Vet program works with campus feral cats

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- A program at Texas A&M University is working to make a dent in the campus' feral cat population, where felines have been let loose to roam.

The Aggie Feral Cat Alliance uses veterinary students and volunteers to humanely trap the cats and have them spayed or neutered, the College Station university said in a news release. Once recovered, the animals are either returned to where they were caught or in some cases adopted.

About 20 to 30 feral cats undergo the process every year, says Margaret Slater, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences who has run the program since 1998. A feral cat is one that is too wild to be kept as a pet, preferring to be away from humans.

"At one time, it was estimated there were at least 300 feral cats on campus," Slater said.

The large feline population is good for one thing, Slater said.

"They do eliminate a lot of the problems with mice," she said.