Fayette County community adopts new ordinance to manage feral cats
Feral cats have become a nuisance in a Fayette County community, so much so that the local government is taking action with a new ordinance.
Living in Connellsville Township his whole life, John Rulli said he's never seen so many cats roaming the streets and his property.
"These cats totally overtook the neighborhood," Rulli said. "They use our mulch as their litter box, so the entire neighborhood reeks of urine."
He said his family finds mats of hair and blood on their furniture, and they feel confined to their homes in the summer because of the smell. This is all on top of his wife's severe allergies.
"Whenever she goes to let our dog out, she comes back in and her eyes are puffy and she's sneezing," Rulli said.
They're not the only family experiencing these issues. Board chairman and supervisor Todd Miner said the complaints have gotten out of hand, and trap, neuter, release programs haven't worked.
He feels the biggest contributor to the problem is the folks coming in and dropping bags of food for the strays.
"If somebody is going to feed the cats, we want them to take ownership of the cats. We want them to get them spayed, neutered, get them a rabies shot, make them safer for the community, keep them from multiplying," Miner said.
Those are the guidelines for the new ordinance just passed this week to try to combat the problem.
"It's not that I'm against animals or against cats. But it's responsible ownership is what we're trying to get out of people," Miner said.
Repeat offenders can be fined up to $300 a day.
"I've talked to other municipalities that have tried it, and it's helped them a lot," Miner said.
Miner said this won't solve the issue overnight, but he and Rulli believe it's a step in the right direction.
"Only time will tell if it's actually going to work, but I commend my supervisors for doing what they did," Rulli said.
