A local pet lover is worried about the fate of cats being trapped that may or may not be feral.

Angela Dodson believes there are people in Groves who are baiting traps for cats that are eventually picked up by an animal control officer and the felines are then euthanized.

“The cats may or may not be feral,” Dodson said, adding the cats may be someone’s pets.

She believes that a domesticated cat would “act feral” if caught in a trap — even her 13-year-old house cat would should the cat get out of the house and into a trap.

“Cats,” she said, “get euthanized as soon as they are brought into the shelter.”

Dodson is correct in her assumption that residents set out traps to catch what they consider nuisance cats that are later euthanized.

Groves, as well as Nederland and Port Arthur, have a feral cat problem, officials in those cities said. A majority of the time the cats are euthanized.

Groves Fire Chief Dale Jackson, who is also over the city’s animal shelter, said the city does not provide traps to capture the felines but residents can rent or buy traps to be used.

“If they trap these cats, being that they are feral, they will be put down,” Jackson said.

Jackson said it’s sometimes hard to tell if a cat has an owner because not all cats roaming around have collars and tags.

“We advise people who are trapping that if they catch one with a collar, yes it does belong to someone,” he said. “The problem with feral cats is they carry diseases that can spread to other pets. Most of the time we pick up nuisance cats, cats that cause problems.”

Jackson said there is a problem with feral cats in different neighborhoods in the city and the only way to fix the problem is to trap them.

“I hate that but that’s what we have to do,” he said. “People can help out but not feeding them or giving them a place of harbor.”

Dwayne Borel, animal control officer in the city of Nederland, said his shelter is state approved for dogs only.

“We cannot bring a cat in, there are no accommodations for cats,” Borel said. “We would have to have a totally separate room, with restrictions, climate control, certain cages. I don’t have those accommodations.”

The only time Nederland deals with cats is if a cat is dead or has been injured. If the animal is suffering and they cannot find the owner, the cat is put to sleep.

“If we get calls and someone says they are being overtaken by feral cats the only thing we can do at that point is offer a trap,” Borel said. “The property owner is responsible to try and locate the pet owner, ask around the neighborhood.”

Port Arthur Animal Control Supervisor Anthony Mitchell said his department does assist citizens with traps.

“We have folks, a lot of the time it’s elderly folks, who will feed (stray) cats and before you know it there are 30 to 40 cats. They get into flower gardens and on cars,” Mitchell said.

If the trapped cat is particularly docile, the shelter will hold the car in case the owner is looking for it, he said.

All of the local animal shelters work closely with animal groups, who use social media to post photos of cats, and dogs, in hopes the owners will come forward or the animal is adopted.

“It’s not like it’s open season on cats,” Mitchell said. “We have had Central Mall calling us because people were feeding cats there. We try to tell people not to feed them. And over by Wells Fargo Bank, there are people leaving bowls, plates and feeding them. It’s al in the hedges. I had to put up a city ordinance sign.”

Mitchell said there have been suggestions to the problem such as spay or neutering cats and releasing them back.

“But a spayed or neutered cat will still want to eat. Will still need to urinate or defecate even if they are not reproducing,” he said.

Dodson believes a spay and neuter program could be a way to control the cat population as opposed to people who trap the felines or dump them.

Last year the city of Nederland revised its existing ordinances regarding animals within city limits and unveiled a new program to help residents spay and neuter their pets. A “Standard of Care” section spells out the extent to which an owner is responsible to provide sufficient food, water, shelter and shade as well as conditions under which an animal can be contained, caged or chained. Feeding any feral or stay animal now comes with a $200 fine on the first offense, according to an archive story.

The ordinance also limits the number of adult animals allowed per residence to five.

Groves City Manager D. Sosa said the city is looking to create an ordinance similar to Nederland’s. Groves works with local animal groups who often foot the cost to vet an animal as well as spay or neuter. This is something that needs more research, he added.

Feral cats, he added, can cause problems.

“You can’t put a leash on a cat. If someone feeds a cat but doesn’t own the cat the cat will come back. The way we’re looking at it is if you feed it, you own it,” Sosa said. “Cats needs vaccinations and need to be registered. Stray cats running around town are not good for us. It’s a health and welfare issue for citizens. But it’s such a gray area. A lot of people will feed cats but not take responsibility for the cats.”

Sosa said there are a lot of good-hearted people who will feed the stray cats but this doesn’t take care of the problem.

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