DULUTH - Sheila Hunter of Grand Rapids was eating at the Olive Garden Restaurant in Duluth earlier this month when she noticed an odd sight: kittens frolicking outside the window.
It seemed like such a strange place to encounter cats that she asked her waitress about it. The waitress said the animals were strays that had been living in the area for some time. So the next day, Hunter called the Duluth Animal Control office, the Olive Garden and Animal Allies. But no one seemed prepared to deal with the problem, she said.
"I felt like they were running me around in a big circle," she said, "and it made me angry."
So she sat down at her computer and squarely put this question to the Duluth City Council: "Who is responsible for catching and finding a safe warm spot for these animals?"
Since then, 10 cats have been live-trapped, and efforts continue to capture five more believed to be still loose in the area. Carrie Lane, Duluth's animal control officer, said she understands Hunter's frustration.
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"I think she was genuinely concerned about the welfare of those cats," Lane said. "And she wanted to know: Who's going to step up? Who's going to do something about this?"
Lane said the city lends live traps, "but we don't have enough staff to run around checking them all the time." Instead, she said, the city relies on community members to watch the traps and call if an animal has been caught.
"When someone catches a cat, we will come out and pick it up," Lane said.
Debbie DeArmond, general manager of the Olive Garden, said her staffers noticed cats hanging around the restaurant in the spring, but then the sightings diminished, leading her to believe that the cats had moved on. About a month or so ago, however, she saw the cats again.
At one point, the Olive Garden tried to catch the cats using its own live traps. But Brad Wick, a spokesman for the Duluth police, said those traps were too small and improperly set. Wick also said it appeared as if the cats were being fed by someone, making it hard to lure them into a trap.
"They were too fat and happy," said Lane, noting that she suspected sympathetic Olive Garden staff may have been feeding the cats. She contacted the restaurant's management to stress the importance of cutting off any food supply.
DeArmond remains skeptical that anyone on her staff was feeding the animals. She said getting the cats into the hands of animal control officials is the best solution.
"We certainly don't want anyone to get scratched or bitten," she said. "And we don't want any cats to get run over."
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The outlook for the captured cats -- five kittens and five adults -- remains uncertain. Lane said one of the kittens already has been transferred to Animal Allies for adoption. She's optimistic that homes also can be found for the remaining four kittens -- named Scampi, Fettuccini, Linguini and Ravioli, in honor of their speculated past diets.
The adults could be more of a challenge. Once cats become wild, she said, they can be difficult to domesticate again. If efforts to socialize the adult cats prove unsuccessful, they will need to be euthanized, she said.
