Colo. Springs neighbors say a herd of cats has turned their yards into litter boxes and no one will help

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Stephen English and Susan Brodeur say cleaning up the cat feces and urine from their yard has become a weekly chore for the past 4 years.

"They are using everybody's yard around us, and her [yard] for a litter box, and it doesn't stop," Brodeur said. The couple tells KRDO13 that every 7-10 days, they're able to pick up nearly 5lbs of cat droppings in their yard.

However, picking it up is only part of the problem.

"My home is my sanctuary, and I can't sit in my living room and enjoy my air conditioning when it's 90 degrees outside. I can't turn it on because it just sucks the smell right into the house, and it causes breathing problems," English said.

They're not the only ones dealing with this problem.

Other neighbors on Mead Avenue have had their gardens and side yards overtaken with cat feces and urine.

"It's very disheartening when you're told that these cats have more right than you do as a homeowner, on your own land," Brodeur said. "I didn't volunteer to have these cats."

"I've even contacted the mayor's office and haven't gotten a response back. Contact code enforcement, have contacted Pikes Peak Humane Society," English said.

Who exactly owns these cats?

Several neighbors all pointed to one house as the main residence for these cats, where they spend most of their time and get fed.

However, the Pikes Peak Humane Society (HSPPR) tells KRDO13 the cats have no owner.

"We are aware of concerns from a resident in that neighborhood regarding community cats. The cats in this area are not owned pets, but part of a managed community cat colony. Over the past two years, Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region has humanely trapped, spayed/neutered, and vaccinated approximately 20 cats in this area through our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program."

Despite reports that one home primarily feeds and shelters the cats, HSPPR has referred to them as 'community cats,' meaning, "A free-roaming outdoor cat that lives in a specific area or neighborhood, often as part of a colony. These cats may be feral, meaning unsocialized to people, or they may be friendly strays. What they have in common is that they are not considered owned pets and typically live outdoors, where they are supported by community members," explained a spokesperson for HSPPR in an email to KRDO13.

KRDO13 knocked on all the doors on that part of Mead Avenue where the cats congregate the most and heard mostly negative or indifferent opinions about the felines.

HSPPR said that they have tried to work with some neighbors on the street.

"HSPPR initially provided humane deterrent tools, including items such as synthetic urine and a sprinkler system, at no cost to the reporting resident. These items were returned shortly after being provided and were not opened. While these types of deterrents can be effective, they do typically come at a cost if individuals choose to purchase or implement them independently. HSPPR made an effort to remove that barrier by offering them free of charge in this case."

However, English and Brodeur said they were offered synthetic urine once and told that they would have to pay for it in the future. A solution, the couple said, they can't afford because they're living on a fixed income.

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