LONG ISLAND (WABC) — The impacts of the harsh winter weather are being felt by animal rescue groups on Long Island.
The bitter cold and snow made it tough for groups to get out and spay or neuter feral cats.
Now, many are concerned that a boom in the feral cat population could have a big impact for years to come.
“We had a harsh winter; it was the first big storms we had in a couple of years, so it was hard for rescuers to be trapping cats,” Humane Long Island President John Di Leonardo said.
Experts warn that the extreme winter weather hindered their ability to trap free-roaming cats.
“The snow and cold pose a big challenge to rescue these animals,” John DeBacker with Long Island Cat/Kitten Solution Rescue said.
While the ground was covered in snow and there were sub-freezing temperatures over the past few months, animal rescuers say even feeding the felines was difficult.
“The wet food was freezing right away. A lot of snow on the ground means a lot of cats were hiding out,” Di Leonardo said.
The rescuers use food as bait to locate the animals, then trap, spay, neuter, and vaccinate them before releasing or placing them up for adoption.
“We are going to see a big uptick because we haven’t been able to do that for a few months,” Di Leonardo said.
Di Leonardo says that while it is hard to get an exact number, it is estimated that there are about 500,000 feral cats in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
“One unspayed cat can become dozens in just a year,” Di Leonardo said.
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