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Feral cats have been plaguing Henlopen Acres residents for years and after recent complaints, city officials are examining their options to remove the unwanted animals.
All commissioners agreed that responding to the complaint was necessary, but exactly how to do so – and at what cost - left some in question at a Friday, Jan. 19 quarterly meeting.
According to a city ordinance written in 1998, destroying the cats is lawful, but commissioners discussed other alternatives.
The ordinance says, “The Animal Control Officer shall apprehend any feral cat running down at large and cause said animal to be transported to the Delaware SPCA in Georgetown.”
Commissioners were unsure who the control officer is or the expense and other residents also complained the wild cats attack birds and rabbits in the quiet hamlet.
Feral cats turned over to county officials are often killed.
The Kent County Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) takes care of all animal control cases in Sussex and Kent counties.
Jerry Linkerhof, manager of the Georgetown SPCA, said feral cats are usually put down within days.
“There’s not much we can do. Feral cats are held for three to five days. Before that, anyone missing a cat has the opportunity to come in and see if they are here,” said Linkerhof.
County officials check the cats’ dispositions and domesticated cats are generally put up for adoption, he said.
Henlopen Acres Commissioner Paul Capodanno called the quandary a learning process for the town and advocates a humane solution.
“It is a problem. We have complaints. It’s a problem that exists in more than Henlopen Acres. It’s the whole area,” said Capodonno.
Soon, town officials will send a letter to residents about the animals running free.
“I think it’s an educational thing. It’s not just one neighbor complaining, it’s a nuisance,” said Capodonno.
In the meantime, most of the wild felines are creeping near the corner of Pine Reach and Broad Hollow at the north end of town.
Feral cats have bothered neighbors for years, said Tom Roth, the town manager.
But, a letter dated Jan. 2, sent to the town commissioners, brought renewed awareness to the problem by resident Eugene D. Gulland.
“The problem has gotten steadily worse in the 14 years we have owned our home at 33 Pine Reach,” said Gulland.
Gulland and his wife frequently encounter cat feces in mulch and bushes when gardening. He said he and his wife often find cats in the garbage, ripping up bags. In one instance, he found one in his basement before closing his home for winter.
But, the most recent and startling experience which his wife, Tina, likened to a “bad horror movie,” occurred Dec. 30.
Returning home from dinner, the couple found four cats in their screened-in porch, which was accessed by a garage door left open.
“They climbed up the screens in panic, ruining one in the process, and ran around the porch trying to get past us to escape. As I approached one that was climbing the screens, it snarled and scratched at me…All were fairly young cats, suggesting that they will have offspring and add to the number of wild stray cats in the neighborhood,” said Gulland. On a recent Saturday stroll, Gulland said he counted 16 cats.
Calls made to Gulland’s Virginia home were not returned at press time. Roth said Henlopen Acres Mayor Wanda Davis is drafting a letter, which will be sent within 60 days to alert residents of the problem.
“I think we need to be humane about it. We need to collect them, spay them and let them go loose,” said Capodanno.
Vivian Barry, who heads the Historic Lewes Cat Society, a spaying and neutering clinic, said her organization offers low-cost trapping services and spay and neutering operations.
“I will put calls out today to all of my different rescuers. We will definitely help them in any way we can.
“We don’t want to see any animal put down,” said Barry.
For more information, call Barry at 645-1575.
Contact Kevin Spence at newsroom@capegazette.com.
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