City Facing Feral Feline Problems

DAYTON -- Feral cats have become a public nuisance in the city of Dayton and the Dayton City Council agreed at its last meeting the issue needs a public forum to get community input and find a solution.

Currently, there is no city policy or any holding facilities for feral cats in the city of Dayton.

"From a personal standpoint, we've got feral cats crawling up on the roof of the house, sneaking into the basement, getting into the garage and attacking our cat, so it has become a real issue," said Dayton resident Dain Nysoe. "Those cats tend to have kittens, so the population of the feral cats tends to increase without any resolution to the issue,"

Mayor Craig George agreed the cats have become an issue.

"We obviously have a problem with feral cats," George said. "We're trying to get the community input, that's why we're having a public hearing."

George said the council wants the community's input on the issue so the issue can be resolved in a way that is agreeable to everyone.

Some community members have said they want the issue solved, but nobody has proposed any real solutions yet, he added.

"As far as I can see, there's no one correct solution," George said.

Nysoe said he hopes the city of Dayton will enact some kind of ordinance to address the issue after the council meeting on Tuesday. He said currently he feels like the city hasn't adequately addressed the issue.

"If something isn't done and the problem continues to exist I'm just afraid that people might take the issue into their own hands," Nysoe said.

Mayor George said some people take the cats out into the country and release them while some farmers keep the cats as a means to keep mice out of their barns.

"If they're not doing something humane then I think they should stop," George said.

The hearing is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29, at Dayton City Hall.