LUSELAND — Luseland has a rising population lately and it is not of the human variety.
Residents have seen over the past year a steady increase in the number of stray and feral cats. Numerous calls have been made to the Town of Luseland office, yet residents have not seen much in changes.
One resident, Marita Obrigewitch, along with a couple of other residents, took their concerns to the Town of Luseland council meeting. One plan of action the women had was to ask for some financial funding from the town to have KC Rescue, a volunteer, donation-run charity based in Unity, to come help with the situation.
The funds would help support KC Rescue with the costs of vaccinations, testing for diseases and neutering for each animal. KC Rescue is already stretched to the limits, housing, feeding and providing medical care for the felines they already have in their care. Dealing with the numerous stray and feral cats in Luseland could be detrimental to the charity’s bottom line.
Town representatives say they have taken this situation seriously and have recognized the cats are mainly attracted to homes of those who are providing food and shelter.
“If they really want to help, they should try to rehome the animals, find farmers looking for good mousers and find homes for the animals,” Mayor Kathy Wurz says.
She also adds that the unsightliness, ammonia smells and pet odours are damaging neighbourly relations and the overall look of the community.
Ideally, Obrigewitch and KC Rescue would like to see these animals well cared for, just not in the way it is being done now. A few residents in Luseland, including Obrigewith, has established a group on Facebook called Whisker Watch, where advocates of the felines can work together to find these animals good homes. The group hopes through the KC Rescue Barn Buddy program cats that are not suitable to be in a home can be spayed or neutered then rehomed to farmers needing pest control.
Whisker Watch is reaching out to Luseland residents and businesses for donations so members can have the means to be able to capture the animals. These donations will also help KC Rescue with the costs mentioned above.
The town is denying assistance with the problem simply due to lack of manpower as well as where the animals would be kept when caught. Council's consideration of the budget as rising costs across operations do not leave the town in a position to help KC Rescue. The mayor is not opposed to the group starting and is optimistic that the public will show an interest in resolving this problem.
Obrigewitch says the new group has had some support from town residents and although they have not been public for long, she is confident that they will be supported a lot more once the cat is out of the bag.
