[Vision2020] [Belated] Caturday (April 28, 2012)

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of the News-Press (Fort Myers, Florida) at:

http://www.news-press.com/article/20120426/NEWS0113/304260019/1075/Pine-Island-residents-fight-tooth-claw-cats?odyssey=nav%7Chead

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Pine Island residents fight tooth-and-claw for cats
Talk of eviction stirs residents to take action to keep colony in place near Winn-Dixie.
The Winn-Dixie cats have never known another home.

They’re local. Seeing cats while you shop has become part of the Pine Island experience, as are the colorful houses of Matlacha, the flowers and tropical fruit in Bokeelia and the anglers on boats that surround the island.

But, one anonymous part-time resident’s call to corporate offices almost evicted the cat colony.

And the community was irate.

There were talks of a boycott of the store. A storm of letters, a flood of phone calls and daily walk-in traffic came into the property off Stringfellow Road, all in support of keeping the community pets.

“Walmart has its greeters, we have our cats,” said longtime resident Edith Schulte, who has taken care of about 200 cats through trap, neuter and release programs, making sure outdoor cats are fixed. “Most of these strays aren’t feral. They’re domestics that suffer a great deal. People think they can take care of themselves but they’re terribly misunderstood.”

Next to the Redbox DVD rental machine and recycling bins sit two purple beds. Above the humble abode, adorning the cracked wall, is a picture with the words, “Cats Rule” signed “the cats” with two paw print signatures.

The painting randomly appeared outside the island’s only grocery store Wednesday, a sign of solidarity with the strays.

The epidemic is well-known. There’s an estimated 98,000 feral cats across Lee County, according to Lee County Domestic Animal Services.

“We want to get more community participation to do the trappings,” said Ria Brown, spokeswoman for Animal Services. The goal is to stop them from producing litters.

Instead, the plaza has turned into a cat dumpsite for ferals and unwanted pets, injured and healthy, claws and declawed. A local shelter, Helping Paws Animals Sanctuary in St. James City, is at capacity with more than 100 cats. Many businesses on the island have canisters with donations for food and spaying and neutering the cat colonies that Schulte picks up on a weekly basis. With the recent hubbub, she picked up $150 one week. She said it seems even those who dislike cats think they should be left alone.

“In my 13 years, I’ve never seen anything stir up the island like this,” said Dick Maher, a clerk at Dr. Watson’s Liquor Store. “I think most people around here have a basic love of animals.”

Three strays known as Papa cat, Smokey and Kat set up camp in front of the store. They sit lazily in lawn chairs and on bags of mulch, eating food provided in little red bowls and watching customers wander by. Another kitty called Mama Cat has a tent near Dr. Watson’s on the other side of the plaza.

Some considered taking a poll in the community, knowing very few people wanted the cats removed. In fact, many said they enjoy seeing them. They noticed when a good amount of cats that used to live behind the property have gone missing. Schulte suspects predators such as a bobcat or coyote have been hunting them.

“I think all felt they had a right to be here,” said Beth Durling, owner of Dr. Watson’s, which has been based on the island for 27 years. “We’re very protective of our own and our patrons love our kitties. I would have fought to keep our cat. Mama kitty isn’t hurting anyone.”

A letter to the editor sent last week to the community paper, The Pine Island Eagle, told the cat colony supporters that they’d won.

“The Winn-Dixie team is committed to preserving the distinct characteristics and local flavor that make the Pine Island community so special,” said Dan Loughren, Pine Island store director. “Rest assured your neighborhood grocery store will remain a safe haven for the ‘Winn-Dixie’ cats.”

“Nobody wants them, but someone has to take care of them,” Schulte said.

It’s about one island motto, Schulte said: Live and let live.

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Edith Schulte of Pine Island greets Papa Cat and Smokey on Wednesday outside Winn-Dixie on Pine Island. Someone complained to corporate about the catsand the store was going to relocate them; a storm of letters on their behalffrom island residents kept the cats exactly where they are greeting shoppers.



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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"If not us, who?
If not now, when?"

- Unknown


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