Alamo Heights hopes the trap-neuter-release program will cut down on the feral cat population. Courtesy photo

Alamo Heights City Council members have approved community-wide trap-neuter-release program designed to control the city’s feral cat population.

The measure – first discussed in earnest late last year during a previous council meeting — was passed during the council’s Feb. 11 meeting. A trap-neuter-return (TNR) program is seen as a more humane and inexpensive measure than euthanasia of the wild felines, officials have said.

The proposed TNR program also is expected to save the city money. From 2005 to 2007, the city spent more than $6,270 to trap or impound pets destined for euthanasia, according to municipal estimates.

At their Oct. 8 meeting, city council members heard from animal advocates and residents detailing the feline scourge. Alamo Heights veterinarian Shannon Espy detailed the presence of various cat colonies throughout the city, including the area near the intersection of Rosemary and Buttercup and underneath the Alamo Heights High School.

Under a TNR program, stray and feral cats are humanely trapped, evaluated, vaccinated and ear-tipped for later identification. Among trapped animals, kittens and tame felines would be adopted out while healthy animals too wild to be adopted would be returned to their habitats under close supervision of volunteers.

In a Feb. 22 interview, Alamo Heights Police Chief Rick Pruitt said the TNR program would begin in the next 30 days. In his dual role as the city code animal warden for the city, Pruitt will oversee the program which, in turn, will be run by animal care services.

“Feral cats have always been a concern to residents here,” Pruitt said. The TNR program will not only help reduce their numbers, but sterilization also should mitigate related annoyances, he added: “You also get rid of a lot of the fighting, the yowling, the territorial issues, the spraying that male cats do. All of it is diminished through the TNR program.”

In passing the measure, city officials opted to undertake organized trapping sessions rather than random ones. Practicing the latter was deemed impractical given the chance a veterinarian might be unavailable for sterilization. Better coordinated organized trappings were seen as more effective, Pruitt said.

“We also have to make sure there is availability at the clinic to have the animal trapped and neutered,” Pruitt said of his preference for organized trappings. “We may even find ourselves having to release animals on sight if there’s no room for them.”

As far as the traps themselves, several types will be used, Pruitt said. More commonly will be a wire mesh trap with a trap door – not unlike the stick-and-string traps seen in cartoons, but decidedly more effective, he said in the way of a comparison.

In addition to decreasing feral cat numbers, the TNR program also would realize the city financial savings, Pruitt said: “We can have a cat sterilized or vaccinated for $30 to $50 versus it costing more than $100 to hold one for the required amount of time and then have it euthanized.”