Texas Tech researchers set up cameras in Lubbock to search for wildlife in town and were surprised to discover as many as 60,000 cat images.

There is a new course of research from the Texas Tech University Natural Resources Management Department. I spoke with Professor Warren Conway and Masters Program Researcher Chris Carter about the project and what he's hoping to accomplish.

They were surprised to discover how many cats are running around on our streets.

"In a little over 500,000 images, we've seen upwards of 50,000 or 60,000 cats, images of cats, usually a lot of times the same ones, but a lot of, lot of, lot of cats," Carter said.

He said because often pet cats are not collared, it's difficult to tell if they are feral.

Should you be concerned about letting your cat outside? Carter said it was a concern and recommended a first step would be to at least keep their food indoors and try to keep your cats inside as well.

He said it's estimated that annually both feral and pet cats are responsible for 1.6 billion bird deaths a year.

He added that the cats out there are doing great and are not going hungry. "There is no danger to cats going extinct any time soon," he joked.

The researchers are in the process of setting up a website. In the meantime, they are looking for the public's help with tracking wildlife in and around town. You can email pictures, including place and time, to ttu.urbanwildlife@gmail.com.

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