The town of Danielson, Conn., has dozens of feral cats roaming the citys downtown and other areas.
Feral cats are all over town and theres little that any animal control officer can do about it, according to Northeast Council of Governments Animal Control Officer Diane Collette.
Connecticut state law prohibits animal control officers from dealing with cats unless a local ordinance gives them specific duties.
About 50 cats roam Danielsons Mechanic Street and another larger colony roves Union and Water streets, according to Collette.
These cats are a public health risk because they interact with raccoons, skunks and other rabies-carrying animals and then come in close contact with humans.
When left unchecked, wild cat populations can explode. Kittens can start to reproduce at 5 months old and each litter averages five kittens. A male and a female cat can produce 6,482 cats in just five or six years.
Posted: July 11, 2006, 5:00 a.m. EST