Not all of them are strays who just showed up. As a matter of fact, not even most of them.
Unfortunately, cat boarders are so out of touch with reality that they fail to seek out and utilize the free/low cost spay/ neuter options available in practically any area of this country.
Some make the excuse that taking them to a vet to get fixed costs too much. But the plain fact of the matter is that most locations in the US whether urban or rural have clinics and organizations that arrange it for free or $20–50 at the highest. And compared to traditional Vets, that is dirt cheap. Even the most cursory of inquiries will yield contacts as these organizations advertise widely and often, especially around kitten season.
It would cost so much more than that for food and cat litter for all those born from the neglect to spay/neuter. But these people are obviously bereft of logic.
You can’t allow cats to rampantly reproduce and NOT end up with unmanageable totals. No one starts out to be a crazy cat person but just letting nature take it’s course will have that result.
And every time there is one of these cases on the news, the one thing that is not widely publicized but is invariably the case, is that the majority of these cats are unadoptable and must be euthanized.
Living in such e trend crowding produces very poorly socialized cats. The majority have the same personalities as ferel cats or worse.
People think they’re being kind and rescuing these cats but cooling them up in overcrowded conditions is hardly kind. When eventually discovered, it dooms them to death.
All around, a very sad situation.