“We had to stop trapping [cats] because our vets ran out of anesthetic to put the animals down”

Terrytown is a village in Scottsbluff county Nebraska US. The councillors imposed stricter controls on feral cats. The title tells you what the stricter controls mean. The Humane Society trapped 30 feral cats during March and April and the local police department trapped another 32 in a place bordering Terrytown.

Handsome feral cat

This town has the same discussion as perhaps any other town in the US. There are organizations advocating trapping and neutering of feral cats. Local authorities sometimes prefer eradicating them. Expediency is probably the reason.

Residents don’t want feral cats back after trap and neuter

Cats are released to the place where they came from after being trapped and neutered. In Terrytown, residents say that they don’t want the cats back. Currently, in consultations with councilors there appears to be no resolution to this difficulty. It’s the first time I’ve heard this particular problem arising in discussions about TNR. And it’s quite a good point which I think needs further discussion. Residents’ attitude has an impact on the decision-making process of the councilors.

Sterilized feral cat become easier targets for predators than non-sterilized cats. The councillors argue that this is one reason why they do not believe in TNR.

Councillors also argue the usual point which is that when you put feral cats back where they came from they continue to prey on birds which I have to presume means that councilors consider birds to be more important as a species than cats.

Local authorities nowadays opt for TNR programs to control feral cat numbers and Terrytown is an exception.

Source: Star Herald.