STRASBURG, Ohio — People who live in a Tuscarawas County village feel like their neighborhoods are overrun by feral cats.
The Village of Strasburg Council proposed an ordinance to tackle the issue that would criminalize the feeding and sheltering of feral cats and other animals.
But that ordinance left a lot of folks concerned about the welfare of those animals.
At a packed meeting Tuesday night, the ordinance had its second reading. Community members voiced concerns, and the council voted unanimously to table the ordinance and go back to the drawing board to find a better solution.
Sarah Keplinger and Marilyn Graef run the Tuscarawas County trap, neuter, and return program called Tusc TNR. In addition to jobs, the women are busy running the 501c3 that safely reduces the cat population.
"We were delivering shelters yesterday, so it seems like every time we say we're going to rest for a little while, something comes up," said Graef.
Riggi Rescue, another 501c3 non-profit at the meeting, offered its trap, neuter, and return support, too, "if you keep the cats and sterilize them the population will decrease naturally," said Crystal Riggi, owner of Riggi Rescue.
The majority of people at Tuesday's meeting want to work together with organizations like Tusc TNR and Riggi Rescue to trap, neuter, and return the cats. Rescuers said this process does take time. Sometimes, the impact isn't seen for a few years.
But some still think the cat population is so high that more immediate measures should be taken.
"There's your cat lovers and then there's the ones that aren't. I'm here to see what's best for everybody in the community," said Mayor Bruce Metzger.
In nearby Dover, Mayor Shane Gunnoe said Tusc TNR has made a big impact in his city. Gunnoe sent News 5 this statement about the success of the program:
"Since the Tusc TNR program was instituted in the City of Dover 5 years ago, the city has seen a significant reduction in complaints from residents regarding feral cats. As of October of 2023, the group had trapped, neutered and released 862 cats and adopted out another 228 kittens. In particular, we previously had an area of town behind several restaurants and other businesses, which we received a number of complaints about. The TNR program came in and has significantly reduced the number of feral cats in that area. The TNR group works closely with the city administration to target areas of town as needed and reduce the feral cat population. The City of Dover has a great working relationship with the Tusc TNR program.
We believe our legislation authorizing the TNR program, and the relationship we’ve established with the Tusc TNR group, has also served as an example for other area communities in setting up their own programs."
"We'll have a work session next Wednesday, and we'll talk about it there and maybe come up with some solutions hopefully, maybe not by the next meeting, which would be January 24th, but maybe first part of February we'll have a solution to come up with," said Mayor Metzger.
"I was really glad to see that so many residents came. It's their community, and they get to choose," said Graef.
