Monticello

To the editor:

The Abandoned Animals Problem in the Village of Monticello Needs to be Addressed.

The Village of Monticello has a serious problem with abandoned cats.  Owners of many rental properties significantly raise the rents of existing tenants to the point where they can no longer afford to stay. They end up being evicted.  I am referring to the ones on Prince Street in this letter but that’s not the only place in the Village this is happening. Where these people go from there is uncertain. They wait months and months and months on County lists to get into something they can afford. They sleep in a warming center (not particularly warm and not getting much sleep) to hit the street at 8 a.m. to find somewhere to stay warm until 8 p.m. rolls around. It’s a challenging cycle to have to endure.

Then there’s the animals they can no longer care for. That’s where I come in. I’ve been feeding the ones on Prince St. and elsewhere every single day no matter what since 2019, out of my own not very deep pockets - in the hope that the Village will assist me in capturing them to take them to get spayed and/or neutered at T.A.R.A. (The Animal Rescue Alliance, Inc.) down in Middletown, provide a place for them to recover from their surgery, and then assist in getting as many as possible adopted after that.  A number of kind souls have helped by taking some of these cats to get spayed/neutered and then secure housing for them, but not enough. 

These cats had owners that fed them then just couldn’t anymore. I’m hoping there are some kind, new owners that do care about those cats. However, instead of feeding them, they kick them out hoping they will go away from the property, and when I go there to help and feed them, they are threatening me to call police.

It is 2024, no one should be hungry — NO ONE!  We need property owners’ permission to feed cats in case they cannot provide food for them. I am here to help if they need me, but kicking out cats from property is animal cruelty, and they will answer for that.

As far as I can see the Village has turned its back on solving this problem.

To the souls out there that can assist me in addressing this problem, please reach out to me at email manewman7@aol.com. I need help assisting all these poor abandoned animals. I can’t do it alone nor can I look to the Village for assistance.