A small population of feral cats has been spotted on Penn State's campus -- and they're more dangerous than most people might think, university officials said Wednesday.
The pack of cats, which has been seen near the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, descended from domestic cats released into the wild generations ago, university spokeswoman Lisa Powers said.
"Feral cats have been born in the wild, live in the wild and have never been domesticated," Powers said. "They can be aggressive, adverse to human contact and are much more likely to scratch and bite than domesticated cats."
Feral cats are easily confused with house cats but can be antagonistic when approached, potentially spreading diseases.
"They are a cause for concern for the health and safety of employees, visitors and the children at the daycare center in that area," Powers said.
Risks include the spread of Cat Scratch Disease (CSD), a bacterial infection. Most people with CSD were recently scratched or bitten by a cat and develop a mild infection at the point of injury, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But encounters can be more dangerous. Those who are bitten or scratched by the feral cats may be at risk for tetanus and rabies, and the feces of feral cats may carry parasites, including roundworms, hookworms and ringworm.
After receiving word of the cats, the university's Office of Environmental Health and Safety and members of an Animal Response Team worked to solve the problem. They plan to relocate the pack with the help of the local Humane Society, dispatching a pest company to snare the feral felines.
The university is also removing food sources that may be attracting the cats.
"We discovered that some individuals may have been feeding these feral cats," Powers said. "We have now asked them to stop feeding them for the safety of our campus community."
Powers said those in State College should refrain from releasing pets into the wild because of the threat these animals may cause to the community in the future.
"Cats are able to breed when they are six months old, and a pair of breeding cats, which can have two or more litters per year, can exponentially produce 420,000 offspring over a seven-year period," Powers said. "People who have pets are not doing them any favors by 'freeing' them."
