House cannot be renovated because it has been occupied by family of squatter CATS who are refusing to move out
A Wyoming contractor renovating a house in Casper says a colony of feral cats living inside has severely delayed his work, filling the property with mess and forcing his crew to wear protective masks. Dustin Crapo, owner of CbG Construction LLC, dubbed it the "cat squatter house" after finding the property in a filthy state following more than a year of feline occupation, and says the case highlights the city's wider struggle with feral cats.
Crapo's team found seven litter boxes, urine-soaked carpets, grime-covered windows and cabinets shredded by claws, along with mouldy cat food stuffed down a drain. Since starting the job in May, workers have stripped the flooring, replaced the drywall, treated the house with enzyme cleaner and applied odour-blocking primer, yet the smell persists. Crapo has criticised Casper's Metro Animal Services, which operates a trap-neuter-return scheme rather than euthanising strays, after being told he would have to trap the cats himself and that the shelter was already full when he tried to hand one over.
- Feral cats have overrun a Wyoming house, delaying its renovation
- Contractor found urine-soaked carpets, mould and damaged cabinets
- City's animal services offered little help, citing a full shelter
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Casper, Wyoming, is home to a small construction company, CbG Construction LLC, run by contractor Dustin Crapo, who takes on renovation jobs across the city. Feral cats – strays not owned by anyone – are a recognised problem in many American towns, often gathering in empty or neglected buildings, and Casper is no exception.
The house at the centre of this story had been left unoccupied for over a year and, in that time, became home to a colony of feral cats living inside it. Local authorities in Casper deal with stray animals through Metro Animal Services, the city's animal control body, which generally favours a trap-neuter-return approach over removing or destroying feral cats, meaning strays are typically caught, sterilised and released rather than taken away permanently.
This matters because it illustrates a wider tension between property owners and local animal control policy: contractors and homeowners dealing with feral animal infestations may be expected to handle trapping themselves, while shelters can be too stretched to take in every stray brought to them.