Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
12 <br /> Xterw- <br /> Orange <br /> e County seeks feral-cat `fix' with barn- <br /> cat birth control <br /> BY OHRIE HASEGAWA <br /> NOVEMBER 19,2018 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 /> A - <br />