"Overpopulation kills more cats than any disease," stated Dr. Laura Gay Senk last week during her slide presentation about the feral cats. Dr. Senk should know. For many years she has dedicated herself to spaying, neutering and protecting feral cats, our furry shadow citizens, at her all feline practice in Farmingdale. Her program was so comprehensive that space here could not do it justice, so I will try to touch upon some of her points.

Society has created the feral cat problem. Ferals are the urban wildlife. You see them everywhere if your eyes are open. All ferals are descended from domestic cats abandoned by irresponsible people. Cats can revert back to semi-wild in one generation. Estimates in the US count 77 million pet cats with 70 -100 million more homeless ones. Feeding them is not enough. Anyone who feeds should also spay/neuter their cat colony. One mating pair of cats can produce 12 kittens in 1 year; 144 in 2; over 20,000 in 4 years; over 80 million in 10. The geometric progression doesn’t account for the suffering. Infant kitten mortality is 50%; of the rest 60-70% are dead by 6 months. If a feral survives to 2 years, that cat can live for 10 to 12 years as a vagabond on the outskirts of society.

Cats cannot subsist on rodents or birds. They must scavenge for scraps of food. Many starve to death. Cat caretakers often run into resistance by others. Friends tell them they are wasting their time; business owners want the cats and feeding stations gone. Ferals aren’t ferocious unless cornered; they’re elusive and shy. The only real health issues are between the cats; not to people. Despite the protests, caretakers are making a difference to the cats helped and the thousands more not born.

There is only one sound way to deal with the problem, and it’s not "catch and kill". Trapping to euthanize is against the recommendations of most every humane group plus the American Veterinary Medical Association. Even exterminators say that killing makes room for more breeding cats to move in. It’s a vacuum effect. TNR (Trap Neuter Release or adopt) is the only way to stabilize a population. Neutered released cats keep newcomers away.

Taming ferals for adoption is easier said than done. There is a window of opportunity for kittens 9 weeks or less; older than that, progress is slow and minimal unless they have had prior human contact. Colonies need care and maintenance. Dr. Senk says "Dogs have owners. Cats have staff". The best managed feral groups have shifts of people sharing the task.

Dr. Senk gave us practical trapping tips. If you are trapping cats, inform the establishment. The storekeepers will be more cooperative and may not ruin your fasting strategy to catch a hungry cat. One tip I learned was to cover one end of the trap with cardboard to prevent pushing nosebleeds. Patience is crucial. Dr. Senk mentioned that cats can sense your anxiety and will avoid you like the plague if you are in a rush. You need to give yourself plenty of time to trap by setting up an appointment with a vet who is flexible. It’s better to trap during the day or night before. Once the cat is caught, cover the trap with a towel or blanket, move it to a safer area, and NEVER try to transfer the cat to a carrier.

Dr. Senk also showed us the spay/neuter procedure at the hospital and the way that good clinics handle the frightened patients. She calls the operating room the "disassembly line". Male neutering can be done in less than a minute. Castrating males is as important as spaying the females for birth control. Also intact males yowl, spray, and tend to fight over females and territory, earning themselves "bandages of courage": abscesses, injuries, and septicemia. Most ferals do not have the luxury of going to the vet when they are hurt. Ferals at the clinic also get wormed, vaccinations, and ears cleaned. Dr. Senk removes the extra claws of polydactyls because they tend to get caught. She recommends ear tipping- a tiny angled cut off the left ear as part of the unified universal sign that a free roaming cat has been altered.

Caretakers should go to hospitals that are truly low cost. The doctors must understand the unique problems of caring for ferals, reduce their prices, and exempt people from regular office exam fees. Dr. Senk talked about the debate over whether it is necessary to blood test ferals for feline leukemia and AIDS. Many vets say it is not necessary for cats being released.

If you’d like to neuter a cat you have been feeding, Dr. Senk’s hospital is County Line Veterinary Clinic in Farmingdale (516-626-3090) . Last Hope Inc. who hosted her informative lecture has a "Fix-A-Feral" program that helps discount surgery fees for folks who TNR feral cats. The "Fix-A-Feral" fee (631-425-1884) is $20 per cat which includes a rabies shot at one of their participating vets.