CONTACT: Mark Evans at (409) 845-4645 or [email protected].
Slater may be reached at (409) 845-2828 or [email protected].
COLLEGE STATION -- In the underbelly of Texas A&M University lurk hundreds of stray cats, and scientists are hoping these cats will teach them how to better manage stray animal populations living in urban areas. It is estimated that as many as 500 cats live on the 800-acre Texas A&M University campus, and scientists are launching a project to identify these cats and develop strategies for controlling their numbers. The cats live in the Kyle Field football stadium, near residence halls and campus cafeterias. Texas A&M veterinary epidemiologist Margaret Slater theorizes that some were pets whose owners dumped them on campus, others were the pets of students and still others are the result of years of inbreeding among the existing campus cat population. Slater said the program will not only give the university a chance to learn more about the cats living on its campus but also will provide scientists with the chance to compare the behaviors of cats living in different environments. "There have been feral cats, cats whose owners are unknown, on campus for at least 20 years," she said. "This is our first opportunity to do something proactive to get a grip on it, improve their quality of life, decrease the source of those cats and do kind of a cool program." Universities such as Stanford, Louisiana State and the University of Texas use similar programs to control campus cat populations. Texas A&M's program will be the first to use radio transmitters to study cat behavior, Slater said. Slater and first-year veterinary student Dawn Fradkin are working with Texas A&M's Physical Plant to organize efforts to start capturing some of the cats later this summer. Fourth-year veterinary students will spay/neuter, test for disease and vaccinate the cats before the animals are re-released on campus. Some of the cats also will be fitted with radio collars so researchers can track their movements around campus. "The more we know about them the more likely we are to be able to modify the management programs so that they work better, to see whether there are other kinds of health problems we need to worry about, and to understand some of the risks, such as people being bitten," Slater said. The more tame cats and kittens will be put up for adoption instead of being returned to the campus. Meanwhile, Slater, the Aggie Feral Cat Alliance of Texas, which is led by Fradkin, and a group of local volunteers will put together educational materials on responsible pet ownership for Texas A&M students, faculty and staff. Texas A&M's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science also will assist the project with using radio transmitters to track cats.
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