Lake George board mulls solution for feral cats in village

LAKE GEORGE VILLAGE | Two Lake George Village residents have proposed a program to manage the local population of feral and abandoned cats, reducing the health risks and the nuisance they pose to area visitors and residents. The program would be implemented in conjunction with North Shore Animal League, which is already treating some feral cats in the village, delivered to them from residents who have been feeding and monitoring feral and abandoned cats. In their June 16 presentation to the village board, Morgan Taylor and Sharyn Ruzza outlined the program, which calls for volunteers to capture feral cats in the village and take them to a veterinarian who would spay the females and neuter the males. While in veterinary care, they would all be vaccinated for rabies and treated to eliminate fleas and parasites. The cats would also have any existing illnesses or afflictions treated before being returned to where they were found. Taylor said that managing feral cat populations in the village was important to maintain the quality of life in Lake George Village. "It's a health and safety issue to have a bunch of cats running around that aren't fixed and not vaccinated against rabies," she told the board members. "If a single cat isn't vaccinated and gets rabies, it can (infect) the rest of the cats in a feral colony — and it could become a very big problem very quickly." Based on reports provided by volunteers, North Shore officials have reported that more than 100 homeless cats are likely roaming in the village. The spaying and neutering would reduce the feral cat population substantially, Taylor said, noting that spaying merely one homeless female cat can prevent the propagation of 13 additional feral cats. Based on North Shore's existing involvement in treating feral cats found in Lake George, the organization suggested that the village allocate $10,000 for the initial year for feral cat management, a sum that would likely decrease in subsequent years as the feral cat population is reduced. This sum is based on the $225 average cost of spaying or neutering cats through North Shore — a discounted rate that includes pre- and post-operative care, medications, flea treatment, and rabies vaccination, Ruzza said. "There's a lot that's involved in this," Ruzza said. North Shore's proposal calls for the village to pay the League in installments of $500 as the cat treatment costs are incurred. Five or more feral cats have been identified at sites along each of the following streets of the village and the town of Lake George: Dieskau, Prospect, Cooper, Montcalm and West streets, as well as Middle Road. According to North Shore, the colonies of feral cats at the identified sites on these streets each have a caretaker feeding and monitoring the cats. North Shore has also treated feral cats trapped at sites on Morgan Court, Truesdale Hill Road and Thomson Street. Over several years, a colony of up to 25 cats on Quoddy Boulevard has been identified and intermittently treated. Lake George Mayor Ray Perry suggested that the expenses of a feral cat management program in the village might be "crowd-sourced" to reduce the cost to taxpayers. Much of North Shore's expenses in having feral cats treated and managed is offset by donations, but Taylor said that she and Ruzza would likely be setting up a way to collect donations to help fund the program, as well as recruit volunteers who either live or work in the village to help the feral cat management effort. "We want to work with the village to bring our cat populations under control," she said. In a written proposal provided to the board members, Taylor and Ruzza said the program might involve trapping and treating just 20 cats in the initial year of their program, which would likely prevent the propagation of hundreds of additional homeless kittens. "This first step of managing the cat population will have a huge impact on the cleanliness, safety and ecological health of our village," they said in the letter. "We believe this program will be supported by residents, visitors, and business owners alike, as the feral cats have an impact on anyone who stays within Lake George Village." Perry said the topic would be discussed further at the village's July meeting.

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Lake George board mulls solution for feral cats in village

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