Feral cats are a frequent problem on the streets of New Orleans.

Though most feral cats are harmless, some are potentially dangerous to household cats. A feral cat may carry diseases, have fleas, and may even be aggressive.

Caroline Comerford, who lives in the Uptown area, has noticed the problem in her neighborhood.

“There’s one cat that’s been hanging out for the past year or so, but recently we’ve noticed that it’s ear has been bitten off,” says Comerford.

For cat owners like her, it makes her uneasy even taking her cat, Nyx, out for a walk.

The cats are a real problem to Uptown residents, and groups of them can be found living under buildings and fighting throughout the night.

To help remedy the problem, the non-profit the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LASPCA) offers Trap-Neuter-Return. The program enlists volunteers to go into neighborhoods, trap the feral cats, and neuter them. Eventually, they can be brought back into the neighborhoods.

Heather Rigney, the LASPCA’s feral cat coordinator, believes the program will correct the problem over time.

“The Trap-Neuter-Return process not only stabilizes the cat population, but it reduces the problem behaviors. It makes the animals healthier and safer from a public health perspective to be around,” says Rigney.

The LASPCA says the program is working. Last year they performed more than 3,000 feral surgeries, keeping feral cats from reproducing and making it safer for all the cats in the neighborhood.