Incidents of abuse and damage that have long been a problem at a feral cat colony in Petrolia are getting worse.
Coordinator for the Caregivers of Petrolia Ferals Julie Medeiros said she notified Lambton OPP and the Sarnia District Humane Society about disturbing events at the centre over the weekend.
"There are instances where kids have gone back there and damaged the property by ripping apart little houses that we've built, taking instruments like long poles and poking at the cats, throwing stones at them, yelling and screaming at them, things of that nature."
In an email to BlackburnNews.com, Cst. Jamie Bydeley said the OPP will endeavor to make extra patrols of the area behind the fire hall in the event any mischief is taking place.
Medeiros said these kind of things have been going on for years at the colony, but that as of the last year and especially into last weekend, they've noticed an escalation in bad behaviour.
She said the unfortunate incidents can provide a learning opportunity for young people.
"Of course we care for the cats and we want to protect them and control the population, but the bigger picture here is that children learn the responsibility of animals. There's a social responsibility there when damage is done and abuse happens that people are held accountable for this," she said. "It's really unnecessary and disturbing that kids could be left unsupervised and have the opportunity to go back day-after-day, really, and hurt these animals and destroy property that doesn't belong to them."
live in straw bales and dirt mounds in an open field behind the fire hall.
Medeiros is one of three volunteers at the non-profit that helps looks after more than 40 feral cats and kittens across two colonies.
She said a gentleman from Reese's Corner started the initiative almost 30 years ago before it was taken over by Petrolia resident Ginny Williams, who still helps out with the organization.