Gulfport seeks answers as stray cats proliferate

Gulfport broaches a sensitive topic and will ask other cities for ideas to present to county animal control officials.

By AMY WIMMER

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 27, 2000

GULFPORT -- The tale began with charges that two women used antifreeze to poison stray cats that hopped onto their cars and ate goldfish out of backyard ponds.

Police have not completed their investigation, but the unusual conflict -- between a group of neighbors who try to feed stray and feral cats and find them homes, and a neighbor who fears that feral cats are overtaking the community -- sheds light on a problem few Pinellas cities have addressed seriously.

Gulfport took a small step Thursday toward considering alternative methods for dealing with its cat population. The city plans to discuss the problem with other municipalities.

Pinellas County Animal Services humanely destroys nearly 80 percent of the animals it collects, though that number includes wild animals such as raccoons. Last year 15,000 were killed and 4,000 were adopted. If other cities are interested, they could combine forces with Gulfport and present some population control ideas to county officials, who handle animal control throughout Pinellas.

"I think we've come a long way at the first meeting of this type," Mayor Michael Yakes said. "You don't settle everything all at once, no matter what it is. You're dealing with feelings and sensitivity."

That sensitivity was heightened during Thursday's city workshop, where Animal Services was invited to inform the Gulfport City Council about the county's animal control methods.

As John Hohenstern, rabies investigator for Animal Services, made his presentation, some members of the audience objected to the most basic information he gave council members.

When he mentioned that cats are the No. 2 carrier of rabies in Pinellas, a woman in the audience whispered, "That's not true." Her comment was loud enough to warrant a "That is true, ma'am," from Hohenstern.

When he commented that people should never feed stray animals, the audience gasped. "Cats are not indigenous to this area, and they do create havoc for wildlife," Hohenstern said.

"White Europeans are not indigenous to this area, either," Pat Ritz responded later. "They are overpopulating. . . . They carry diseases."

Ritz and others advocated programs such as "trap, neuter and release." The program works just like it sounds -- stray animals are captured, spayed or neutered, then released back into the wild.

Ritz said such programs are more cost-effective because they eliminate the county's need to house animals awaiting adoption.

But Hohenstern said such solutions could not be allowed in Pinellas County because of the 13-year-old leash law. Under that law, all animals must be restrained when outside the homes of their owners. He also criticized programs like "trap, neuter and release," saying they do not address the problem of stray and feral cats biting humans or passing diseases to them.

"Our bottom line is, we protect people from animals. We serve people," Hohenstern said. "Their motto is they protect animals from people, and you're kind of at loggerheads before you begin."

The leash law was a surprise to some members of the council, including Jack Olsen, who admits that his two cats often sleep in the yard during the day.

"I have to admit I'm having a hard time to keep from laughing about it," Olsen said. "I've owned cats all my life, and the whole idea of walking around with a cat on the leash is as stupid as walking around with a bird on a leash."

Most of Pinellas County's stray animals are cats, and two cats potentially can reproduce into 33,776 in a four-year span, Hohenstern said.

"Cats can't just go unchecked," he said. "There are just too many animals."

Animal Services has not indicated whether Gulfport has more stray cats than other parts of Pinellas County, but the recent neighborhood rift there has brought the matter to the public agenda.

The controversy involves Lon and Glenna Boyette of 5417 18th Ave. S who, along with about a dozen friends, try to feed stray cats and find them homes. They often pay for neutering. Their neighbor Carol O'Connell and her daughter Cherie Smith of 5409 18th Ave. S gave the council a petition signed by several other neighbors. It demanded that the city take a stand against Gulfport's stray cat population.

Then things took an unexpected turn.

Two Gulfport cats were found to have antifreeze in their systems. One cat, Kelly, died; the other, Sara, was in critical condition but is doing better.

Usually cats get antifreeze poisoning by drinking from puddles left behind by leaky radiators. But in this case, the Boyettes' friends suggested that something more sinister happened to Kelly and Sara.

They believe O'Connell and Smith poisoned the strays, though the two women fiercely deny it. Gulfport police say their investigation has been shelved for now but is still considered open.

Council member Lynne Brown suggested that any new approach to animal control would need to be accomplished at a county level. Yakes said he will bring the issue to the Pinellas mayors' council, which meets each month to discuss issues affecting Pinellas cities.

All the council members agreed that the root of animal overpopulation is irresponsible pet owners.

"I have a feeling that if there were organizations that were able to draw together and go talk to the various legislative bodies and ask them for the cities' support, I think that would be very good," Olsen said.

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