City of Champaign’s “Cat Nuisance Problem”

The City of Champaign held a city council meeting on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 to discuss issues surrounding owned and un-owned cats in Champaign. Chief complaints revolved around cats urinating, defecating, and spraying in people’s yards. Prairieland Anti-Cruelty volunteers Erik Scherpf, Mercy Johnson, Kerwin Johnson, Kay Heiser and Susan Norris all attended the meeting to educate city council members and the general public about cat behavior, especially the plights of feral, or unsocialized, cats. No formal vote was taken to decide if the city will have a formal plan to deal with the city cats. Read more via the links below:

• News-Gazette article summarizing the meeting (PDF)
• Prairieland’s handout on possible solutions
• Letter to the Editor published 7/22/03 on the need for spaying/neutering of shelter animals PRIOR to adoption (PDF)
• Response to Letter to the Editor dated 7/27/03 regarding the impact on wildlife

If you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts on the issue, please email: spayillinois@aol.com