A feral cat problem in Coaldale won’t be solved by traps alone, according to a neighbor who is fed up with the issue.

The borough recently started trapping cats in the area of Greenwood Street, where neighbors have complained repeatedly about feral cats going to the bathroom in their yards, and having litters of kittens in public areas.The cats are taken for humane euthanasia.But neighbor Susan Asbury says that trapping the cats won’t be effective quickly enough for neighbors who have had to suffer through the smell of the animals for too long.Asbury visited Coaldale Borough council Tuesday, for the second time in three months. She thanked them for trapping some cats, however said that the real problem is a home on her block with what she believes to be more than 100 animals inside.She asked council whether they could have a codes officer go inside the home and see it firsthand.The borough does have an animal control ordinance on the books, however it deals more with dogs than with cats. It does, however, require pet owners to clean up their animals’ excrement.Asbury said that her primary concern is for a neighbor who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment and has to deal with the smell of the animals every day.Other businessCouncil also voted to purchase benches for a park in the Seek section of the borough, after they discovered there was additional money available.Last month, recreation board member Angela Krapf and Mayor Joel Johnson disagreed over whether to use the borough’s limited park and recreation funds for benches or play equipment for the borough’s Miner’s Park. Krapf favored the play equipment.However on Tuesday, it was Krapf who made the motion to purchase the benches.Asked why she changed her mind, she said, “At this point, we are $333,000 under budget so there is some money that we can get the benches and a small piece of playground equipment.”

Krapf said she thinks when council created the budget last year, members were going off previous budgets, which had additional accounts open and money was spread out.