A Cause for Paws takes on stray cat issues

By Jo Mahlum

Contributing Writer

KEWAUNEE – Within all of the municipalities in Kewaunee County, one common problem has been brought forth: the increased number of stray animals.

Community members Julie Jacobs, Khia Massey, Mary Shimanek Fields, Paula Werner Buffington and Suzie Leist have all addressed this rising problem.

“As of right now, anyone who finds a stray is calling Door County and Brown County to see if they can bring them in and what they are being told is that because they weren’t found in either Door or Brown County, they are unable to bring them in,” A Cause for Paws member Khia Massey stated.

Kewaunee County currently doesn’t have a contract with the Wisconsin Humane Society which would allow them to bring their stray animals to the humane societies in both counties.

The volunteer group, A Cause for Paws, consisting of 26 members, has been working on this.

The group meets monthly with a proposed agenda to get lunch and discuss the issue.

Julie Jacobs, another current member of the group, added, “One of our members is looking into grants that may be available to Kewaunee County if they can agree to a contract with the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS).

“When we go to them, we want to present them with a solution by providing them grants that they may be able to use if they choose to contract with WHS.”

“The only reason we started this group is to make a change, honestly; this group is so new we are just starting to get our feet wet,” Khia Massey stated.

Unfortunate story reveals truth about laws

Community and A Cause for Paws member, Paula Werner Buffington, talked of tragedies that she has experienced.

“We definitely have an issue with stray cats. This is where the problem starts with, people who do not want their cats anymore, they can open up their doors and let those cats out and nothing is done about it,” Buffington stated.

“My previous neighbors upstairs, last winter, decided they didn’t want their kittens anymore. So, she opened the door and let them out. When I asked her if she wanted help to get her cats back, she said ‘No they would come back.’ I asked the daughter, the woman had a daughter about 16 years old, and she said, ‘No we don’t want those cats back.’

“She was kicking the cats because they would follow her down the driveway. You know it was the snow storm and we could hear the kittens from our apartment, they would cry and cry begging to be let in, and of course, the people never let them in.

“I called the police here in Kewaunee and they told me that they didn’t do anything wrong. They told me that you could do that, you can let your cats just go. He said that if it was a dog it would be a different situation.”

“So what I did was with the help of a different neighbor, we found the two kittens and took them to 4 Legged Friends, we gave them a donation and they ended up getting them fixed and getting them adopted out. These were not outside cats, they were probably 16 weeks old.

“It is beyond cruel. I was absolutely mortified by what the sheriff told me because I called their non-emergency number. And when he told me that what they were doing was ok, I said you have got to be kidding me. So I took matters into my own hands.”

Buffington also mentioned that she currently takes care of seven stray cats and kittens inside of her home.

Her plan is to take two of them to 4 Legged Friends, the Veterinary Clinic in Luxemburg, and get them put up for adoption.

“What I would like to do with the cats I have here is take them to farmers over in Green Bay because they will take in stray fixed cats as working cats on their farms, but you can’t legally take a cat to another county if you don’t find them there,” she said.

“So, it is like this is one of the reasons we need a humane society. When people decide they no longer want their cats they need to have a place they can take them instead of putting them down or just opening their doors and setting them loose. The cats need a place where they can be cared for.”

The work that A Cause for Paws has been doing in trying to get a grant with the WHS would help with unfortunate situations, such as the one Paula Werner Buffington described.

“That is why we are trying to do something about this. But the laws need to change too. The laws need to say that a cat is just as important as a dog. And if you are going to abandon your.cat then you are going to get in trouble. Because these are pets,” she said.

Next week: A look at humane societies operations