3/12/13 - Livingston County Animal Control is using a catch-and-release method of reducing the stray and feral cat population in Livingston County, which has prompted complaints from some Howell residents who say the animals are a nuisance that shouldnât be returned to run free. Animal Control Director Debbie Oberle says her department has been using the program, called Trap-Neuter-Return, for more than a year now. It involves collecting feral or stray cats either in the field or from residents who catch them, neutering the animals, and returning them to the wild. But several residents in the Howell Estates Mobile Home Park questioned why the animals are being returned to run free. Oberle says feral cats are wild animals, like opossums or raccoons, and as such are unsuitable for adoption as pets. She tells WHMI that eliminating or removing the animals from around the county would not be effective either, since new cats would move in to fill the sudden gap in the food chain. She describes TNR as a middle-of-the-road solution to reduce feral cat populations which, while not effective in every situation, has been successfully used locally. So far more than 500 animals have been treated through the program. (TD)
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