By Danny Axelrod
Colonies of feral, aka wild, cats are overtaking the Las Vegas Valley. They have established themselves in residential apartments and neighborhoods, casino parking structures and local parks. The Thomas & Mack Center uses them to keep rodents out of their production prop storage. The MGM Grand has them in the basement of their parking garage. Sam’s Town has the oldest colony on record, having been there for 13 years, according to a local nonprofit group.
One outlaw cat was recently discovered in a drain line at CityCenter. Luckily, he was rescued, neutered and placed with a rescue home by the concerned volunteers at Spay our Strays (SOS), one of a handful of nonprofit organizations mobilized to tackle the growing problem. “In the past 10 years, over 30,000 have been trapped, sterilized, vaccinated and then returned to their territories where they live in family groups known as colonies,” says SOS spokesperson Shirley Braverman. “Their right ear is tipped to let their dedicated caretaker keep a proper census and recognize newcomers.”
While that may sound like good procedure, this population’s impact on the local environment is manifold. Clark County Animal Control, as well as its counterparts in the surrounding municipalities, is concerned with the health concerns that accompany these feral fur balls—rabies and parasites such as ringworm.
Then there’s the poop. “A colony of 20 cats will produce somewhere in the area of 1,800 gallons of feces a year,” cites Joe Boteilho of Clark County Animal Control.
“The same number will produce roughly 900 gallons of urine a year. The proponents of TNR [trap, neuter and release] programs fail to address the issue of animal waste. This issue is further complicated by our arid climate, which lacks the bacteria in the soil necessary to break down the components of the urine of these cats. The ammonia smell produced is generally the greatest concern of the public at large.”
Braverman is having none of it. “The only disease that comes with their waste is T. gondii [Toxoplasma gondii is another parasite, actually], and that is harmless, except for an animal with extreme immune deficiencies,” she counters. “[There has been] no record of T. gondii or rabies in Nevada from a cat, ever.”
Getting past the back and forth from both sides of this issue, one may ask: Why not just round them all up and get rid of them? Besides the local shortage of experienced cat herders, and the fact that no one wants to be associated with a mini “cat holocaust,” the feral cats just so happen to do their part in the food chain, keeping the local Norwegian brown rat population under control. “They serve as the new ‘green’ cheap, non-toxic, self sustaining solution to rodent control,” says Braverman. “You usually don’t see them because they are nocturnal, as is their prey.” Unfortunately, the next links in the food chain are coyotes, and they simply aren’t coming down to roam the streets of Vegas at night.
What should residents do? It depends on whom you ask. Clark County Animal Control’s stance is for the citizenry to be aware of local ordinances regarding feral cats, not encourage colonies by feeding them unless you want to assume responsibility for long-term care and be vigilant in protecting private property, most notably car hoods where cats like to rest and keep warm.
“We have no tips on the stray cats spraying on cars other than keep your vehicle garaged,” says Boteilho. Braverman says: “The cats are here; get used to them. They aren’t going away any more than the rodents are going away. We’ll show you the most humane, cheapest and easiest way to deal with them.”