New signage is offering a solution, but with a mixed message.
The Hawaii Kai Park & Ride is a convenient stop for drivers, but when the sun goes down, cars are replaced by cats — hundreds of them!
"They run through people’s yard with pets and drop fleas and you know it’s just not clean," Hawaii Kai resident Marissa Emoto said.
Posted signs tell park users not to feed the cats, but now newly installed city signs give a different message.
"What we felt was entrusting the care of these cats to a community group might be the best transition, compromise," Honolulu City Councilmember Stanley Chang said.
That group consists of Steve Geimer and friends who feed and water the cats daily.
"There’s not really a given name to our group other than the cat caregivers of Hawaii Kai," Hawaii Kai resident Steve Geimer said.
Geimer says along with feeding the cats, his group also trapped and fixed about 100 of them in the past six months — all out of their own pocket.
One of the community feeders told KHON2, by his estimates, the cat population has tripled in the past year.
"Well, it’s not out of control, the population is reaching a problem, and that’s why keep looking out to the community for help and suggestions, not just to go in and kill all these animals," Geimer said.
Some residents feel this is not the solution.
"And God bless the people who feed them because they probably care for the animals, but there’s a point to everything you have to draw the line somewhere," Hawaii Kai Resident Ty Luttrell said.
"If the problem continues to intensify we will have to continue to re-evaluate all of our options again," Chang said.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
