Taking steps to help feral cats problem
I first heard about the growing problem of abandoned and loose cats roaming about the area a few years ago when Batavia lawyer Cathy Cavins mentioned it to my wife, citing a strip along River Street in Batavia where many cats tended to "hang out."
It looked like the perfect hiding place for cats - close to the Fox River and Fabyan Forest Preserve and nearby office buildings.
Cavins has long been an advocate of trapping and neutering cats for release, but also finding them new homes.
Most recently, another influential voice has brought public attention to feral cats, as Geneva Alderman Sam Hill has helped push for a solution.
"Right now, I'm just trying to help some passionate women who have been working on this for some time," said Hill, whose interest was piqued when he noticed cats coming out from under the base of a neighbor's chimney in his First Ward.
He later learned that a neighbor had such a problem with cats urinating on her home's basement walls, that it was seeping into the recreation room and creating quite a stink.
Since then, Hill has been on a mission to address the feral cat problem. He mentioned Cavins as well as Marilyn Estes, who is involved with DeKalb-based Fixin' Feral Felines.
"We just need more awareness of this problem," Hill said, echoing the thoughts of others who have been saying that people who abandon pets are the root cause.
Those seeking help, or wanting to help, can contact any of the following organizations: fixinferalfelines.com; Homes for Endangered and Lost Pets at helpinganimals.org; adoptarivercat.org; NAWS (708-478-5102), PAWS (773-521-7729) or Tree House Animal Foundation (773-227-5535), all low-cost spaying and neutering services in the area.
Hill is encouraging his neighbors to prepare a letter to send to local veterinarians, requesting they offer a low-cost service for spaying and neutering.
Until pet owners stop not caring about letting their cats run off in area neighborhoods, it appears much work is to be done regarding this growing feline problem.
The farmer's spot: Here's something you wouldn't expect to hear when ringing the bell by a Salvation Army kettle. When Don Regole of Maple Park came to relieve me and take his turn at the kettle for our service club at Charlestowne Mall, he passed along an interesting tidbit.
"At the very spot where you are standing, I used to milk cows every morning," Regole said.
The Regole family owned most of the farmland in that region years ago, prior to St. Charles building up retail along Route 64, west of the downtown district.
A thought to contemplate: It was a thought that fits this season - and this tough year in particular. The sign outside Dukane Corp. along Kirk Road told passers-by to: "Get Rich Quick - Count Your Blessings."
More holiday lore: My column on Sunday will feature the annual Christmas lore and trivia presented to my service club by Rev. William Beckman, associate pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Batavia.
Tune in Sunday and you are sure to learn something new about the holidays.