Stray cat problem disturbing housing occupants Published March 22, 2007 By Anonymous 39th A ir Base Wing INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- Question: I live in Falcon Housing. My housing unit has been overrun with cats, some which are stray and some which belong to my neighbor. I do not own cats and do not want them in my yard. These cats have killed four birds in my yard in the last month alone. I have spoken directly with my neighbor about this issue, have trapped the cats in traps supplied by animal control, and have addressed this issue with housing. My neighbor claims to only have three registered animals in her house (the limit allowed by housing), however by feeding the stray cats they become hers and now mine by default. I spoke with Mehmet at housing about this problem and he stated that my neighbor has been asked not to feed the strays and to abide by the three animal limit. Two weeks have now gone by and unfortunately, nothing has changed. What other options do I have to try and resolve this problem? Response: Got it ... both the commander and first sergeant of the member next door to you will be by to personally stress the importance of not feeding strays to your animal-friendly neighbors. The first sergeant will continue to follow-up and we'll ask our stray control team to drive by on occasion as well. I ask all base personnel to not feed stray animals and to not leave food outdoors for their own pets. If you notice that strays are in your neighborhood you should call the Civil Engineer Customer Service Desk at 676-7008 and report it. CE will set traps to catch the strays and take them to the Stray Animal Facility on-base. Pet owners must live up their responsibilities in order for the entire community to enjoy the pets among us. All of us need to eliminate food sources for strays in order to minimize the public health risk of stray animals.