At least twice a day, a car pulls up to the Lawrence County Animal Abuse and Adoption Center.

Sunday, June 04, 2000

At least twice a day, a car pulls up to the Lawrence County Animal Abuse and Adoption Center. There, on the front seat or sometimes in the back, are kittens in a box.

The shelter currently has more than 30 – in addition to the adult cats looking for homes.

There just isn’t room for any more, so some that come to the shelter are sent back home with their owners. Of those, a few will be placed with good homes, while others will be left to fend for themselves, thus creating even more unwanted litters.

Something has to be done soon to deal with the problems created by these strays. In addition to sanitation concerns, the large numbers of felines that are wandering around the county are creating a huge unwanted animal problem that an all-volunteer shelter cannot possibly correct.

The solution is not clearcut, but there are some steps that could be taken to make dents in a problem that, left unchecked, could reach critical mass quickly.

First, townships and the city must pass an ordinance requiring that cats be confined. There is no way to police the problem without some sort of regulation.

Then, the city and county (or townships) must look seriously at enforcement, containment and spaying and neutering.

Cats might not be the most serious concern on city residents’ minds right now, but without some action soon, the problem could become a whole lot more serious than just a few homeless kittens.