Thieves Stealing Cat Shelters at Lake Hefner

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Shelters used to help control feral cat colonies at Lake Hefner have become the target of thieves.

In 2009, the city of Oklahoma City paid nearly $3,000 for the make-shift shelters to help control the colonies. Within 48 hours of putting them out, one was stolen. Last week, three more were taken. Of the eight shelters the city purchased, only two remain.

"To everyone who lives within Oklahoma City, it was your tax dollars stolen too," said Claire Roop, who feeds and helps take care of the cats out at Lake Hefner.

Roop, along with several others, has spent years looking after the cats and providing them with food nearly every day.

"I've always been a cat lover. I grew up on a farm and we had lots of them," Roop said.

Feral Cats at Lake Hefner

She said the feral cat colonies are sometimes the target of those who believe the cats are a nuisance.

In addition to the stolen shelters, the thieves also took off with heavy dishes used for food and water.

"If you think the cats are going to leave by taking away their shelter and food, you're wrong," Roop said.

Roop said she and others are trying to keep the cats within a certain area of the lake, and they try to capture the cats that have yet to be spayed and neutered. She said she also tries to adopt the cats that are tame or tamable.

Roop said she and others are increasing patrols at the lake. She said they are also considering a fundraiser to help purchase surveillance equipment for the colonies.

A feral cat is a feline that has never been handled by a human and do not seek human companionship or interaction. That's different from a stray cat – a cat that has been abandoned or who as strayed from home and become lost. Stray cats can usually be re-socialized and adopted.