AUBURN The wild cats and the crows, estimated at 50,000, are such a nuisance that the City Council Thursday night set aside up to $10,000 to do something about them. What will be done? It will be up to a committee to suggest the right measures. Councilors unanimously agreed to set aside the money to control the numbers of cats, crows and other animals causing problems.

As expected, Councilor David Dempsey, who voted against the idea two weeks ago, raised the issue again Thursday, saying he wanted the money to go to crows and other animals, not just cats.

Mayor Melina Carnicelli's proposal to allocate up to $10,000 in city money to help control Auburn's feral cat population was defeated in a 3-2 vote two weeks ago.

Before Thursdays vote, two people a local wildlife expert and the owner of an Oswego pest-control company expressed concerns with plans to control the feral cats through neutering. Walt Aikman, an environmental instructor at Cayuga Community College, and Mike Sweeney, who recently got rid of problem crows in Cortland, said cats are natural killers.

A cat hunts and kills between four and 100 small birds a year, Aikman said. He also contended the method of trapping, neutering and releasing feral cats as a way to control population doesn't work.

But Alicia McKeen, a member of the local Feral Cats Friends group, disagreed. If they are neutered, cat populations decrease through natural progression of age, disease and predators, getting hit by cars and other ways. She also blamed irresponsible owners who let their cats go when they no longer want them.

The population is not going down, and the only hope for feral cats is us, she said.

Feral Cat Friends, a group of about 30 members, maintains wild cats should be trapped, neutered and released -- a process called 'TNR.' In the three years since it was founded, the group has spayed or neutered about 1,100 cats locally. The group stages several clinics a year, enlisting the aid of volunteers and local veterinarians who donate their time.

Cat activists contend one unfixed female feline can produce as many as 20 offspring in a year. After five years, that one original unfixed female could result in between 5,000 and 6,000 cats being born. They also say there are several feral-cat colonies in Auburn, some numbering more than 60, near west-side factories, along Owasco Outlet and in a wooded area near the Arterial.

In October, the mayor suggested the city use a three-prong strategy to attack nuisance animal problems, including hiring an animal-cruelty officer. Acting on a suggestion by Republican Bill Jacobs, Carnicelli formed an advisory committee to handle an array of city animal issues.

Before the vote, Jacobs asked for a change in the wording of the resolution to specifically mention fowl, to make sure the crow problem would get the necessary attention. He also urged the mayor to quickly appoint members of the animal committee so they could start studying the problems soon.

Sweeney also offered his services to get rid of the crows, saying his work in Cortland has paid off. Using pyrotechnic equipment on three different nights, he was able to move the thousands of crows there, Sweeney said.

Crows come back every year. They're smart, Sweeney said. It'll be interesting if they respond to the project.

Every year, between 40,000 and 60,000 crows roost in Auburn, leaving droppings, making noise and causing havoc throughout the city. The city's crow problem is so unique it was the subject of a Natural Geographic program a few years ago.

To reach Staff Writer Craig Fox, call 253-5311, Ext. 237.