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Port Washington -- Wild cats are invading Port Washington's southwest side, and officials said Thursday that people are to blame for feeding them.

"It starts when one cat comes around, and someone sees it, thinks it's cute and leaves food out for it," Police Chief Edward Rudolph said. "That cat finds a friend, and they have kittens. They reproduce quickly. The next thing you know, you have a whole bunch."

For several weeks, police have been getting reports of wild cats hanging around the Hickory Court and Highway LL area, Rudolph said.

Rudolph said the cats are flea-bitten, dangerous, most likely diseased animals that need to be controlled.

"These cats are totally wild," he said. "They were born in the wild. They haven't had their shots, and they could have diseases like distemper and rabies. They kill birds, dig up gardens and can be a danger to children."

Many of the residents in the area have been complaining about the cats for several weeks, Rudolph said.

No one is sure where the cats are coming from, but they are reproducing quickly, Rudolph said.

No one is sure how many cats are in the area, said veterinarian Annamarie Dittmar, who handles stray animals for the city. They are impossible to count because they hide very well.

"We have one of the wild cats hiding in my office right now," Dittmar said. "Two got loose. We captured one right away, but the other is still hiding.

"It is clawing up my shelves and spraying everywhere. It wants to get out anyway it can. This guy has made me think some unprofessional thoughts."

Dittmar is the only human casualty so far in the feline fray. She was bitten on the hand when she was trying to remove one of the wild ones from a cage. The cat was tested for rabies, which turned out to be negative.

Make no mistake, Dittmar said, what happened to her was an example of what could happen to anyone who approaches these cats. There is no way they can be socialized.

"You pretty much have to get them before they are weaned at six weeks, or it is too late," Dittmar said.

Any of the cats that are trapped are immediately euthanized, Dittmar said. Normally stray animals are kept for five days and then put down if no one claims them, but there is no point in waiting with these cats, she said.

# posted by Medical Information : 1:58 AM