LONG ISLAND (WABC) — The impacts of the harsh winter weather are being felt by animal rescue groups on Long Island.<\/p>\n
The bitter cold and snow made it tough for groups to get out and spay or neuter feral cats.<\/p>\n
Now, many are concerned that a boom in the feral cat population could have a big impact for years to come.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Experts warn that the extreme winter weather hindered their ability to trap free-roaming cats.<\/p>\n
“The snow and cold pose a big challenge to rescue these animals,” John DeBacker with Long Island Cat\/Kitten Solution Rescue said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“We are going to see a big uptick because we haven’t been able to do that for a few months,” Di Leonardo said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“One unspayed cat can become dozens in just a year,” Di Leonardo said.<\/p>\n
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