Powder Placed At Park To Control Odor Could Be Harmful To Pets

A practice Bucks County parks officials say was meant to help keep the odor of cat urine and feces down at Core Creek Park in Middletown may have end up hurting felines and other animals.

Earlier this month, crews from the Bucks County Parks and Recreation Department laid down hydrated lime on a roughly 1,800-foot stretch of the park. Since then, people who take care of the large feral cat population at the county park have raised concerns the hydrated lime laid down could hurt the cats and other animals that roam the 1,200-acre recreation area.

The concerns are warranted, according to Dr. Garret Pachtinger, director of the trauma center at the Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Levittown.

Pachtinger said animals who come in contact with hydrated lime powder that has made been moistened could receive skin irritation, chemical burns and internal ulcers if it is ingested. He said he while the injuries likely wouldn’t cause fatal injuries, it could cause discomfort to animals, including cats who could roll around in it and then lick themselves as part of their grooming practice.

“We would often worry about it most if it is ingested,” Pachtinger told LevittownNow.com last week.

Bill Mitchell, director of the Bucks County Parks and Recreation, said the recently batch of hydrated lime powder was laid out after complaints about a urine smell from the feral cats at the park. He said the lime also helps mask the odor of cats who have died naturally and are decomposing.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve put down lime there, but its not something we do regularly,” he said. “We’ve had no complaints in the past.”

The hydrated lime and caution tape that end up around the area in the days after raised some serious concerns for Melissa Smoot, an area resident who helps take care of the feral cat population at the park along with her mother. She worried the hydrated lime was toxic to animals and families who often come to the park.

“An elderly woman that takes care of the cats approached the area in tears. She warned my mother and I to not touch the chemical as it is lime spread out by the park to intentionally harm the cats,” Smoot said. 

Mitchell said his department did not place the hydrated lime powder down to harm the more than 100 feral cats that inhabit the park. The director reported hydrated lime is placed at various county parks on an as-needed basis to help control odors that are reported to his office.

Hydrated lime is commonly used at parks to help control animal odors. However, it is often mixed into the ground or applied before rain storms so it is diluted to a nontoxic level, Pachtinger explained.

Mitchell said the original idea was that a rain storm would dilute the powdered hydrated lime and take care of the smell. Problems ensued once the rain storm fizzled out and the white powder remained on the ground.

“We’re not trying to place blame on Core Creek,” Smoot said, adding she just hopes the issues at the park can be resolved.

Core Creek Park has become a dumping ground for kittens and adult cats over the past several years. Signs warning visitors that dumping cats is illegal greets those who drive in off Tollgate Road. Mitchell said many of the cats are dumped late at night and that Bucks County Rangers do their best to keep an eye out for those who leave animals behind at the park.

Going forward, Mitchell said county officials will continue to work to control animal odors at the park if complaints arise.