Feral cats spur coyote population in Pasco

LAND O' LAKES - Pasco County officials say one wildlife problem may lead to one that is even worse.

They say that development is pushing wild, feral cats into neighborhoods, where people see them and feed them.

As a result, they worry that instead of dying off naturally, the cats are becoming a food source for coyotes, leading the coyote population to flourish.

"They will attack if they have no fear of humans and they're hungry or they're rabid," said wildlife trapper David Lueck.

While there have been no coyote-on-human attacks traced to Pasco's feral cat population boom, animal control officials want it to stay that way.So they are making feral cat traps available to Pasco residents.

"The citizens can come in and borrow a trap for free, we loan that out for seven days at a time, so they can trap the cats and bring them in to us," said Kevin Mallory, with Pasco County Animal Services.