Mary Johnson Photo
Eunice Lasala says no one is going to stop her from feeding feral cats. “They can arrest me!” said the co-founder of the Branford Compassion Club.
LaSala, who along with groups of volunteers has been feeding feral cats at various trailer parks around Branford for years, said she made the statement at a meeting Monday between representatives from the East Shore District Health Department; BCC members; Laura Burban, director of the Cosgrove Animal Shelter; and representatives from Renaissance Collaborative, the property management at the trailer park. Click here to read one of our earlier stories on the feral cat community in Branford.
The management of the Shoreline Trailer Park, located at 525 East Main St., has given the feral cats there a 30-day deadline to be relocated or face the threat of trapping and euthanasia. Barns or similar accommodations are being sought to relocate the 16 or so cats on the premises.
The park has been under investigation by the Department of Consumer Protection, which is in charge of enforcing regulations within trailer parks.
The mandate from the East Shore District Health Department was issued on Monday, and now the search is underway to find more suitable locations for the cats.
Lasala, a driving force in Branford community life, said in an interview most of the residents enjoy the cats and it’s only two or three who don’t want them. The people from BCC who have been caring for the cats have a strict policy of feeding them only during the day; they make sure all food is taken up before dark to avoid attracting critters. However, she added that some of the residents do throw out chicken bones and the like, and that creates a problem.
The park has been under investigation by the state’s Department of Consumer Protection, which is in charge of enforcing regulations within trailer parks. Those involved are seeking to find a way to a less drastic result.
The colony, fed and cared for by members of the Branford Compassion Club for the last 15 years, has been under fire by a couple of residents who blame them for damaging their homes and creating a foul odor in the area.
Mary Johnson Photo
At times, it’s difficult to tell the owned cats from the feral cats.
Lasala said she’s not sure who has been calling persistently about the cats and now the pressure is on from the state.
Mary Johnson Photo
She said two of the friendlier cats have been taken out and about 16 now need to be relocated. She has sent out notices to animal welfare and cat rescue groups around the state looking for their help.
She said the cats will be fully vetted and spayed or neutered (most of them already are) and people accepting the cats will receive a supply of food and a crate to help acclimate them. A cat shelter from a local colony is also available and can be moved to an appropriate location.
In addition to barns, other creative outlets are being sought, including people who are knowledgeable about the temperament of feral cats.
Laura Burban said that individuals are also welcome to take a feral into their home with the understanding that it’s “not your basic cuddly kitty cat.”
Mary Johnson Photo
There are at least four white cats in the colony, longtime residents, who look like they belong curled up in front of a fireplace on a cushion rather than receiving minimal care in an inhospitable environmental. Here is a photo of a make-shift shelter.
Lasala said skunks are to blame for the bulk of the destruction. BCC has paid a trapper to remove one family and another family needs to be removed.
In addition, the abandoned trailers – a half a dozen or so – also attract raccoons, squirrels, and rodents.
Sally E. Bahner Photo
Lasala said the process of removing the old trailers is complicated and requires permitting; a citation was issued by the East Shore District Health Department. A drive through the trailer park showed more than a few old trailers with “demo” spray-painted on them and windows boarded up.
Michael Pascucilla, health department director, said last week that “a lot will come out… there will be a full understanding.” He said the state is involved in working with the management company. “We all have to be on the same sheet of music.” But he gave no details.
Meetings between Renaissance Collaborative, the property management company; state animal control, Cosgrove Animal Shelter, and the Branford Compassion Club several months ago attempted to create an agreement regarding the care of the cats, but efforts failed.
“BCC has done a good job,” said Burban. “They’re climbing the mountain only to find more hills.”
Myriam Clarkson, the manager of Shoreline Trailer Park, was reportedly unresponsive to previous attempts to work on a solution for the problem. However, Burban said Tuesday that she has agreed to take a more proactive role and work with residents who own cats within the park, asking them to keep their cats indoors until the March 10 cut-off date and to provide them with collars. Funds may also be available to help residents with caring for them.
Burban said they’re also looking to work with the managers of trailer parks in general. “Pets should be allowed,” she said. “They’re very therapeutic but they should be registered within the complex, vaccinated and spayed or neutered so owners can be tracked down if they move. It has been done and enforced in one complex, even including a photo of pet.”
Burban added that work is also being done to help residents secure existing trailers from critters.
She said they’re focusing on “a positive solution to getting the [feral] cats safe.” She believes that the health district wants to see improvement in the situation, rather than arbitrarily trapping and euthanizing, and that it has been under a lot of pressure to take action.
Burban said that living in a shelter is a “set-up for failure for un-socialized cats – there’s no way to comfort them.” She added, “Animals shouldn’t have been put in that position in the first place. They become scapegoats. They didn’t ask to be left behind.”
It bears repeating that feral cats are former domestic cats that have been abandoned by humans and left to fend for themselves.
Lasala said Wednesday that she’s had some good offers from people with barns. “People respond when there’s a plea for the animals. It’s really wonderful.
Help is still needed. Anyone who can help place the cats can call Eunice Lasala at 203 – 488-6063 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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