SATcats and Other Scat

San Antonio City Council unanimously approved changes to Chapter 5 of the City Municipal Code yesterday (see story at http://tinyurl.com/2jtfyb). The ordinance change modernizes and cleans up the entire code, legalizes progressive life-saving techniques like Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), closes loopholes in the state's cruelty laws, makes licensing free as a way of collecting information to reunite lost pets with their families, creates an Excess Animal Permit to allow families who take good care of their pets to keep more than the limit, and a whole host of other important improvements. The revised code that was approved is published at http://tinyurl.com/2kf4t7.

A significant change that the code revision added was to introduce Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) as the method for controlling free-roaming cats (not mentioned in the news article cited above). Last week Houston city council approved a similar ordinance change. Now, San Antonio has joined the ranks of progressive cities to address the feral cat population control problem in a humane way. This is huge.

Portions of the code revision that relate to feral cats are as follows:

ARTICLE I. IN GENERAL

Sec. 5-1. Definitions.

Cat colony means a colony of free-roaming (homeless, stray, wild or untamed) cats that has been registered with the Department and is maintained by a colony caretaker (who provides food, water and shelter) using trap, neuter and return methodology.

Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) program shall mean a nonlethal, humane alternative to deal with the stray cats which are captured, altered and returned back to their location in order to encourage the stabilization of the free-roaming cat population in the City.

ARTICLE V. ANIMAL LICENSES AND PERMITS

Sec. 5-108. Litter permit.

(e) This Section does not apply to caretakers of feral cat colonies and rescuers affiliated with recognized rescue organizations registered with the Department.

Sec. 5-115. Cat colony permit and registration.

(a) Each cat colony will be registered by the caretakers with the Department or its designee which will serve as a clearinghouse for information on current caretakers, education for new caretakers, and assistance for persons found in violation of this Section. Cat colonies with eight (8) or fewer cats are not required to be registered as a cat colony.

(b) Any feral cat picked up by the Department which has an appropriate ear tip will be returned to that colony unless veterinary care is required or the criteria listed in subsection (d) apply.

(c) Caretakers of feral cat colonies shall obtain a cat colony permit and implement proper management and sterilization practices as required by the Department. Any person or caretaker determined to be in violation of proper management and sterilization practices required by the Department shall be issued a written warning and be allowed a period of time to come into compliance, or provide satisfactory evidence of working to achieve compliance. That period of time shall not exceed ninety (90) days from issuance of the initial warning notice. Failure to comply shall result in a violation of this Chapter, which may result in the issuance of a citation.

(d) The Department has the right to immediately seize and remove all, or parts of any colony for the following reasons:

(1) Public health and public safety concerns including rabies, other epizootic and certain zoonoses identified by the Department of Health; or

(2) Animals creating a public nuisance as defined in Section 5-150.

ARTICLE VII. OWNER RESPONSIBILITY; NUISANCES; IMPOUNDMENT

Sec. 5-154. Impounding abandoned or unrestrained animals.

(a) The Director may order the seizure and impoundment of any abandoned animal as defined in this Chapter. Disposition of said seized and impounded abandoned animals shall be in accordance with Sections 5-157, 5-158, and 5-159 of this Code. Any trap, neuter and return (TNR) program that has been registered with the Department shall not constitute a violation of this Section.