Parks and Recreation: Please Don’t Feed the Animals

If you happen to be in the right spot at Water Works Park, you might see them: Cats have taken up residence at the park and apparently they’ve been there for some time.

“As far back as we go, there have been cats at one or another level there,” said Parks and Recreation Superintendent Bill Lohan. “In the 20-plus years that I’m aware of, there has never been one incident that these cats have at all bothered anyone. If anything, when people are around they tend to scatter.”

They’re in a small wooded area not far from the park entrance, and there’s ample evidence that the cats are being fed. There are makeshift homes filled with straw for the cats, and plates are scattered around the area, some with uneaten food that looks spoiled.

“At Park and Rec we’re not into animal control,” Lohan said. “It’s really a health department issue.”  

People who feed feral cats think they’re being helpful, but animal welfare experts say they’re often not, especially if the cats are breeding. The Humane Society of the United States recommends employing a trap-neuter-return program for feral cats, but those cost money. Tame cats that have strayed can return to their human families if they can be found. Feral cats usually cannot be placed in homes, according to the Human Society. They're usually too wild for domestic households.

But far bigger problem as far as Parks and Recreation is concerned are the geese and ducks that people feed near the Cuyahoga River. Goose droppings are a sanitary problem, and breeding geese get aggressive with passers-by. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources urges people to stop feeding geese.  

“All the signs in the world don’t stop people from feeding the ducks and the geese, and increase the geese population,” Lohan said “In my opinion (it’s) a far, far bigger issue than these few cats.

“You put up signs, you try to educate people; everyone we talk to says this is not a good thing to do, and it increases the population,” Lohan said. “We can’t put a policeman there 10-12 hours a day.

“People think it’s cute to bring their little bag of bread and throw it into the water; I understand that, I really do. But they don’t understand the total consequence of that.

“If you want to help us, help us do away with the geese population. We try to educate people on the harm that this brings throughout the park. That’s where we could use some help, from a health hazard.”