Many animal shelters in North Texas are at capability.
In Mesquite, a veteran homeowner says roaming cats have actually taken control of her area. Barbara Ortega has an issue that strikes her as quickly as she marches her door.
“When I walk out of my house it’d smell like a dirty cat box out here, and I mean bad,” Ortega said.
For 2 years she says a cat nest has actually claimed her Mesquite lawn. The cats prowl during the night, leaving a mess and disrupting her sleep triggering her security video cameras.
“I might get two or three hours [of sleep],” Ortega said. “About the time I lay down the cameras are going off.”
At initially, the cats were making it through holes in her fence, so she covered them with chicken wire. They began climbing up over the fence.
Then, she set up motion-activated alarms that would sound to terrify them away. They now walk behind the alarms, she said.
Her latest tool is a water weapon to terrify them away, however they keep returning.
Like lots of cities, Mesquite supports the human practice of ‘Trap-Neuter-Return.’
For a $50 returnable deposit, locals can trap a cat themselves, decontaminate them totally free, then launch them back into the area.
The city says with time the feral cat population reduces and problem habits frequently go away.
Ortega said there are more than likely 7 to 10 cats wandering her property and her next-door neighbors.
At age 77, she doesn’t believe she alone can trap that lots of cats and does not like the concept of any animal being put down.
“I love cats and I love dogs,” Ortega said. “But it’s annoying with all the roaming cats and the lawn smelling like a cat box.”
Residents with concerns in Mesquite can submit reports through the MyMesquite app or utilize their 24/7 call center 972-288-7711.
