Tuesday, April 30, 2024
A meeting room full of local residents and regional volunteers concerned about Gatesville's prolific feral cat population visited the Gatesville City Council during a recent meeting to let city leaders know what is being done – and what else can be done – to address this problem.
Helping Gatesville address the rampant feral cat issue is volunteer Cody Courtain of Killen, who said his goal is to help end animal overpopulation in areas where the Trap Neuter Release program is underutilized.
Assisting him with those efforts is Natalie Lord of Granite Shoals, who works as a veterinarian with Hope Animal Clinic in Marble Falls. Both Courtain and Lord spoke to the Gatesville City Council and talked about the feral cat concern in Gatesville.
"Cat overpopulation is a crisis," Courtain said. He added that the nonprofit group he works with sterilized 250 cats last year. Already this year, 88 cats and three dogs have been sterilized through the nonprofit's efforts.
"I have worked closely with local vets and vets from outside the area through the Trap Neuter and Release program," Courtain said. "This is a humane solution for cat overpopulation. Gatesville has a serious cat overpopulation concern. You can't drive down any road and not have a cat not run out in front of you. We are seeking a change of (city) ordinance to support what we're doing."
He said the nonprofit relies on donations and grants to help make a difference in communities.
Dr. Lord said decreasing the feral cat population would be beneficial to the community, and that the TNR program is an alternative to animal euthanasia.
"As a veterinarian I sign an oath not just to protect animal lives but also human lives," she said. Cats that are reached through the TNR program are also given rabies vaccinations, which makes the community safer, she said.
While communities might have a ban in place which prohibits feeding stray cats, these bans are often ineffective, but the TNR program can make a real difference, Lord said.
Gatesville attorney Mary Jane Zeigler also spoke to the Council about the importance of addressing the feral cat issue.
"Everybody is aware Gatesville has a cat problem," she said. "People are spending a lot of money and time to help change this. We know what to do and how to do it.
"What we want is a formal acknowledgement of the problem, and we think it's worth spending money on a low-cost solution."
Mayor Gary Chumley said just as with other concerns, "We didn't get in the shape overnight," and he added that he has seen people make significant financial contributions to help address the local feral cat problem.
"It's a health issue, and we want a humane solution," Zeigler said.
Because the issue was discussed during the citizens forum part of the meeting and was not an official agenda item, the Council was unable to take action during the July 26 meeting.
The feral cat concern is scheduled to be placed on the Council agenda for Sept. 13.
The Council is currently preparing a budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year, and Councilwoman Barbara Burrow has asked for funding to be considered to help address the feral cat concern in Gatesville.
