By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Decatur has a cat problem. Hardly a revelation.
The situation was raised at the tail-end of a recent meeting of Decatur City Council by local resident Erica Dyer.
She claimed that “another” cat had been shot and killed on Schirmeyer St. that afternoon … “and with kids around.”
Dyer said she was “expressing the frustrations of many” over the cats problem.
She said she feeds several feral cats and over time has had seven of them neutered ($175) or spayed ($200) at her expense.
People who feed the cats “don’t want those animals to starve,” she said.
“We are just trying to find out what the city can do,” Dyer added.
She was told by Mayor Dan Rickord to “get on the agenda” for a future meeting so the issue can be discussed.
After the meeting, Dyer, who resides in the area of Fifth and Walnut streets, and Kim Vickers, Schirmeyer St. resident, talked about some of the problems.
They said BB and/or pellet guns are being used on cats in their areas and a number have come up missing.
“They taking them somewhere else and dumping them,” Vickers claimed.
Vickers, who said she has had up to 30 cats “fixed” over the last three or so years, pointed out that she owns five lots on Schirmeyer and numerous cats live on them.
Many other Decatur residents see the “cat problem” in a different light, however.
One city official said numerous complaints are received about cats running lose in neighborhoods.
“Some people are trying to help the cats by feeding them,” the official said. “But then the cat goes over in the neighbor’s yard and dumps.”
And it’s no secret that feral cats can be aggressive, to other animals and to certain areas around a home, etc..
A city official said it has been estimated that as many as 3,000 cats are running loose in the city. That is not, however, any type of an official estimate.
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