We've all heard appeals over the years to have our family dog or cat -sterilized to reduce over-population.
But now animal lovers are aiming that effort at another population boom...
the growing numbers of wild
cats, that don't have an owner to take care of them.
News Specialist John Hollenhorst has the story.
When you think of wild animals, you're probably thinking, 'way out in the wild somewhere'.
But in fact, look around you, even right here in the downtown area. "Feral" or wild cats may have started out as strays or abandoned cats. But they sometimes live in colonies for generations.
They're just about everywhere and the numbers may shock you.
Diana Smith has adopted a colony of wild cats in an Ogden auto yard.
They hide...
... they scamper, and, yes...
...they breed... somewhere out of sight.
Smith feeds them twice a day.
They're shy, but appreciative. It all started a year ago...
...when a starving cat turned up and eventually became a pet.
DIANA SMITH/OGDEN: "HIS NAME IS SAMMY AFTER MY BROTHER WHO FOUND HIM HALF DEAD AND SAVED HIS LIFE."
"HEY, OH. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? OH, NO, IT'S OK."
Most wild cats won't let her get close. But like dozens of people around the state, she's taken wild cats under her wing.
DIANA SMITH/OGDEN: "THE HOUSECAT HAS SOMEONE THAT TAKES CARE OF THEM, TAKES THEM TO THE VET, FEEDS THEM AND LOVES THEM. BUT THESE CATS DON'T HAVE THAT."
JOHN HOLLENHORST REPORTING: "ONE OR TWO CATS MAY SEEM MORE CUTE THAN PROBLEMATIC. BUT EXPERTS BELIEVE THE WILD CAT PHENOMENON IS GETTING BIGGER ALL THE TIME, PERHAPS A MILLION WILD CATS IN THE STATE."
Smith is doing her part to control population. In the last year, she's captured 20 wild cats and sent them to vets to be sterilized.
DIANA SMITH/OGDEN: "THE WAY I SEE IT, WHY KILL THEM? IF YOU CAN CONTROL THEM AND HAVE THEM DISEASE FREE AND HAVE THEM HAVE A HAPPY HEALTHY LIFE, WHY KILL THEM?"
Since May, about 50 vets in Utah have been offering a special bargain rate. People like Diana Smith can bring in a wild cat, have it spayed or neutered for 10 dollars, and then return it to the wild colony.
DR. BRENDA PONCE/VETERINARIAN: "THEY LOVE THESE CATS. SO THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO HELP THEM, AND TO KIND OF REDUCE THE PROBLEM IN A WAY"
The prescription is catching on. Capture, sterilize, return. Even the State Prison agreed to do it after animal lovers protested plans to kill off the prison's wild cat population.
JANET LANE/VETERINARY TECHNICIAN: "REALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING IS CARING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, SO THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS AREN'T BORN AND AREN'T LIVING IN THE WILD AND AREN'T REPRODUCING WITHOUT HEALTH CARE AND A WARM PLACE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT."
If you want to help the wild cats in your neighborhood, there's a lot of help available for you. Experts to give advice. Live traps to borrow for free. Assistance in finding a vet to do the 10 dollar procedure.
