An aluminum pan of dry, fresh cat food sits in the woods off Highland Avenue.

From beneath overgrown shrubbery, two skittish felines suspiciously eye a passerby before returning to the food bowl.

“A big thank you to whoever cleaned this up,” Kingsboro resident Terri Brown said. “Several weeks ago, we were seeing 25 cats out here and the woods were cluttered with cathouses and feeding bowls.

“Thankfully, someone has removed most of the cats since Christmas.”

The feral cats that had taken up residence in Kingsboro in recent years have been environmentally devastating, she said.

“There was not a bird, insect or garter snake left in those woods,” Brown said, adding that nine cats invaded her backyard last summer.

There is also the bigger impact of the cats’ waste going into local waterways that feed into the Nansemond River, which already has high levels of nitrates, Brown said.

The Suffolk Humane Society — a relatively young organization — used to organize and help fund initiatives to reduce feral cat numbers in the city.

In the past, humane society volunteers trapped feral cats and had them spayed or neutered, tested for feline AIDS and leukemia and vaccinated against rabies. Their ears were clipped, which identified them as having undergone the process with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ SNIP van.

Healthy cats that could be socialized and kittens were placed in foster homes and put up for adoption, said Kay Hurley, a founder and former board member of the Suffolk Humane Society. Healthy, feral cats that were too wild to become pets were usually released where they were found, Hurley said. Then, a caregiver — with written permission from the property owners — went out periodically to check on and feed the cats.

More recently, the humane society — as an organization — has stopped trapping feral cats, said Hannah Adams, a veterinarian and the organization’s new president.

“Currently, the humane society does not have an active role in caring for feral colonies,” Adams said. “We are hurting for volunteers right now.

“We don’t have the volunteer or fiscal resources to sustainably care for a cat population through … the colony’s lifetime.”

The Suffolk Humane Society depends on donations to operate, Hurley added.

A colony can exist for 20 years, even if the animals have been altered, Adams said.

Adams said she doesn’t know how many feral cat colonies are currently in Suffolk. She sees the humane society’s most important role as educating people on the importance of neutering and spaying their cats.

Currently, the city of Suffolk has no ordinances pertaining to cats being at large, said city spokesman Tim Kelley. Per city code, owners are required to have cats vaccinated for rabies, but they do not have to be licensed. There is no limit on the number of cats a person can have.

When homeowners or businesses call in reference to stray or feral cats, Suffolk Animal Control offers to let them use traps, Kelley said. An animal control officer will come out and pick up any animals caught in the traps, he said.

Brown says she believes Suffolk needs to develop city ordinances related to cats.

“We used to be rural but Suffolk — particularly North Suffolk — is growing and becoming more densely populated,” Brown said. “We can’t let cat populations get out of control.”