The Evansville City Council has legalized trap, neuter, and release programs for feral cats in the city.
The council approved the ordinance 8-0 after hearing from residents concerned about animal welfare and the ever-growing number of cats roaming the city.
Vanderburgh Humane Society Director Kendall Paul tells WNIN that the ordinance is a good first step toward getting more people and agencies involved in trap, neuter, and release.
Paul says TNR programs humanely trap cats, get them spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and then returned to their neighborhood. The surgeon clips the tip of the cat’s ear to mark it as “fixed.”
City Council President Dan Adams says TNR programs will also reduce costs for the city’s animal control agency, which picks up feral cats, shelters them, and frequently has to euthanize them.