Revised 'Community Cat Program' Policy Adopted

The League City Animal Advisory Committee has approved a revised version of the City's Community Cat Program policy, often referred to as TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release). The revisions come after the League City Council asked staff to place the Community Cat Program on hold until the program's policy could be thoroughly reassessed and reviewed.

The newly revised policy was created with the input of American Pets Alive!, a nationally recognized animal welfare agency that conducted a third-party review of the program. AmPA!'s review not only considered the input of the Animal Advisory Committee, but also extensive citizen feedback gathered over a series of months through online surveys, focus groups, workshops, and other engagement activities. In addition, national research on TNR programs was reviewed and considered.

The policy was also reviewed by an additional industry-leading national animal welfare agency- Best Friends Animal Society-who provided a letter of support for League City's Animal Care Program as well as awarded them the Beacon Of No-Kill Excellence Award for their "exemplary commitment to saving all healthy and treatable cats and dogs."

During this time of review, feedback, and research, the Community Cat Program was placed on hold at the request of the League City Council. Now that a revised policy has been approved by the Animal Advisory Committee, the program will be reinstated once staff and volunteers are trained on the changes and additions.

Revisions include:

• Shortening the policy to increase understanding, reduce errors and misinterpretations, and enhance transparency with the League City community.
• Creating a more comprehensive and engaging intake finder questionnaire to be used by staff and volunteers. The questionnaire-which was reviewed by animal protection officers-was developed to be a "more conversational" tool to help guide the shelter in making the best decision for each individual cat that comes to the facility.
• During the intake conversation, the shelter will communicate the benefits of the Community Cat Program and provide informational brochures. Questions have been added to help determine if a cat has been genuinely abandoned/lost.
• Addressing concerns on cats being healthy enough to return to home by researching body score conditions and improving the physical exam upon intake to the shelter.
• Concerns about the community's ability to reclaim personal pets were addressed by holding all found cats for three days, not including intake day, to provide citizens a chance to find their lost pets. After three days, and meeting specific criteria, the cat will be neutered and returned home.
• Creating additional educational and marketing materials to clearly communicate the goals of the program to the community and foster engagement.

Review the revised policy

Click here to watch the League City Animal Shelter Advisory Committee's vote of approval on the revised policy.

Watch the video below from Best Friends Animal Society to learn more about what to do if you encounter a "community cat."

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