Feral cats out of control in Hanover Park
Hanover Park is moving forward with a program officials say will abate the feral cat population in a humane manner.
The village board 4-0 passed an ordinance Thursday that allows volunteers to become feral cat colony caretakers.
The undertaking requires caretakers, who must be sponsored by an animal humane society, to set up spay and neutering, vaccinations, ear tagging and microchipping. They must also provide food, water and shelter to the cats, observe the colony twice weekly and write semiannual reports, all at their own expense.
The program is being lauded by some and loathed by others.
Meghan Naylor held up the $800 medical bill for her Jack Russell terrier's surgery. She said she was walking the dog when a feral cat attacked and bit it, resulting in an infection. Her cousin also said a feral cat injured his daughter twice.
The always-colorful Trustee Bob Packham said he empathized with the opposition and initially asked for more stringent rules.
"We live in an age of raging political correctness and nobody wants to hurt these cats' self-esteem," Packham said. "If it was up to me, I'd buy more bullets for the police department."
He ultimately voted to approve the ordinance with assurances from the police department nuisance complaints will be unequivocally resolved.
Anyone in violation faces fines of up to $750 per day.
The program aims to reduce a colony's numbers over time. Some feral cats are adoptable, some will die and some will wander off, says Joyce Crosbie, president of Animal Outreach. Her organization has helped reduce the number of euthanized cats in McHenry County using the trap-neuter-return method from 700 to 300 in six years.
Kurt Meyer, who practices TNR, says there must have been mitigating circumstances in any of the attacks mentioned.
"Feral cats don't just walk around and attack animals for no reason," he said.
Meyer congratulated the board for taking a new approach toward animal control.
"Trap and kill doesn't work," he said. "It's been practiced for over a hundred years and we're still dealing with the problem today."
Talk of getting the feral cat problem under control began a few months ago when Bill and Jamie Patrick complained dozens of feral cats routinely soiled their yard. Their neighbor, Ken Chisesi, fought the citations and ended up in court. A judge dismissed the case May 5 after six months, leaving Chisesi with what his mother called a big legal bill.
"There was no law he had to comply with," Flo Brinacombe told the village board. "It cost him a fortune to go to court over this."
Chisesi, who Brinacombe says is a registered caretaker with Chicago-based Tree House Animal Foundation, wants to cooperate. He's already spayed or neutered 22 cats.
But Bill Patrick isn't convinced the program will keep Chisesi's cats away.
"This might stop them from multiplying but it won't stop them from using my yard as a litter box," he said.