By MAUREEN PICHÉ

The feral cat population in St. Lawrence County is growing, and local animal advocates suggest the problem stems from a combination of the bad economy, public apathy/misconceptions, and a quickly adapting wild population.

Bea Schermerhorn of Hammond is founder of Spay/Neuter/Now, a regional traveling animal clinic that focuses entirely on the importance of cat and dog sterilization.

“With the economy we have right now, the situation has reached crisis proportions,” she said. Included in that assessment are feral cats, barn cats and the growing number of people who are adding to the cat population by not sterilizing their tame outdoor cats.

Schermerhorn’s clinic, a traveling trailer equipped with a veterinarian’s operating room, and two area veterinarians spayed or neutered 474 animals in 2006, but that number is now up to a whopping 895. Of that figure, 35 percent are stray or rescue cats and 16 percent are feral.

Spay/Neuter/Now offers a package for spaying/neutering along with vaccinations and other treatments that typically costs $50, although the Massena and St. Lawrence County shelters will provide vouchers to reduce that cost by $5 to $10.

The Potsdam Humane Society charges on a sliding scale, anywhere from nothing to $50, depend on grant availability, according to Anne Smith, executive director.

“Every animal that you spay or neuter means we don’t have a litter coming down the line,” Schermerhorn said.

Public misconception or apathy also contributes to the problem. Smith said many people view cats as independent and able to take care of themselves. Sending them out into the wild isn’t necessarily seen as cruel or neglectful, but as letting a cat be a cat. Dogs are often seen as more needy and less capable on their own. In addition, they’re viewed as a threat when on the loose.

“If there were hordes of dogs running around, people would be horrified,” Smith said.

In reality, feral cats, even barn cats, are prone to sickness, especially upper respiratory ailments. They’re more likely to contract feline leukemia and gender-related cancers. They’re injured in tom fights. They’re poisoned by rotting food.

And they can also be a danger to the public. Rabies occurs in the feral population, and it can be spread to tame cats that are allowed outside. A human who simply pets a cat with rabies saliva on its fur and then touches their nose or eye can contract the deadly disease. The feces of a large colony of feral cats is also a public hazard.

Add to that the evolving reproductive cycle of wild cats.

While statistics vary wildly, a pair of male and female feral cats, over the course of seven years, is capable of producing a great progeny (some say 100-200, while others go with the controversial 420,000 cats). Wild female cats can have four litters a year, averaging about six kittens each.

“Their reproductive phase is extending later and later,” Smith said. “We’ve seen more kittens in early December than ever.” In the past, the litters would start to fizz out in the summer.

Smith and Schermerhorn agree one way of reducing feral cat colonies is by sterilizing and releasing the cats back into their areas, as long as they have caretakers to ensure they have food, water and some sort of primitive shelter with insulation as simple as hay. By doing this, the colony eventually dwindles and disappears entirely.

Both women said they constantly struggle with the local politics of who is going to pay for animal control.

With village and town governments finding it harder to cover big-ticket budget items, supporting shelters and clinics is a low priority, Smith said. She works hard to make officials understand spaying and neutering is important for the health of the community and is a moral responsibility. Eventually the shelters run out of the money and space to tend to feral animals.

“I’m trying to get them to understand what this costs us,” she said. Up 24 animals a week are sterilized at the shelter, she said.

Schermerhorn has a difficult time selling the concept of local governments creating cat licensing laws. Many opponents believe only “responsible” cat owners will bother to license their cats, while the rest will just turn a blind eye. Enforcement would be very difficult.

But Schermerhorn said the fees collected from licensing would give municipalities more money to support spay/neuter programs.

Schermerhorn said each $50 procedure actually costs her organization $100—Spay/Neuter/Now is completely funded by public donations.