Volunteers trap flood cats to keep population in check

A black cat peers sentinel-like from an attic window of a flood-damaged home.

Younger cats cautiously emerge from hiding spots after volunteers place pungent sardines outside the home in cages.

“It's a kitten,” volunteer Emily Parker whispers under her breath, watching from a distance. “Go in the trap, baby.”

The sight of numerous kittens is evidence of a need for the volunteers' purpose: controlling the number of cats in the city.

Six Iowa Humane Alliance volunteers trapped cats Saturday in the Time Check neighborhood.

Their goal for the weekend is to catch 30 cats that will be spayed or neutered. Those deemed friendly - mostly kittens - are put up for adoption. Others considered feral, or wild, are returned to where they were found.

Judy Patterson, 58, of Cedar Rapids, found a white pregnant cat that gave birth to kittens in May. Patterson, who was among Saturday's volunteers, is looking for homes for the five kittens.

Supporters say the trap-neuter-release program is the best way to control the number of cats roaming the city. Estimates put that number in the thousands, exacerbated by last year's epic flood that left cats breeding in vacant houses.

The cats serve a purpose in keeping rodent populations in check, but Cedar Rapids has not formally approved the trap-neuter-return program.