Mesquite resident says stray cat problem out of control

Many animal shelters in North Texas are at capacity.

In Mesquite, a long-time resident says stray cats have taken over her neighborhood. Barbara Ortega has a problem that hits her as soon as she steps out her door.

“When I walk out of my house it’d smell like a dirty cat box out here, and I mean bad,” Ortega said.

For two years she says a cat colony has laid claim to her Mesquite yard. The cats prowl at night, leaving a mess and interrupting her sleep setting off her security cameras.

“I might get two or three hours [of sleep],” Ortega said. “About the time I lay down the cameras are going off.”

At first, the cats were getting through holes in her fence, so she covered them with chicken wire. They started climbing over the fence.

Then, she installed motion-activated alarms that would sound to scare them away. They now walk behind the alarms, she said.

Her latest tool is a water gun to scare them away, but they keep coming back.

Like many cities, Mesquite supports the human practice of ‘Trap-Neuter-Return.’

Help With Feral Cats

For a $50 returnable deposit, residents can trap a cat themselves, sterilize them for free, then release them back into the neighborhood.

The city says over time the feral cat population decreases and nuisance behaviors often subside.

Ortega said there are most likely seven to ten cats roaming her property and her neighbors.

At age 77, she doesn’t think she alone can trap that many cats and does not like the idea of any animal being put down.

“I love cats and I love dogs,” Ortega said. "But it's frustrating with all the stray cats and the yard smelling like a cat box."

Residents with issues in Mesquite can file reports through the MyMesquite app or use their 24/7 call center 972-288-7711.