Those of us who live in Lake County, Illinois, assume that our county government is doing its best for us. That would include how our county treats our animals, our beloved cats and dogs. I’ve recently discovered that Lake County Animal Control is seriously lacking in not only how it follows Illinois law regarding feral cats, but also fails miserably at posting stray dogs and cats so that owners can find their lost pets.

TNR- Trap Neuter Return (see update in blue below)

Why does Lake County, IL animal control not seem to understand what TNR (Trap Neuter Return) means? And that it is enshrined in Illinois law? Does a recent directive by Lake County Animal Control lead to the conclusion that they believe all feral cats should starve? Or die?

Those who run Lake County Animal Control and the Director of the Lake County Board of Health, which directs Lake County Animal Control, seem unaware of the concept of TNR (Trap Neuter Return) and also unaware of the Illinois law that permits TNR of feral cats and allows for people to become caretakers of cats that have been through the TNR process, which are called community cats. Those community caretakers are, by Illinois law, not considered owners of the feral cats.

I will first explain what TNR is, with links for more information, and then provide specifics about Lake County Animal Control (LCAC) ordering a colony caretaker to stop feeding the feral cats in her colony, in spite of Illinois law. I will also share a wonderful children’s picture book that explains the process, which perhaps those at LCAC should read. It might help them not only understand the TNR process, but provide the correct spelling of the word feral, which apparently they also don’t know. Please read the whole post, because I include a call to action for those who live in Lake County to attend the meeting where this will be discussed.

Cat lovers adore their pets. Dog lovers, like myself, also adore their cats. But not all cats are fortunate enough to be born in captivity. Some kittens, born to stray cats or unsocialized mama cats, grow up frightened of people and unable to be tamed enough to live indoors. Those cats are referred to as “feral” cats. It’s a fact that feral cats live stressful lives, filled with danger from weather, traffic, coyotes, raptors, and evil people who shoot them or poison them.

For decades, there have been programs to sterilize feral cats and return them to their outdoor homes in the care of people who agree to feed them and provide them with shelter. Those generous, caring people are referred to as “caretakers.” They are in no way the “owners” of the cats, which are feral and not “owned” by anyone. But by sterilizing these cats and providing a place for them to live in relative safety, the number of feral cats becomes manageable, and through attrition, the number of outdoor cats eventually decreases.

While truly feral cats live on average only two years, sterilized and vaccinated feral cats living in a community colony can live longer. (National Feline Research Council) Of course, indoor cats live the longest. But for those cats who are truly feral, that isn’t possible. So the most humane outcome for feral cats is to live in a community colony where they are fed and where shelter is provided. And states are increasingly coming to recognize this and pass laws protecting those who provide shelter and feed those community cats. Illinois passed (510 ILCS 5/) Animal Control Act, in which Section 2.16 specifically states: ‘”Owner” does not include a feral cat caretaker participating in a trap, spay/neuter, vaccinate for rabies, and return program.’

Spay and Stay, a local Lake County not-for-profit that facilitates the sterilization of feral cats, encourages and supports community colony caretakers, and helps those Lake County residents who want to help the cats they see in their neighborhood. In fact, in 2017, I wrote about two wonderful women who worked tirelessly with Spay and Stay to TNR over 200 cats in Beach Park, IL. The adult cats were sterilized, vaccinated and released back to where they were trapped. The kittens were trapped and adopted out. (In fact, my daughter adopted one of them!) Read about it here. Make no mistake, without their actions to help these cats, 200 cats would have multiplied to thousands in just a few years. TNR works.

The process of TNR is even mentioned in children’s picture books. A recent release, “Ethan and the Strays,” by John Sullivan and Hatem Aly, shares a story about two young boys who find a family of stray cats in an alley. They learn about TNR at the library, and in the story a veterinarian explains about TNR to them. He tells them “You trap, I neuter, and you return.” Readers see how the boys trap the cats, cover the cages after the cats are inside so they don’t get more frightened, and take them to the vet. They get outdoor shelters to keep the cats warm in the winter. And they let them go, although one kitten wants to go with them and live inside. There is a page with information about TNR at the back. After reading this picture book, children might just know more about the TNR process than those who work at Lake County Animal Control. That’s unfortunate.

Now let’s get to the purpose of this post and the call to action. In January, a local registered colony caregiver was issued a citation by Lake County Animal Control for one of their feral cats “Running at Large.” In spite of the fact that they produced their TNR receipt, they were ignored, and the case went to hearing on February 12, 2024. Note that the cat in question is 100% feral and not a candidate to be brought indoors. Although they also produced a copy of the “Animal Care Act,” the hearing officer issued a “Do Not Feed” order to the caregivers. Both the Lake County Animal Control director and Lake County attorney were at the first hearing. Not only is it inhumane to stop the caretaker from feeding the feral cats (who have been through the TNR process), who rely on that food, it goes against every TNR agreement with registered caregivers.

Information about the next hearing on this issue (note the correct spelling for such cats is “feral,” not “ferrell”):

The update hearing is April 8th, and note the address is on Winchester Road in Libertyville. Please attend if you are local to make your voice heard on behalf of all feral cats in Lake County. Lake County government officials need to hear from its residents that this kind of harassment is not okay. Also, please contact Mark Pfister, the Executive Director of the Lake County Board of Health, the person to whom the director of Lake Animal Control reports. Let him know the benefits of TNR, and that it’s the humane response in dealing with feral cats. He might need a reminder about Illinois law as well. His information is:

Phone: 847-377-8028
Email: mpfister@lakecountyil.gov
Mailing address: 18 N County Street, 10th Floor, Waukegan, IL 60085.

Talk to local rescuer Sue Davis, who spends countless hours every week trapping cats and lost dogs. She is tireless in her efforts to help lost dogs get home again, and to trap feral cats to get them TNR’d and returned safely to their home colonies. I know Sue’s amazing abilities firsthand. She helped me trap a mama cat and her five young kittens a year ago. A family who had adopted my foster dog contacted me about the mother cat and her kittens who were in their backyard. I had no idea how to trap a mama and five kittens. Sue agreed to help, and her knowledge and experience made the process seem easy.

The mama was spayed and vaccinated, and the kittens were young enough to be socialized and adopted out, and Placing Paws of Libertyville paid for their vaccinations, deworming and eventual sterilization, as well as providing the mama’s medical care. All kittens were adopted to wonderful families, and the mama cat was lucky enough to be taken in at Fat Cat Sanctuary, a Lake County cat rescue with over 300 cats. I named the mama Jade, and her photo and three of her kittens are pictured at the top of this post. Without TNR laws protecting feral cat colonies, all those cats that Sue helps would starve to death, be killed by traffic when searching for food, or be taken to animal control and killed.

I visited the home where the small feral cat colony at issue resides. The colony consists of four well fed, beautiful cats in a setting where they have ample protection from inclement weather and have heated outdoor houses, where they seem extremely happy. How is it humane to demand that the caretaker stop feeding those cats who rely on that food for survival? Does the director of Animal Control think these healthy, happy cats should be confiscated and killed? Starved to death?

Is this the kind of mindset we want in the person who is in charge of Lake County animals? And why are the members of the Lake County board allowing this to happen? They set policy and can ensure that laws regarding feral cats and community cats are being followed. Why are our elected officials not insisting that Illinois laws regarding TNR be followed? Feral cats should be treated with dignity, humanity, and compassion, not rigid, uncaring directives and punishment.

If Lake County is set on ignoring state laws and prefers to return to the days when feral cats were all killed at animal control, these are sad days indeed. In Chicago there are over 1,700 managed colonies, some with one cat and some with several. Cook County has laws protecting community cat colonies. Why is Lake County not emulating that practice?

Make no mistake. If Lake County officials are choosing to ignore Illinois law regarding TNR and community cat caregivers, all those who provide care and food for feral cats are at risk. Kaye Larsen, founder of Fat Cat Rescue and Sanctuary said, “They make laws to protect the ferals. Now the people who are supposed to use the laws to protect the ferals are using the law against the ferals.” She pointed out that community cat caretakers and organizations like Spay and Stay and Fat Cat Rescue and Sanctuary spend a huge amount of money getting the feral cats medical care as well as sterilizing them. “It’s a waste of money to then let them starve to death.” She commented that she’d rather go to jail than starve her cats.

UPDATE ON FERAL CAT HEARING:
The status hearing was held and the complainant was there as was the respondent who is represented by Tracy McGonigle, an attorney who specializes in animal rights and animal welfare. Also attending were representatives from Fat Cat Rescue and Sanctuary, Spay and Stay of Lake County, and volunteers from other local rescue organizations. The hearing officer appeared neutral during the proceedings. The Lake County assistant state’s attorney was not willing to modify the agreement between the parties before the hearing date to allow the feral cats to be fed. Assistant State’s Attorney Dan Brown stated that if the respondents feed the feral cats, that “would be additional evidence of ownership.” The judge was clear that the Lake County ordinance that denies feral cat colony caretakers the same protections that Illinois law provides is facially valid. He said, “I don’t have the authority to determine the validity of the ordinance.” So when he was asked about the feeding of the cats, he suggested that the respondent attempt to do so “in a manner that doesn’t run afoul of the ordinance.” While he clearly will be objective in his decision regarding this matter when it is heard on June 10th at 10:00 am, and thus adhere to the Lake County ordinance, he also mentioned the “admirable goal of TNR.”

The Lake County ordinance needs to be changed so that it complies with Illinois law. Please try to attend the hearing on June 10th, at 10:00 am, at 648 Winchester Drive, Libertyville, to show support for TNR in Illinois and to support those who are fighting for the feral cat colony.

Lost and found pets (update)

UPDATE: Today I noticed, on the local LOST PETS OF LAKE COUNTY Facebook page, that Lake County Animal Control has started their own Facebook page (Lake County, IL Animal Care and Control) featuring pictures and information about lost dogs and cats! The link is here, and it’s important that many join this group and share this page to ensure that those Lake County residents whose pets goes missing know where to look. This is a wonderful endeavor and brings Lake County Animal Control up to par with what they are doing in surrounding counties. Congratulations and thank you, Lake County Animal Control for doing this!

So feel free to read what I had written below before this step was taken, but we can rest assured that now found pets in Lake County will have more chance of being reunited with their families because of this change. More photos of found pets are below.

And while you are contacting (I hope) Mr. Pfister about this, please consider another serious failing that needs to be addressed regarding Lake County Animal Control’s management of found pets. Current practices do not ensure the best outcome for our dogs and cats and other animals. Lake County is decades behind other counties in terms of helping lost pets get reunited with their owners. All surrounding counties have various methods of posting pictures and information about animals who are picked up and might have families who are searching for them. In McHenry County, they have a link to 24PetConnect, which has photos of found animals including where they were found. They also list other places to call including surrounding counties and links to websites featuring lost pets.

Likewise, Milwaukee Animal Control uses 24PetConnect to show photos of found animals in an effort to reunite those pets with their families. Cook County posts photos of animals found in unincorporated Cook County including the date and location where the pet was found. Even the City of Chicago, with its huge animal control, is able to post photos of lost dogs on petharbor.com (with location and date of finding them) in the hope that their families can be reunited with their beloved pets.

Waukegan Animal Control maintains a Facebook page with photos of found animals and information about animals running at large that they have not been able to get. They share flyers of missing dogs and cats. Their goal is to reunite the lost pets with their families, and they have amazing success at doing just that. In fact, perhaps those at Lake County Animal Control should take lessons from Susan Elliot, the director of Waukegan Animal Control, regarding how to find a safe place for almost every animal in its charge. Unless an animal is extremely aggressive and unadoptable, it finds a rescue. She and her animal control officers are compassionate and humane, and the animals of Waukegan are extremely lucky to have those people at the helm of animal control. I only wish we could say the same of Lake County’s animal control.

Not only aren’t efforts made to have positive outcomes for all adoptable animals, LCAC doesn’t even make it easy to see if a lost animal is in their custody. As you can see in this screen shot, Mr. Pfister and the director of animal control don’t believe in posting photos of found animals so that their families might locate lost pets. Instead, they maintain a private database of found animals that they will check if you file a report of a missing animals. There’s no transparency, no photos, no information. That’s not best practice, having to trust a worker at LCAC to match a lost pet based on a description to a pet on their secret, private database.

Additionally, while they list additional resources for those missing a pet, they clearly state that they don’t contribute to any of those resources. So there is no public photo of found cats and dogs for people to look through to see if their missing pet is at Lake County Animal Control. That’s truly reprehensible, especially when ALL surrounding communities do better. It’s difficult to comprehend. Is Lake County lacking in resources and so unable to do this? Do we have fewer resources than Waukegan, McHenry County, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Cook County? Do those agencies just care more?

Why is Lake County failing our animals?