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LIMA – Lima’s city council heard concerns from citizens at their Monday night meeting about stray cats in the city. Although the concerns came from a specific neighborhood, council acknowledged that the problem had arisen throughout Lima.
Concerns were expressed by Shannon Burklund and Cindy Tidd, two residents of Lima who saw cats roam the streets near their homes.
With the number of stray cats roaming the city, other cockroach and flea problems followed, especially in vacant lots and houses across the city.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people and it’s really bad all over town cats taking over,” Tidd said.
The city is currently in the early stages of setting up a program to deal with the problem on a larger scale, but sterilization and sterilization could help stem the problem sooner.
“We are currently having conversations with the Allen County Dog Guardian to explore options on how we can implement a program,” said Lima Chief of Staff Sharetta Smith. “The sooner we see one will probably be asking us for council funds for 2022.”
Smith also said the program would likely revolve around a “trap, sterilize, release” strategy. The city has no plans to require a new cat owner’s license under the program.
City Councilor Peggy Ehora believes part of the problem is that caring for animals properly is too expensive for some.
“This is a huge problem for the city and we have to find solutions that work,” she said. “The average cost to spay or neuter your pet at a local vet is $ 200, and people can’t do it. They would love to, they just can’t.
Some council members were in favor of establishing an agenda to address the issue, while others, such as council chairman John Nixon, were more hesitant about how the city might go about addressing the issue. solve the problem, claiming that such a move would primarily impact pet owners who are already obeying the rules.
“I just have to be careful that a program is really going to work and not just punish those who are already responsible for the cats,” Nixon said. “Because they’re the ones following the rules, following the laws and being accountable, even without a prescription, and I just don’t want to be punitive to them and not fix the problem. “
Even without a definitive solution, the city council acknowledged that the concerns brought before it are part of a growing problem in Lima that could worsen if a solution is not identified.
Stray cats can cause a number of problems in a community, including cockroach and flea problems, especially in vacant lots and houses in the city.
Contact Trevor Hubert at 567-242-0398
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