They hope.
As if the three condemned duplexes partially swallowed up by the earth wasn't enough, now, on the verge of the borough demolishing the homes, people say families of stray cats have taken up residence under the houses.
Cherry Street residents, like Jael Wolf, want the borough to try and save the kittens.
"I don't want the borough to postpone (demolition) because they actually are finally doing something," Wolf says." I would like to have them at least make an attempt."
Bulldozers are scheduled to arrive at E. Cherry Street on Monday, according to the borough. They will demolish three duplexes of homes on the south end of the block. The $1.5 million project, which Palmyra Borough is paying for through borrowed funds, includes street repaving in August, before a storm-water retention basin is erected where the condemned homes currently sit.
Wolf guesses the litter of kittens is about 8-to-12 weeks old. They tend to come out at night, she says, when the demolition crews prepping the block for bulldozers go away. The street is closed, and no car traffic is allowed.
The cats have moved from house to house, she says. They started at 300 E. Cherry Street, and as construction crews began tearing up chunks of sidewalk and sawing down trees, Wolf says she's noticed the family of felines move up the block.
The potential problem has been brought up to borough manager Roger Powl. However, Tuesday was the first time he had heard about the issue of multiple cats. A cat owner himself, he expects the noise of the demolition crews Monday to scare the cats out from under the homes if they haven't left already.
"I know cats are moving if they hear any loud noises," Powl said. "I don't think we have to worry about cats being injured in anyway."
Wolf's concern is with the kittens constantly on the move, they'll eventually run out of room to run. A fence sits at 312 E. Cherry Street, blocking one of the condemned homes from an alleyway.
"If the borough brings in the bulldozer and they just started knocking (the homes) in, and the cats don't get out in time, we'll have some smushed kitty," Wolf fears.
Palmyra Borough reached out to PAWS, a local animal adoption and spay/neuter group, on Tuesday. Powl asked for their help in removing the cats and finding new homes, but was only able to leave a voice message.