Conroe City Council pauses trap-neuter-return proposal for further review

Conroe City Council members Feb. 26 weighed whether to allow a trap-neuter-return program for feral cats, an item supporters said could reduce shelter intake and euthanasia rates.

What happened

The agenda item proposed amending the city’s animal ordinance to formally allow a TNR program, which would permit approved caregivers and organizations to humanely trap, vaccinate, sterilize and return free-roaming cats to where they were found.

Conroe Police Chief Jon Buckholtz told council the proposal comes as the Conroe Animal Shelter has worked to improve outcomes and recently achieved a no-kill status. He said managing the city’s growing feral cat population is one of the next challenges.

Veterinarian Jennifer Money told council that current ordinances prevent volunteers and the shelter from returning sterilized cats within city limits, forcing animal control officers to relocate them elsewhere.

Cats can reproduce year-round in Texas, she said, and hundreds are trapped annually and held at the shelter before relocation. Allowing TNR would shift some of that workload to trained residents and rescue groups while reducing long-term population growth, Money said.

Feline specialist Kira Ramdas said removal-only strategies often backfire because new cats move into cleared areas, a phenomenon she described as the “vacuum effect.” She said TNR programs in other communities have reduced colony populations by roughly 25%-30% over several years.

Money and Ramdas both pointed to state law recognizing trap-neuter-return as a nonlethal population-control method when animals are sterilized, vaccinated and ear-tipped before release.

What they’re saying

Council members asked questions about enforcement, public safety and how a managed colony system would operate. The proposed ordinance would exempt ear-tipped community cats from impoundment unless medical care is required and establish a registered caregiver program through the city shelter.

While several officials acknowledged the potential benefits, the council stopped short of taking action.

No vote was taken on the ordinance. City Administrator Gary Scott is expected to evaluate operational, legal and policy implications before the proposal returns to the council agenda.