trying to deal with the situation. The cat owners will do nothing to help control their felines. So, what to do?

I can’t get in touch with the animal shelter because nobody answers the telephone, but I understand that they are understaffed, have too small a budget and facilities, so they can’t help. But there is something that could be done that would bring the joy of living in the outdoors back to these people and many others like them.

It is time to get tough with the irresponsible pet owners who let their pets roam free around neighborhoods. It is time to pass ordinances and laws that contain hefty fines to the owners if they let their animals roam. And of course, enforce the ordinances.

This is a major problem, one that should get the attention of all elected officials. My neighbors know my wife and I like to sit outside in the evenings. So far only a little cat hair on the cushions. But our problem is nothing compared to other neighborhoods where dozens of cats roam freely. It is time for action.