ST. BERNARD, Ohio (AP) — The suburban Cincinnati village of St. Bernard is being taken over by the smell of cats.

Residents are keeping their windows shut due to the foul smell that has been plaguing neighborhoods.

The St. Bernard village council has fielded numerous complaints about the unbearable odor from feral cats in residential areas, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported (http://cin.ci/1JVeha8).

Councilwoman Diana Schildmeyer said the stench of waste from the cats is so bad that the council needs to act.

"I have residents calling me. They can't even go out of their house," Schildmeyer said.

One house was recently condemned by Hamilton County Public Health after an inspector observed nearly 20 cats on the property.

St. Bernard Director of Law Curtis Walden unsuccessfully proposed an ordinance in March that would have empowered police to capture and euthanize the feral cats.

Charlotte White-Hull, an advocate with Ohio Alleycat Resource, said removing cats from the equation won't solve the problem.

White-Hull said if the euthanasia ordinance was adopted, other cats would've moved in to take advantage of the lack of competition for food and shelter.

The group hopes St. Bernard residents will capture the cats using traps and take them to be spayed or neutered, which officials say will curb their bad behavior.

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Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com