On Monday, December 17, 2018, the Des Moines City Council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance change that allows for a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program to humanely and effectively reduce community/feral cat colonies in Des Moines.
The ARL's TNR program is called Operation CatSnip and is dedicating staff and financial resources to make this a successful program. The ordinance went into effect on March 1, 2019 and the ARL is supporting the community by altering, vaccinating, ear-tipping, and returning healthy community cats to the areas where they've already been living and thriving - and therefore preventing more generations from taking their place.
Operation CatSnip ensures that cat colonies have a caretaker who feeds them and will focus on cats who are happiest living outdoors and are not candidates for in-home adoptions. If you or someone you know is currently caring for an outdoor cat colony, please contact our TNR Coordinator here.
Trap-Neuter-Return programs are best practice among communities across the country and Des Moines is now the largest city in Iowa to allow for such a program. A special thank you to Alley Cat Allies, a national leader in community cat programs, for working with Des Moines city staff and the ARL during this process.
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TNR means Trap-Neuter-Return, which means altering, vaccinating, ear-tipping, and returning healthy community cats to the areas where they've already been living and thriving - and therefore preventing more generations from moving in.
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You're ready to help the cats in your community - so now what? We'll walk you through the process step-by-step so you can be successful in your efforts.
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If you are a caretaker for a cat colony in your area or are interested in learning more about how to care for a cat colony, then start here.
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Overpopulation of cats is a community problem, so the community should be a part of the solution. Click here to find resources that you can share with your neighbors about TNR and learn how to work together to make changes.
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The ARL's Operation CatSnip program has been developed to support the Des Moines community in successfully implementing TNR. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.
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