County has cat problem

I run a pet-related business, and I hear no end of stories about the cat problem in our county. I brought two street cats into the shelter that I trapped, because they were killing my chickens.

The first cat, I got snide remarks, no eye contact, none of my questions were answered, I was treated as if I were making this girl kill this cat and I wasn't there.

The second cat, the next day, they could give me the number of a spay/neuter volunteer to save them from going to the shelter, they would trap them for me.

I find it very hard to take a cat to the shelter now. I was giving the cats a second chance by reuniting it with its family, or adoption and, if not, put it down humanely.

If you live in town or a trailer park, any tilled dirt, sandboxes, no water areas (like under decks or bushes) become litter boxes. Old buildings, garages, storage areas and buildings with crawl spaces that are not sealed become cat homes. Anyone living by a caregiver-fed area will be overrun with cats. As long as food and shelter are provided, the numbers will increase and they will live longer.

I lost my cat to poison because a caregiver was feeding in my area. I had five street cats fighting over the heat of my hot tub, and someone got tired of the cats. I should have kept mine inside.

If we want to stop cat cruelty, then the number of street cats needs to come down so innocent cats aren't killed.

Mimi Beadles, the Spay and Neuter Task Force spokesperson, says they have kept literally thousands of cats from going to the shelter. Where do you think these cats are going?

Gee Weaver

Kalispell