Cats. People either love them or have a very fond dislike of them, but for several residents of a section in West Haven’s Allingtown cats are something that have interrupted their lives and even has impacted their finances.
“I don’t want to smell cat pee and poop in my yard,” said one frustrated Westie.
Across neighborhoods in Allingtown, residents are increasingly reporting sightings of stray cats wandering through their properties and along the streets.
There have been an estimated 65-75 cats that are believed to come from a house in the Rangely Street area of Allingtown, located in the Sixth District of the city. All of the estimated number of cats seem to be without true ownership and victims of breeding.
Several residents of Rangely Street and the neighboring streets have reached out to the Voice in hopes of this issue gaining more light. All who have reached out wish to remain anonymous in fear of potential harassment for coming forward.
The area, which appears to have affected roughly a one-mile radius stretching from Fairfax Street to parts of David Street, has seen cats overcome West Haven residents on both a daily and nightly basis. The growing visibility of cats in the affected areas has raised concerns of public safety, animal welfare, and their own human welfare as well.
When asking the residents for any evidence of cats on their property, they produced a number of photos and videos of all various cats. “The stench of cat urine smells foul and is so potent it leaves a bad taste in my mouth,” said a resident.
According to the West Haven Animal Shelter and West Haven Animal Control, there are an estimated 65-75 loose cats in this area. West Haven Animal control is currently in the process of catching the cats, which will then be neutered and spayed, and later be released back into the neighborhoods of which they were captured. This is an lower and ultimately prevent the overpopulation of cats for 2027.
Overall, the system that is being used by West Haven Animal Control is commonly known as TNR, or Trap-Neuter-Return. Under this widely accepted and used method, feral cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to the area that they were originally found. The process prevents future breeding and is widely accepted as a more humane and effective long-term solution, which would have the established colony decline over an unknown period of time
When reaching out to the West Haven Animal Shelter and Animal Control for comment, the Voice did not receive an answer back.
Meanwhile, residents have raised many of their own questions as the issue which started several months ago in April continues on. One resident asked who is paying for the neutering?
“We as taxpayers should not be responsible.”
While another resident stated, “Neutering doesn’t stop them from roaming around loose and getting into our yards.
According to several residents, the cats have ruined their yards due to urinating and eating their plants. Several cats have also reportedly been found deceased either in the yards or on the street as a fatality from a car.
One resident said the cats have ruined a memorial fig tree for her late husband in her yard by getting under the protective tarp to live and eat. This resident produced a list of everything she has purchased to try to deter the cats, with the amount spent adding up to nearly $200.
Although cats are generally not considered dangerous to people when loose or feral, residents fear exposure to numerous risks such as diseases and other predators. One Allingtown resident is worried about their dogs as the cats likely are not and never have been vaccinated, increasing the potential risk of rabies if the dog was attacked and bitten by one of the cats.
While residents deal with the cats in their neighborhood, the West Haven Animal Shelter is working on a solution to help decrease the number of loose cats in the city.
With help from Milestone Construction, the shelter will be getting an entire new section to the already existing building. The section will house a cat playroom and greeting room, along with a dog greeting room. The section will have a projected width of 18’-8” with a depth of just overall 19-feet, giving roughly a 360 square feet addition to the already existing shelter.
The construction officially began on Thursday, July 16 and is being funded by ARPA, according to the city’s website. Once finished, the shelter will have a wider indoor area specifically designated for cats.
However, for many residents, the shelter expansion does little to address the immediate concerns they face each day.
As Animal Control continues trapping and sterilizing cats throughout the area, residents say they remain hopeful that the number of loose cats will gradually decline over time. Until then, with no clear new solution, the residents of the Allingtown section will have to continue living with a problem they believe has gone on for far too long.
My brother lives in lower Allingtown on Gibert Street & he says the strays are making there way there.