Tiger is the neighborhood cat. He's at your front door at every opportunity and has no identification. So you'd like to keep him, or at least feed him and give him a place to sleep at night.

You can find cats like Tiger just about anywhere: peeking out from under a trash bin, or taking up residence under your back porch.

In an independent study, Ward Research found that 17 percent of respondents, or 46,000 people, are feeding cats that they do not consider their own.

One cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in seven years. Many people feed neighborhood cats or take them to a veterinarian, but they do not realize this contributes to the overpopulation problem. The next step is to take responsibility and get the cats sterilized.

Sterilization is a simple procedure that extends the life of felines and reduces overpopulation. In addition to decreasing the homeless cat population, sterilization has many positive effects.

Neutered males will not develop prostate disease, are less aggressive and less likely to roam, which means fewer fights and traffic dangers. The likelihood of spraying and fighting declines, making them better companions.

Spaying eliminates a female's risk of developing life-threatening mammary cancer and uterine infections.

For cats that spend time outdoors, it's also the law. Since 1995, a city ordinance requires all at-large cats six months and older to be sterilized. On O'ahu, identification is required for all cats older than six months, whether kept indoors or allowed outside.

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