Concerned residents grow wary after animal trap set up in Raleigh neighborhood

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Nextdoor post from a Northeast Raleigh neighborhood is causing some controversy.

A concerned resident warned cat owners that a neighbor put a trap outside her home in Northeast Raleigh. Several neighbors responded upset.

"Animals don't know boundaries and they don't follow the same lines that we follow so somebody's cat could end up in the trap," said Dr. Sandra Strong, Chief Vet of the Wake County Animal Center. "We always encourage neighbors to be good neighbors, know your neighbors, talk about animals in the community."

Dr. Strong said traps can be stressful for cats and if they try to escape, they can get minor injuries, but that they are humane and can actually help curb the population of feral and stray cats.

Raleigh Animal Control said requests for cat traps account for 18 percent of their call volume. They put them out as a free service.

At Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh, a no-kill animal shelter that's adopted out nearly 11,000 felines, they loan out cat traps.

Founder and President of Safe Haven, Pam Miller, said you should put food in the traps. Cats will step on a plate that closes the door so the cat is caught safely and doesn't get hurt. Then, cover the trap with a towel or blanket so the cat can stay calm. The cat should then be spayed and neutered and have their rabies shots before releasing them where they came from.

"One of the things that we advocate is the humane trapping of those kitties to get them spayed and neutered," Miller said. "If we get them spayed and neutered, we'll have less cats out there."

Miller estimates there are more than 100,000 feral and stray cats in the Triangle.

The neighbor who put the trap out in Northeast Raleigh declined to talk to ABC11 but posted on Nextdoor that it was put out for a raccoon that was acting funny and reminded residents that Wake County has a leash law for cats.