LINCOLN (KFSM) – Residents of the townhouse apartments were forced to move out several weeks ago because of unsafe living conditions and some of the residents left behind cats.
Those cats are becoming feral causing issues for people living in surrounding houses.
Debra Lloyd has lived across the street from townhouse apartments for almost five years and wants to help these cats, but since the building is condemned and unsafe the city doesn't want anyone on the property.
“If we don`t deal with these cats now, they are going to run elsewhere and continue to breed. They are going to continue to be sickly, infect other animals perhaps and be even more of a burden on the city,” she said.
The city of Lincoln said they did put out live traps to catch the cats, but someone stole them, so they are having to buy more.
Llyod said these cats roaming free is a concern.
“My cats are all spayed and neutered, but feline distemper, ringworm is a fungus that spreads, feline distemper spreads, there are upper respiratory infections that can spread among the cat colonies,” she said.
Llyod reached out to the Northwest Arkansas Community Cat Project for help.
Founder Marcia Donley took Llyod medicine and food for the cats.
“What we see a lot is they abandon a cat, it`s not been fixed and pretty soon there are five cats and then by the end of the year there are 15 or 20 cats. I mean they can get pregnant at four months. They can have five, six kittens in a litter,” she said.
A demolition date hasn't been set yet because first a company has to come in and survey for asbestos.
The City of Lincoln says once the new live traps are put in place and the cats are caught, they will be taken to the Washington County animal shelter.