EL woman’s effort combats area’s stray cat problem
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EAST LIVERPOOL -- When someone refers to her as East Liverpool's cat lady, Jo White wears that badge proudly.
After all, she is not one who fits the stereotype often envisioned.
Thanks to White, who lives on the city's east end along the Ohio riverfront with her five cats, more than 2,400 unwanted cats and kittens have been either rehomed or released back into their own neighborhood after being altered.
The moniker is more about what she manages to do for area strays without any monetary contributions right now from the city.
White, who has enlisted her friends and family in the crusade, has demonstrated success in the city's east end and downtown; however, as she attempts to branch out to problem population in other areas within Liverpool and St. Clair township, the financial need is even greater.
Her efforts literally began in her own backyard, where a good intentioned man on Mulberry Street regular fed a cat colony nearby. He would never fix them and they kept procreating, so White began fixing them one at a time.
Many people decide they need a kitten, but they tend to lose interest once the kitten begins maturing into a cat. Male urine often becomes more odorous as the cat becomes more hormonal and some mark their territory, while females begin to go into heat, contributing to many cat owners losing interest as spaying and neutering time approaches.
Thus, they tend to kick the cats outside to fend for themselves and overpopulate the neighborhood instead of altering them.
Not many people realize there are significant health benefits to spaying and neutering your pet. In addition to prevent unwanted breeding, spaying a female before her first heat helps to prevent uterine infections and breast tumors, which are cancerous in 90 percent of all cats. Neutering your male companion prevents testicuar cancer and prostate problems, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
For White, she points out that in her Ohio Avenue neighborhood, she began with her first 29 cats that were trapped and altered. Most recently, she only grabbed two needing done, which demonstrates the success of her program. "Our goal is not only trap them but to get them healthy," White explains. "We have lots of babies, and we never leave them behind," she adds.
Capturing kittens in the city's east end has become more manageable with four litters instead of the 40 litters, which had been the norm, White pointed out.
Although the pandemic has put a damper on White's fundraising efforts for her program, which has included events, the financial need and the rescue efforts still progress.
Although her efforts are almost wholly funded by donations, White and friends did approach city council years ago and they allow her use of the city's Tax ID number, which allows them to apply for grants through city Auditor Marilyn Bosco. However, those are few and far between. It is her sales of candles, pepperoni rolls and basket drawings that do help infuse the programs with necessary funds that are used not only for vet care but also to provide followup care. "We are reliant on those donations," she explained.
The cats that can be domesticated and placed in homes are done through shelters in Beaver, Allegheny counties in Pennsylvania and Hancock County in West Virginia; however, there are some cats who remain too feral for rehoming. Those are returned to their original colony after altering. In those cases, White's program secures an area neighbor who takes responsibility as a liaison for that colony, feeding them. White-provided food and overseeing their care locally.
"I don't care about the color or gender (of the cats)," White continues. "They all need me in one way or another."
Many of her red colored cats are GBs, as White calls them in honor of East Liverpool Mayor Greg Bricker, who himself is a redhead.
She keeps intricate records of her efforts, including where each colony was trapped, how many and when. She points out that her team captured 87 cats one night last January.
Now LaCroft is in the program, and most recently she also snagged some feral cats up in the Echo Dell Trailer Park, where they appear to be roaming rampant. "Cats don't know city limits, and we also have done cat colonies in Wellsville and Chester, W.Va," White said. "People keep getting cats and not fixing them, and we have minimal laws on the books that aren't being enforced. Within the city, I can point to 20 houses with 20 to 30 cats in them."
The police do what they can, calling her when there are problem situations.
Under city codified ordinance 505.06, no person is permitted to have more than five dogs or cats with the exception of a litter of puppies or kittens not exceeding eight months of age, which is when they are considered to have reach adulthood. Special permits have to be secured from the city's Planning Department and Health Department if one wants to have more than five, and an inspection is done.
Altering (spaying of females or neutering of males) can be done as young as eight weeks of age as long as the kitten is of good weight and good health; however, some may choose to have the procedure done as late as five months of age.
To help with White's efforts, either send your checks (memo line: EL spay-neuter) to Marilyn Bosco, 126 W. 6th St., East Liverpool, OH 43920 or if you wish to use a credit card, one can donate through effort's GoFundMe page, www.gofundme.com/f/east-liverpool-cat-spay-neuter