Democrat Bob Daiber, challenging Republican incumbent Kurt Prenzler for county board chairmanship, says that feral "working" cats released within the Metro East Sanitary District (MESD) to keep away moles, voles and other burrowing animals under Prenzler's administration "were left to be hunted by coyotes, resulting in their violent deaths."
Daiber said the program should be completely reviewed by the county Public Safety Committee following complaints involving mistreatment and death of semi-feral cats.
A feral cat is an un-owned domestic cat that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans.
Prenzler responded to Daiber saying that the working cats program, which was terminated earlier this year under a leadership change at MESD, is one that is in operation across the country and had been approved by the local Humane Society, something that Daiber disputes. Prenzler said the program also saved the lives of cats deemed unsuitable as pets.
"To euthanize or not to euthanize?" Prenzler said. "That is the question that needs to be asked when it comes to feral cats in Madison County."
Daiber issued a press release on Thursday saying Prenzler promoted the working cats program as a way to save the lives of stray cats.
"But it appears that this program was used to make it look like fewer cats were being were being euthanized by Madison County Animal Control as a way for Kurt Prenzler to live up to his promise to create a ‘no kill’ shelter,” Daiber stated.
“The information received by my campaign suggests that these innocent animals were dumped in the levy district without proper shelter and left to be hunted by packs of coyotes. By the time this program was terminated by MESD earlier this year, not a single cat that had been released within MESD could be found.”
According to Daiber, on Sept. 18, the Wood River Drainage and Levee District, however, approved a resolution to be part of this program and to enter into an agreement with the Metro East Humane Society.
Daiber also quoted a posting by the Humane Society stating that “We would NEVER agree to any program that only provides food, water and shelter for a few weeks. The success of a working colony is dependent on the caretakers' consistent monitoring and care. Cats must be provided daily food, water and shelter to ensure a safe and healthy environment.”
Daiber called Prenzler's program "a political stunt" that resulted in the "mistreatment and death of hundreds of cats."
“As County Board Chairman, I will provide real protection for the people and pets of Madison County,” said Daiber.
As a practical matter, Prenzler said the program helped control the infestation of moles, voles and other burrowing animals along the levee system. He said it saved the district the cost of hunting, and was more environmentally friendly than using poison.
Prenzler said the program was started more than a year ago when MEHS collaborated with Madison County Animal Care and Control to help reduce the number of feral cats euthanized in the county. Prior to adoption, cats are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped and ear-tipped.
“The program has helped us achieve our goal of making the county ‘no-kill,’” Prenzler said.
The program started by adopting cats out to barns and rural settings with the new owners benefitting from the felines hunting mice and other nuisance critters. In June 2019, the program expanded to the levee at Metro East Sanitary District.
Prenzler said the claims that these “semi-feral” cats at MESD were not cared for is incorrect.
“First of all, the cats were deemed feral by the Humane Society,” he said. “Second, the cats were provided food, shelter and water on a daily basis by a caretaker."
He said the program was up and running for six months before it ended at the end of 2019, and added that the MESD set up trailer cameras to monitor the daily activity of the animals, which all were accounted for until a leadership change in January.
“Last year, Gov. Pritzker signed a law passed by the Democrat-dominated General Assembly that took away one MESD board appointment from Madison County, and gave it to the City of Granite City,” Prenzler said. When the Democrats took over control of MESD at the beginning of this year, they just abandoned the Working Cat Program that was already a success.”
Prenzler said that prior to his election in 2016, two-thirds of the cats and one-third of the dogs were euthanized.
“My opponent was on the county board when thousands of dogs and cats were needlessly euthanized,” he said. “He offers no other solution for feral cats other than euthanasia. This program is an innovative plan to give feral cats, unsuitable for adoption, a second chance.”