Lenexa cuts back on stray cat pickup

Cats on the loose may annoy bird lovers, but they are getting harder to confine because of their sheer numbers and space limitations at one of the county’s main animal shelters.

Lenexa recently joined the list of cities that won’t pick up what shelter officials call “community cats,” that are on the prowl but aren’t sick and haven’t bitten.

The city recently told its residents that its animal control officers will no longer respond to most calls about cats unless the cat appears injured or sick or otherwise poses a danger.

The decision was mostly due to changes at the Great Plains SPCA in Merriam, said Dan Friesen, public information officer with the Lenexa Police Department.

Animal control will still pick up cats that appear to be sick or dangerous, he said. But no longer can they take the ones that hang out in alleyways and around bird feeders, although an officer may try to help identify the cat’s owner.

“Animal control officers will be as helpful as they possibly can to figure out a solution,” Friesen said.

Lenexa was one of several cities notified of a similar policy at Great Plains. That policy coincided with the closing of the Great Plains intake building at the former Animal Haven, 9800 W. 67th St. Officials said they closed the facility because the aging building had deteriorated to the point that it would probably not pass an inspection.

Great Plains has contracts for animal control with seven cities in Johnson County and four in Missouri. Great Plains officials recently told those cities that because of the space limitations it would no longer take “community cats,” said Courtney Thomas, chief executive officer of Great Plains.

Excess cats have been a problem at the shelter from the moment it opened its doors, and Thomas said the shelter is focusing on sterilization rather than impoundment. The shelter is also raising money for a new facility.

About half of the animals brought in by Lenexa were cats, Thomas said.

Many cities in the area have long ago quit picking up nuisance cats, but Lenexa held on as a service to residents, Friesen said.

“We resisted because we wanted to give citizens the best customer service we could,” he said.

Overland Park and Shawnee have refrained from picking up the so-called community cats for years. In Overland Park, residents can ask for help if they know a stray cat has caused property damage, but officers will ask to see proof of the damage, said animal control officer Mike Hyde. That results in a ticket to the cat’s owner.

The city hasn’t picked up roaming yet peaceful cats in more than a decade, he said.

Shawnee has not picked up community cats for at least as long, officials there said.

The top recommendation to keep strays away is to not feed them, say animal control officers in Lenexa and Overland Park.

In the 1990s, when Overland Park officers used to trap stray cats, officers once trapped 100 in one week, Hyde said. That was because someone at the apartment complex was leaving a turkey roasting pan full of food for them, he said.

The Lenexa website — lenexa.com/police/animal_strayanimals.html — lists other resources for people dealing with stray cats, along with suggestions for keeping them away. Suggestions include removing shelter in the yard, making the ground uncomfortable with eggshells and chicken wire and using night lighting or garden sprayers.

Residents also can contact rescue groups that trap and neuter the cats.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Lenexa cuts back on stray cat pickup."