Feral cats causing friction between Fayette Business Park owner and cat advocates
Mark Hofmann/For the Observer-Reporter
A sign in front of the Fayette Business Park warns people not to feed the feral cats that have been on the property.
Mark Hofmann/For the Observer-Reporter
Cat traps and shelters like these are set up around the Fayette Business Park in Smithfield as a way to remove feral cats from the property and relocate them.
The feral cats that have been occupying a business park in Fayette County have caused controversy between the company that owns the park and feline advocates.
For the past 10 years, a group of volunteers has set up winter boxes and feeding stations for feral cats at the Fayette Business Park in Smithfield. A feral cat is an outdoor cat that doesn’t have a home.
Michelle Bruce, the president of Fix Ur Cat in Canonsburg, Washington County, said volunteers have been taking the cats from the location to have them spayed or neutered. The sterile cats are then released there to keep the population down, she said.
Last week, Bruce said, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, which owns the industrial park, got rid of the winter boxes and feeding stations, and police told the volunteers to stop taking care of the cats.
Bob Shark, executive director of Fay-Penn, said he first became aware of the cat colony in September 2017 when one of the companies at the park held a family picnic and several wild cats reportedly became aggressive with children in attendance.
The company filed a complaint with Fay-Penn, and the economic development agency discovered the makeshift structure and hauled it away, hoping the cats would disperse.
“The structure ‘reappeared’ two additional times, and each time it was reported to be reconstructed, it was disassembled and hauled away,” Shark said, noting officials didn’t know who was responsible for the structure and no caretakers came forward to discuss the cats.
“Fay-Penn’s actions were a clear indicator to those individuals that their wild cat colony activities were not permitted in the park,” he said.
Shark said the shelters continued to reappear until Dec. 4, when Fay-Penn received an anonymous tip identifying one of the caretakers involved. State police were called and gave notice that the structures should be removed within a week’s time.
But Bruce said removing the structures is akin to Fay-Penn officials bullying the volunteers who were offering free animal-control services in the area.
She also said when she and a caretaker attempted to contact Shark about the incident, Shark told them to get in touch with Fay-Penn’s attorney.
“Whatever happened to civility – sitting down and having a cup of coffee?” Bruce asked.
Shark said that group appeared at Fay-Penn’s headquarters and spoke with him in a confrontational manner with no indication they would take action to remove the colony.
Bruce said there was no formal agreement between the caretakers and Fay-Penn 10 years ago when the activity started.
“The fact of the matter is you don’t need a written agreement for many things,” Bruce said. “So there was never a formal agreement, but also there was never any formal information saying to get off their property.”
Shark said Fay-Penn’s actions were dictated by the health and safety concerns of the 2,200 people who enter the park daily.
He added that none of the wild cats observed were “eartipped,” the widely practiced veterinary sign of an altered and vaccinated wild cat. He also said the excessive food left for the wild cats attracted vermin and could attract animals with diseases such as rabies and parasites.
Shark said Fay-Penn has contacted a licensed animal-control specialist about catching and relocating the cats. He also said no cats were harmed when the shelters were removed.
Fay-Penn also posted “No Trespassing, No Feeding Animals, Violators Will Be Prosecuted” signs, and continues to work with caretakers to trap and relocate the remaining cats.
“Once these cats are gone, it will be interesting next year to see the new cats that come on the property,” Bruce said. “I’m not sure who’s going to take care of that.”
Shark said since last Wednesday, nine cats have been removed and relocated.