DATE: Tuesday, March 11, 1997               TAG: 9703110268

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY MARTHA QUILLIN, THE (RALEIGH) NEWS & OBSERVER 

DATELINE: CARY                              LENGTH:   80 lines

FERAL CAT PROGRAM NIPS OVERPOPULATION IN THE BUD

Crossroads Veterinary Hospital opened its doors for a cat clinic, and the patients went wild.

Actually, they came in that way.

About 80 wild, feral and stray cats were brought in Sunday to be sterilized and vaccinated during ``Operation Catnip,'' an ongoing effort by Second Chance Pet Adoptions of Raleigh to reduce the homeless cat population and the spread of rabies.

On Friday and Saturday nights before the monthly clinics, the volunteers lure the animals with tuna or other treats into humane traps, which are delivered to the animal hospital. Some people bring in as many as eight or 10 animals.

Once there, the cats are processed through a sort of triage: anesthesia first, then an ear tag with a rabies certificate number. Then they're taken into surgery - males in one room, females in another - where six vets donate their time in an effort to reduce the number of unwanted kittens born each year.

The animals are vaccinated against rabies, feline leukemia and distemper, then are given a shot to help them come out of the anesthesia. By early afternoon, their caretakers can pick them up and take them back to whatever they call home.

That may be an apartment complex, a trailer park, a farm or a trash bin outside a hospital, school or restaurant - anywhere the animals can find food and shelter, says Lisa Kaplan, who coordinates the feral cat program for Second Chance

``These animals thrive in their own environment,'' Kaplan said.

Although the Humane Society of the United States reports that one unaltered cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in seven years, as many as 90 percent of those animals will never make it to adulthood, dying from disease or malnutrition or being struck by cars. Those that do survive, Kaplan says, are tough animals who shy away from human contact.

``The only time you can pet these guys is when they're asleep,'' Kaplan said, looking in on a female coming out of anesthesia after surgery. ``These cats are incredibly strong and remarkably healthy. Compared to a soft little house cat, these animals are just pure muscle. But their life spans are very short.''

Traditionally, efforts to control the feral and stray population have concentrated on killing them, an option Second Chance doesn't consider. The group cites long-term studies indicating that when one cat is eliminated, another one moves into the area that one was protecting and the reproduction cycle starts again.

The group says a more reliable way to reduce the number of strays is to sterilize the animals and put them back onto their own turf.

The monthly clinics are run on donations. Dozens of volunteers, including veterinary students and Second Chance participants, offer their time; local hospitals give surplus medical supplies; and area vets give their services. The animals generally are collected by people who see them regularly around their homes and workplaces and even put out food for them.

Last year, Kaplan says, more than 700 cats were altered and vaccinated through the program, each one getting about $200 in medical services at no cost to the public.

Most of the cats are unapproachable and are visibly anxious as they sit in the backs of cages around the clinic waiting to be treated and taken back to the wild. A few will allow a single caretaker to get close. Those that show a tolerance for cuddling - indicating they were someone's pet before being abandoned or getting lost - are entered into Second Chance's adoption program and placed in suitable homes.

The program will be especially needed this year, said volunteer Diane Wood, because the breeding season never completely ended last fall.

``Whether it was the hurricane that messed them up or the mild winter, we don't know,'' said Wood. ``But we saw kittens all the way through the winter.''

For kittens that grow up in the wild, Kaplan says, ``it's a hard life.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color ASSOCIATED PRESS photo

Volunteer Ronnie Mea checks an anesthetized cat before its ear is

clipped and tagged by Pamela Martin, left, and Nicola Melliar-Smith.

The vaccination/neutering program helps reduce the homeless cat

population. KEYWORDS: FERAL CATS SPAY

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