AUBURN – The Auburn City Council gave its approval Monday for a trap neuter and return program to deal with feral and stray cats.

Veterinarian Kristin Bohling asked for approval for Cat Action Together, which has captured, spayed or neutered and released 38 cats since 2019.

Cat Action Together volunteer Nikki Hayes said the organization was started by a 16-year-old Auburn girl.

 

Hayes: “I think it’s important for our youth to know that they can get involved and make a difference and really Virginia has made a difference, 38 cats total have been trapped, neutered and released. It’s just shows other young people in the community that anyone can make a difference.”

Since Virginia Kouba started the organization, places like the Good Samaritan Center in Auburn have reached out asking for help with stray cats.

Auburn resident Billie Bentley offered her opposition to the program Monday due to a lack of a vaccination program and costs.

Bentley: “I agree that Auburn has a problem with feral cats. I do in my neighborhood, but I think it’s a poor use of our economic resources.”

City Attorney Angelo Ligouri said the program is citizen funded and does not cost the city anything.

Councilwoman Katy Billings said the issue for the city council is that its ordinance says animals can only be trapped by the city’s dog catcher.

Ligouri said the dog catcher's authority falls to the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office.

He assured the council that the sheriff’s office would prefer that Cat Action Together do the work instead of deputies. Dr. Bohling runs the city’s animal impoundment, which also may qualify for the city’s dog catcher authority.

Ligouri: “She felt that it was beneficial to the community.”

He said the idea behind the TNR program is that the returned cats will not have kittens and will keep other cats out of their territory.

Bentley called it a tall task.

Bentley: “Models have estimated that 70 percent of these feral cats would need to be trapped and spayed or neutered in order for there to be a population drop. That’s almost impossible because trapping cats is very hard.”

Hayes said the Auburn teen was motivated to help with animal control after a building was scheduled for demolition that was a known harbor for cats.

 Hayes: “I think that was the springboard, if I’m correct, for getting this organization going. It was to kind of save those cats and then one thing led to another and now people are reaching out to the organization to have cats in their neighborhood trapped, neutered and returned.”

Mayor Dan White said, in his mind, any cat that is not properly licensed and is at large qualifies as a stray cat.

Cat Action Together material says a stray or feral cat does not have an owner.