Cat Crisis? C'mon...!

<<...Bieranowski said. It drove him to start trapping the cats.>>
The same Cassia Drive resident also traps and kills the wildlife that ventures onto his property (bordering a public woodlands.)

<<...the borough's animal control agent, Ken Ferree of Ferree Kennels in McKeesport, charged Joann and Ronald $10 per cat they captured -- nearly 20 cats....Whenever an animal is picked up, the kennels will try to contact the owner. The holding period begins after the owner is contacted.>>
What efforts did Ken Ferree make to contact the owner/s of the nearly 20 cats? If no owner contact was made or even attempted, should the neighborhood cats captured by Joann and Ronald have been destroyed?

<<...other fees associated with boarding and euthanization.>>
Euthanasia means "good death." The methods utilized by this animal control agent can NOT be described as "good." He performs primitive killing techniques that are condemned by national humane organizations and animal welfare authorities.

<<"Do you know how much we charged the borough to trap and destroy the cats?" Feree asked. "Nothing." >>
Perhaps that's because this time volunteers rescued all of the unwanted Cassia Drive cats. Why is Ken Ferree taking credit for something he did not accomplish? Note he is saying "trap and destroy." He knows better than to try to use the word "euthanize."

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Does Ken Ferree have at least 10 acres of land at his "Kennels," a garage located beside the railroad tracks in McKeesport? What's good for the resident homeowner is good for the borough contractor.

Ask people who have rented traps from Ferree how often he checks the traps once they are set or what instructions they were given on how to humanely care for animals that were caught, or how to release nontarget animals. Unattended traps can spell suffering and death for animals who get caught in them, particularly in extreme heat or cold. Animal suffering seems to be of no concern to Ken Ferree...a contractor of cruelty being paid with our tax dollars.

I am 1 of the volunteers of In Care of Cats and attended the Jefferson Hills Council meeting. The story that appeared in your paper yesterday is a slap in the face to the many of us who spent countless hours in the extreme heat to capture every cat that residents were complaining about.

We advised residents why we were there and at times were met with hostility. Ferree Kennels had placed traps at 2 neighboring homes.

Comment: These traps were not being checked and an animal could have suffered as a result.

Both Ferree Kennels and Elizabeth-based In Care of *(Noticibly left out(CATS) Inc.,* trapped the cats, which were coming from a house on Cassia.

Correction: In Care of Cats trapped the cats. Ferree did not.

Ferree said the kennel abided by the state's mandated minimum requirement to keep an animal for 48 hours before it was destroyed.
Note: Ferree uses the term "Destroyed". At times, cats do not even make it back to Ferree Kennels and are killed.

Whenever an animal is picked up, the kennels will try to contact the owner. The holding period begins after the owner is contacted. Owners who pick up their animals are charged a release fee, along with boarding costs.

Note: This doesn't even happen for dogs taken to Ferree Kennels.

"Do you know how much we charged the borough to trap and destroy the cats?" Feree asked. "Nothing."

Response: The Reason for this is that Ferree did not catch any cats.

Another Cassia Drive resident called Rise Chontos, founder of the non-profit In Care of Cats Inc., to deal with the cats. Chontos' organization is a cat sanctuary, which cares for more than 100 cats and is supported by donations and fundraisers.

Response: Rise Chontos does not live on Cassia Drive or in Jefferson Hills for that matter.

Ordinarily, the organization traps cats, spays or neuters them and returns them to the area. But because the residents don't want the cats back, Chontos said they will hold the cats and attempt to have them adopted.

Chontos said she removed dozens of full-grown cats and kittens from the area. She plans to have them all spayed or neutered.

These cats have been spayed and neutered and some already adopted.

Although most laws pertaining to cats are vague, there is an ordinance in the borough stating residents can own no more than four dogs and six cats. Anything more is considered kenneling. The borough requires anyone running a kennel to have at least 10 acres of land.

Ferree does not have 10 acres of land. He has a garage with the windows blacked out so that no one can see what goes on within those doors.

If the borough is aware of where these cats belong,are they dealing with that resident?It seems that the animals are being destroyed at a record rate,but have they held this resident accountable?Maybe instead of spending the money to destroy innocent animals,the money should be given to Care of Cats,Inc. so that these cats are treated better and might actually find homes.At least at Care of Cats they are addressing the issue that leads to over-population.
Why isn't the borough going after the resident identified on Cassia Drive?Maybe this person is in need of help.Keeping excessive numbers of animals can be a sign that a person needs help.
There is no excuse for the cruel practice of trapping.Not in a neighborhood with "humans."

I am one of the volunteers that responded to Cassia Drive for the cat colony that residents were complaining about.

The article that appeared in your paper is inaccurate. Ferree Kennels did not trap any cats from this location. In Care of Cats rescued these cats. We were there day and night in the extreme heat to help these cats. Those in need of medical attention are receiving that. Healthy cats have been spayed/neutered and some already adopted.

Residents of Jefferson Hills need to be more responsible for their cats. While there - many neighborhood cats were out - most not spayed and neutered - contributing to the overpopulation problem. This is not only one residents problem - if you own a cat - then you need to be responsible for that cat by spaying/neutering and keeping them indoors.

We attempt to notify residents in the area that we are there, so that if your cat is missing you can alert us - and we can check to see if your cat was trapped. While notifying some residents - we were met with hostility. We did what these residents wanted and removed the cats. Insults and innuendo's were uncalled for.

Traps set by Ferree were left for days without monitoring. Any animal caught in his trap would have suffered. Our traps are monitored at all times and once an animal is trapped (in a humane box trap) they are removed to a safe location until transport to ICC can be initiated.

Any cat or (dog for that matter) picked up by Ferree Kennels is not treated humanely and I question his remark to another paper that he has a "Mystery" helper who takes cats from him for adoption. Please ask Ken Ferree next time he responds to an animal situation why he has been fired from so many municipalities? You may be greeted with "hostility and most likely obscenities" from him - which he seems to enjoy dishing out.

We are a group of caring people who want to help any animal in need. This is not the animals fault. They didn't ask to be born to suffer. They are the victims of abandonment, abuse and neglect. It is time that people take responsibility for their pets by having them spayed and neutered. There is a local Spay/Neuter Clinic that charges $28.00 for a male cat neuter and $47.00 for a female spay. If you can't afford that - then you shouldn't own a pet.

You people who volunteer your time for such things are saints, in my opinion. I'd love to donate - is there an online forum to do so?

Kudos to In Care of Cats and the volunteers who fixed this neighborhood "problem."

Imagine how much less of a problem there would have been had the cats been 'fixed' at the start. Neuter and Spay, folks. Simple surgery is the way to keep domestic animal populations from exploding. Be they your own pets or ferals, get 'em fixed. That's the way to stop overpopulation.

(Of course there still will be neighbors who complain about every living creature that steps foot on their purchased property. Watch out raccoons, possums, chipmunks, groundhogs, rabbits, squirrels, deer, birds... Humans building McMansions on what was undeveloped lands? Too bad. Wildlife apparently is doomed to suffer and die to accommodate some humans' personal whims.)

In all the rhetoric about the issue of these cats, let it be said that there were "only" 76 cats taken from the property in question. (How many were inside the House?)The facts are that the residents who complained would still be dealing with this problem if the animal control officer had not been given the job by the borough to come and remove these animals. The cat rescue organization only appeared after they became aware that the said animal control officer would be on the street to begin trapping. The issue of HOW to deal with the animals AFTER they were rounded up is a separate issue from the nuisance that had disrupted the neighborhood for many years. For its part, Jefferson Hills Borough acted APPROPRIATELY within the LAW to begin a removal procedure according to the wishes of the taxpaying residents. The bottom line is those feral cats are gone! Good Riddance!
Residents are better off!

Has anyone addressed the issue that 76 cats came from one property?As you pointed out,how many were inside?This is a sign of a bigger problem for that resident.Mental and health issues can be associated with having that many animals.I think that is the primary issue here.These cats will be replaced by others if the issue of hoarding is not addressed.The borough has not acted appropiately if they haven't addressed the primary problem.
I don't think it is important when the rescue group arrived,just that they did.These animals deserve humane treatment.The taxpaying residents deserve a faster response if this was a problem for years.

people do not realize the cats in these situations are not to blame humanes are at fault... the cats don't have voices to ask for help, they cannot tell a neighbor that they are starving or sick. i would like to see how these people who bitch and complaine about these poor an"imals would survive if they lost the only home they knew and were thrown out on the streets to fend for themselves....to spay or neuter your animal is to simple..people would rather buy a neew handbag or a pair of jeans that go out of style in 6 months than take care of their animals needs.. everyone in this jefferson hills neighborhood needs to send "incareofcats" a nice donation for all the hard work and time spent cleaning up after the people in this neighborhood after all the cats did'nt bring themselves there...all to many times when rescuing animals from a situation the people in these neighborhoods treat the rescuers like they are the ones who did wrong... remember these animals are GODS CREATURES.... and god does not like ugly hateful people... way to go INCAREOFCATS ONCE AGAIN YOU CLEANED UP MANS MESS.... its all for the cats not the people !!!

First I would like to thank all those who have spoken up on our behalf, and that of the victims of this modern social issue; the cats themselves..this problem is not unique to Jefferson...it's ongoing and growing in all communities, as we continue to embrace the killing of
domestic cats as an answer to the overpopulation, which has been the
method for 100 yrs...to date it has only made the situation much worse..the taxpayers are paying for this senseless and vicious circle...all communities(many already do)must address this issue in modern
thought...spay/neuter laws..stronger abandonment laws..and in the case of cats, better enforcement of laws already on the books..etc..its a matter of right and wrong...it matters not who likes cats and who doesn't....
they're domestic animals requiring human care....they've reproduced
(due to irresponsible ownership/apathy of law enforcement) to
the tune of millions and that has devalued them to a point of being treated hardly better than the vermin they control...when intelligent
minds come together to solve any problem, it can be solved...and when
John and Jane stop letting Junior out the door unaltered to 'find love'..
...when the owners of little Missy stop letting her go unspayed to have one litter after another of innocent kittens born to die....THAT will be the start of a
better neighborhood for EVERYBODY....no domestic animal should be born
unwanted...they are suffering enough..they are the victims....and the victims should never be punished/executed in a civilized society...Many great minds have thought about the way we treat animals...M.Ghandi was only one "The morals of a community can be judged
by the way it treats its animals"...if it was good enough for a great man such as he....it should be fine for the rest of us......Rise' Chontos.....Director, In CARE of CATS Inc....Elizabeth. Pa.

I think the people that are "hating" on the cats should be ASHAMED of THEMSELVES.....their own kind (humans) created the problem (by NOT spaying/neutering their pets and/or abandoming them), but the poor helpless creatures are blamed because some people don't like cats.

Well Cassia Drive is a highly WOODED area...I suggest MOVING to a bubble or a high-rise in the city. Where there are woods, the will be Racoons, Groundshogs, Birds, Mosquitos, Squirrels, Chipmunks, Skunks, etc.....I suppose these COMPLAINERS want them all removed and killed too?

NONE of these weak excuses for human beings could live even one day outside on their own hunting for food, shelter and protection from being prey. These same idiots probably go to church... these are God's creatures. Also, there are plenty of other problems in the world, like starving children, homeless people, veterens, etc....may I suggest that you actually do something compassionate for the less fortunate and actually contribute to society by volunteering somewhere,instead of constantly complaining.

I thought the area was upscale, but apparently some of the less educated are spouting their backwards views on the weak (cats). May you enrich your small-minded brain. Better yet ...loosen up and have a beer!

It amazes me how vindictive, foolish, and judgmental people can be when there is an honest difference of opinion about how to deal with a problem such as these feral cats. Please understand, we are not the cat hating, whiners, complainers, ignorant, uneducated rabble that some of you have judged us to be. Actually, many of the residents you berate are highly educated, respectful, law abiding, compassionate,
morally fit, community conscious, taxpaying citizens, who have freely donated their time and money to many good causes. Some of us have taken in the cats, for example,to keep them from freezing to death in the winter, and given some away to good homes, etc. The dilemma here is that there were just so,so, many, a literal "cat nation" breeding out of control, creating a big nuisance. This was NOT a problem that the residents provoked or created. Therefore, they sought out the health department, medical personnel,legal authorities, the Jefferson Hills officials, the council, code enforcement officer, chief of police, solicitor, and district magistrate, as is their right as taxpayers, to help solve that problem, in the same fashion they would if there would be an automobile accident, a fire, a burglary, a disturbance of the peace,or any violation of a borough ordinance. So,in the end, finally, the cats are now gone. That is basically what we wanted to do all along. I would submit to you that when you attempt, out of your own bias, to pass uninformed judgment on good people that you don't even know, people that simply want to take care of their property, be good stewards, and live in a clean, secure, quiet, environment, that your time would be better spent in other more pressing endeavors. I believe that "God," who made man in his own image, did give said man ALL dominion over living things, didn't he? And, by the way, I once had a big old tomcat when I was a kid down on the tracks by the river; an outdoor cat: I really loved that cat 'cause he kept the rats away from the house; I went to start the car one winter day to go down the river road to get a haircut; Now, unbeknownst to me, this cat was laying up in the cowling around the fan of the still warm, car engine; Guess what happened? My cat was named Buster! I still think about him 45 years later. It was not a pretty sight! Poor thing.

It's ignorant, radical comments like some of those expressed here that gives animal activism a bad rap. I agree that pet owners need to take responsibility for their actions, or neglect thereof, and I agree no animal should be subjected to unnecessary suffering. I do not agree however, that the life of a of human being is somehow less significant than that of an animal.

Roastman is correct (Genesis 26 & 28):

"And God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

For those of you who unfairly criticize and attempt to lay guilt trips on us humans who struggle to maintain the property and homes we work so hard for, I say this...woe to the critter who threatens the welfare, safety, health and comfort of me and mine, be it wild or domestic.

So, where do you reside Brownbat? In a cave?