by LIZ BEAVERS
Tribune Managing Editor
KEYSER — Although their last meeting didn’t end on very friendly terms, the Mineral County Commissioners seemed receptive Tuesday to Dawn Billmyer’s proposal to work with the county’s humane officers and the Mineral Daily News Tribune in an effort to find a home for some of the adoptable cats at the county pound.
Billmyer, who owns and operates Dawns’ Cat Sanctuary in Fort Ashby, had appeared before the commissioners in May to donate a pre-fabricated building which she hoped would be placed near the pound on Green Mountain Road and used to keep cats until they could be adopted.
When the commissioners flatly refused the offer, however, citing the lack of funds and man power to maintain the building and the additional felines, Billmyer left the commission meeting room calling the officials “cruel, heartless people.”
Tuesday, she returned to the courthouse, telling the commissioners, “never underestimate my tenacity.”
This time, Billmyer asked if
the period of time the cats are kept at the pound before being euthanized could be extended until a description of the adoptables could be run in the News Tribune in an attempt to find homes for the felines.
It would also provide more time for someone who may have lost a cat to claim their pet.
“If he (Humane Officer Jim Hawk) could set aside the cats who have collars and the ones that are under six months old for just a week, we could have the newspaper publish the list,” she said. “That gives people an extra week to claim their cat.”
In order to keep the cats at the pound for a longer period of time, however, she acknowledged that the county would need additional holding cages.
“I’m going to donate three, maybe five holding cages, along with bowls, litter pans etc.,” she said.
“And that’s my proposal in a nutshell.”
When Commissioner Janice LaRue asked who would be responsible for making up the list of cats for the newspaper, County Coordinator Mike Bland said he felt they could “create a simple form with the basic information about the animal.” A photo could also be included and the information could be emailed to the News Tribune.
LaRue noted that didn’t “sound like too much of an extra burden” on the already busy humane officers.
“I think you can see we’re trying to work with you,” Spiggle told Billmyre.
He then added, however, that he had heard from “some of my constituents in your neighborhood who are concerned about the 35 animals you have running free,” and that “perhaps a better use of your cages would be to control your own cats.
“I was impressed with your facility but I wasn’t impressed with your cats running free,” he added.
“I don’t have 35 running free; maybe around 12,” Billmyre said, noting that the only cats that leave her property are “the ones who have told me they don’t want to be fenced in by climbing up and going over the barn roof.”
She is also currently having a problem keeping the cats confined because her fencing was torn down by last winter’s heavy snowfall.
“Where are these cats running to?” LaRue asked.
When Billmyre replied, “I don’t know,” Spiggle said, “They’re running over to your neighbors’ property.”
“If you could tell me who they are, I could go talk to them,” Billmyre said. “If there are complaints, I do apologize.”
Spiggle told her he didn’t have permission to give the names of the complainants, but noted that free-roaming cats are a problem all over the county.
“The county commission is trying to deal with that,” he said.
In a related discussion, Bland told the commissioners that he has instructed the county’s two humane officers to post a description and photo of all the animals picked up so that owners who have lost their pets might have a way to check for them.
The information will be posted somewhere at the courthouse.
