The Fur Flies : Couple Sue Thousand Oaks Neighbor Who Welcomes Squirrels to Yard

The squirrels in a remote Thousand Oaks neighborhood near Wildwood Regional Park seem to know where they’re wanted.

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Two of them frolicked Tuesday in a tree in front of the home of Kathleen Adams, a 13-year resident of Silver Spur Court who has set up a sign in her front yard announcing, “Squirrel’s Welcome.”

Adams, 50, a craftswoman, is known around the quiet, semirural neighborhood for her love of the fuzzy-tailed critters.

But recently, she has been thrust into the role of squirrels’ advocate.

Adams’ next-door neighbors, Randy and Nancy Hecht, have sued her, saying the squirrels she invites into her yard are wreaking havoc in theirs.

“It’s become a terrible situation,” said Leigh Datzker, attorney for the Hechts. “She’s made her home into a little motel for squirrels, and the result is that they’ve trampled the yard of my clients.”

The Hechts, who declined to be interviewed, argue in their lawsuit that the squirrels have been digging up their yard and gnawing holes in their roof since they bought the house in 1992. The damage, they say, will cost between $5,000 and $7,500 to fix.

The suit, which names Adams and her landlord, Harold Runyan, asks for Adams to stop feeding the animals and for the money to make the repairs. Runyan could not be reached for comment.

Datzker said the lawsuit is less about money than it is about safety.

“These squirrels are wild,” Datzker said. “They can carry diseases or come up and bite one of the Hechts’ (two) small children. They’re really concerned about the health risks of having all of these wild animals around.”

But Adams shakes her head when she hears about her neighbors’ worries.

“These little squirrels are naturally friendly,” she said. “They’re not going to hurt anyone unless they’re provoked.”

Adams said she has become a bit of an expert on squirrels in the past seven years since they began visiting the house that she rents with her husband, Henry Bayramian.

“I used to just feed the birds when the squirrels started coming around,” she said. “I really enjoyed watching the little squirrels, so I started feeding them, and they’ve been coming here ever since.”

Adams set up boxes in the trees around her house with nuts for the squirrels. The creatures climb up to the boxes, open the lids and pick out the food they need.

The feeders, she said, attracted only a modest collection of the frisky rodents, with no more than four or five stopping by at any time.

But Datzker said the care and feeding has led to an infestation of squirrels--more than would ever occur naturally.

“She has a concentrated cadre of squirrels who are visiting her home,” Datzker said. “She’s providing them with a habitat that allows them to flourish much more easily than in the wild.”

The Hechts, he said, can’t document the change in squirrel population, but they insist that it’s rising.

Some of Adams’ other neighbors, however, said they have not noticed much difference since Adams began her hobby.

“We live within eyeshot of a natural reserve,” said Joe Berg, a Thousand Oaks resident since 1974. “With all the development and the fires, I’m amazed we don’t see more squirrels than we do.”

Neighbor Norma Chotiner agreed, saying she fully expected there to be wild animals around when she moved to Silver Spur Court.

“This is a very woodsy area,” she said. “I think it comes with living this close to the hills.”

But the Hechts say otherwise. According to Datzker, if Adams stops feeding the squirrels, they will go away.

He said he plans to present Ventura County Superior Court with a motion to temporarily prevent Adams from providing food for the squirrels, at least until the dispute is settled.

Adams said she may be gone before that happens.

“I’m afraid that with this lawsuit and all the arguing, I’m just going to have to move,” she said. “I can’t be comfortable like I used to. The pressure is just too much for me.”

Several of her neighbors said that would be a shame.

“She really cares about those animals,” said Robin Devine, who moved to Silver Spur Court in September. “If that’s her cause, I hope she sticks with it.”