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e era � un <br /> Orange County seeks feral - cat `fix ' with barn - <br /> cat birth control <br /> BY OHRIE HASEGAWA <br /> NOVEMBER 1 J , 2018 06: 00 AM <br /> Orange County assists in controlling an abundance of barn cats <br /> CHAPEL HILL <br /> At first glance , Teer Farm is still and quiet . The only discernible activity comes from a herd of <br /> Holstein cows strolling along the pond. <br /> But then the farm comes to life : two cats appear from behind a bush , and one approaches the <br /> house . Yet another dashes beneath the porch . Long-haired cats and short-haired cats . . <br /> Tabbies , gray and black cats . <br /> These are the barn cats of Teer Farm . <br /> Barn cats keep a farm's rodent population in check. Because rats and mice can feed on crops <br /> and transmit disease , the cats are critical to a healthy farm. <br /> When cats are left unsterilized and free to roam, however, they can multiply at an alarming <br /> rate . And a farmer's rodent problem can quickly become a feline - overpopulation problem . <br /> " [The cats] take over, " said Sarah Holt, owner of Teer Farm . <br /> At one point, she had more than 6o cats on the farm between her house , the barn , and her <br /> parents ' house . Adding to the problem, she said, were people dropping off their unwanted <br /> cats , assuming they would be taken care of. <br /> r <br />