Felines run rampant in one Cleveland neighborhood

CLEVELAND - If you're looking for a cat, try Slavic Village. Residents of Hosmer Street say they're overrun with cats. Wild cats.

"There's just cats dropping kittens everywhere," resident Rosa Hilberling said. "There's people that drop litters off over here."

Amy Beichler, executive director of PAWS Ohio, is trying to help. She trapped three cats Wednesday afternoon that will be spayed or neutered and then returned. She said one female and its offspring can produce thousands of other cats.

"That's why we have a problem," she said.

By spaying or neutering cats, you're also helping to keep other strays away from the neighborhood.

"When you take the urge for them to multiply out of the equation, then they want to protect their food sources. So they're chasing off others because they don't need them anymore," Beichler said.

PAWS Ohio, which stands for Public Animal Welfare Society of Ohio, has spayed and neutered 549 cats over the past two to three years in Slavic Village, preventing 220 births. The project is being made possible with a grant from Petsmart Charities.

There is also a low cost spay/neuter program offered by the Animal Protective League. For details, check out  http://5.wews.com/KCv