CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- For two years, Leslie Beckford said his family has dealt with feral cat issues around their home near Hull Street and Courthouse Road. Beckford said the cat population seems to be growing and said the animals have even had an encounter with their dog.

"They're having litters randomly; finding them in our front porch, back porch," Beckford said. "My dog has already been attacked once by two cats on both directions."

Beckford said he has contacted Chesterfield County Animal Control about the issue, but was told there is nothing they could do. When WTVR CBS 6 reached out to the county, a spokeswoman said they were not able to find any reports or calls for services on that road. However, an animal control officer did come by the house Monday to investigate the issue.

"They said that the county law, when it comes to cats, is kind of an awkward situation because they can't tell the difference between a feral cat and a house cat," said Beckford.

Robin Starr with the Richmond SPCA said feral cats live on their own outdoors quite sufficiently, but she did recommend the trap-neuter-return method if you have feral cats near your house.

"We will spay and neuter them and rabies vaccinate them," she said. "They don't present a risk to human safety."