As Orange County animal shelters prepare for the peak kitten season, the county-run shelter continues to refuse to implement catch and release services for feral cats.
Trap, neuter, and release (TNR) is a process that involves trapping feral or community cats living outside, spaying or neutering them to prevent further reproduction, and then returning the cats to their original location since they are not socialized to humans.
Across the country, animal shelters and municipal care centers offer catch and release services to help manage feral cat populations and reduce overcrowding in shelters.
Though cats give birth year-round, their reproductive cycles typically begin around March and last through October, resulting in an increase in kittens during the spring and summer months.
OC Animal Care previously offered TNR services before the COVID-19 pandemic but discontinued the program due to concerns that releasing cats back into the community might be viewed as animal abandonment, a practice that is illegal.
For years, activists have been pushing for the shelter to reinstate TNR services to help manage the growing population of kittens and feral cats on the streets.
In 2023, the OC Grand Jury also raised concerns about the lack of catch and release services during an investigation.
“The Grand Jury’s investigation determined that termination of the TNR program had detrimental consequences for the welfare of the animals under the shelter’s care,” the report stated. “The elimination of the TNR program also contributed to significant public dissatisfaction and strained the relationship between the shelter and the community, including rescue organizations.”
A legal case in neighboring San Diego County could have implications for Orange County regarding the legality of trap and release programs.
Orange County officials have pointed to a lawsuit in San Diego County as an example of the potential legal challenges that catch and release programs may face.
The case ultimately centered on which cats can be legally trapped, spayed or neutered, and returned to the community.
In December, a San Diego County Superior Court judge ruled against the San Diego Humane Society, concluding that the organization’s community cats program illegally included domesticated cats in its trap and release services.
The San Diego Humane Society, contracted by San Diego County for animal services, runs a community cats program that spays and neuters free-roaming, outdoor cats and then returns them to their homes outdoors.
The Humane Society defined community cats to include both feral and friendly cats that live outside without clear ownership.
However, Judge Katherine Bacal ruled that the inclusion of domesticated cats in the program was illegal, and those cats should be given a chance for adoption in a shelter.
“The Court finds that including domesticated cats in the definition of community cats and returning them to the community without a known caretaker would violate the law,” Bacal said during a court hearing on December 20, according to a transcript.
The judge did not extend these concerns to feral cats.
“Domestic would seem to me not feral,” Bacal said. “Under the statutes, feral means unsocialized to people.”
Nina Thompson, a spokesperson for the San Diego Humane Society, confirmed the organization would continue with a modified version of its community cats program but declined to provide details on the changes.
The Pet Assistance Foundation, a Southern California-based nonprofit advocating for spay and neuter services, led the charge in the lawsuit against the San Diego Humane Society.
Sharon Logan, an Orange County resident and one of the original plaintiffs in the lawsuit, emphasized that the litigation focused solely on healthy, adoptable cats being returned to the community.
Logan stated that she fully supports TNR programs for feral cats, adding that she has spent years advocating for Orange County to reinstate TNR services for non-adoptable feral cats.
“We are 100% for tried-and-true TNR for feral cats,” Logan said. “It’s much needed. It helps control the population and prevents unwanted litters.”
Logan clarified that their opposition is directed at shelters and organizations labeling healthy, adoptable cats as community cats to improve live release rates.
OC Animal Care’s website also notes that feral cats are unsocialized, undomesticated, and cannot be placed for adoption.
Shelter officials maintain that catch and release services are illegal and do not offer such services for any type of cat, whether feral or not.
Alexa Pratt, a spokesperson for OC Animal Care, stated that the county has been closely monitoring the court case in San Diego.
“OC Animal Care has been advised by counsel that the ruling in this case aligns with the current position that releasing unowned cats into the community is prohibited by law,” Pratt wrote in a statement on February 14.
OC Supervisor Janet Nguyen, who returned to the board in November, has previously called for reforms at OC Animal Care and introduced two state bills to address animal shelter management transparency during her time in the California State Senate last year.
One of those bills aimed to ensure TNR programs were legalized statewide but did not pass.
“Trap, neuter, and release (TNR) is a humane solution to the overpopulation of feral cats,” Nguyen wrote in a statement. “This issue has been a gray area in the law for years because animal abandonment is considered a misdemeanor — but is releasing the animals where they were found really abandonment?”
Nguyen mentioned the San Diego Humane Society ruling, calling it a “sad situation that needs to be addressed by the Legislature.”
TNR programs are common throughout Southern California, including Orange County, though the county insists they are illegal.
Garden Grove Animal Care Services offers catch and release services, known as the Return to Field Program, for feral and community cats on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Ana Pulido, a spokesperson for Garden Grove, stated that the program typically traps about six cats weekly, with 150 residents participating last year.
“The program protects cats by treating them for diseases, spaying or neutering them to prevent overpopulation, and returning them to their respective neighborhoods, which helps reduce the burden on animal shelters,” Pulido said in a statement.
In the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Garden Grove’s Return to Field Program spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and treated 226 cats for fleas.
Cities such as Los Angeles, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and Ventura County also offer TNR services for feral and community cats, while Orange County maintains that such practices are illegal.
On November 19, 2024, the OC Board of Supervisors voted to support any proposed legislation to authorize the establishment of catch and release programs statewide.
Logan expressed hope that the Board of Supervisors would take action to reinstate a TNR program for feral cats.
“Hopefully, they will start taking proactive measures to implement spay and neuter programs for feral cats again,” Logan said. “That is crucial.”
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