WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) — Wausau has passed a new ordinance allowing for another method of cat population control. The Wausau City Council passed the proposal allowing a group of volunteers to run a trap-neuter-release program citywide. “We now will be asking people who are now current caregivers of cats that are out there to contact us for assistance with trapping and getting the animals fixed, so that they don’t continue to reproduce.”
The CCAT group is now reaching out to the people that have been quietly feeding the cats, to get them to sign up. Organizer Terry Carroll says doing so will lead to fewer and healthier ferel cats. “What we need is for people who are caring or feeding cats right now to get in touch with us, and by registering with us, we will help them to get their cats fixed and neutered, vaccinated, entered into our program. We have lots of registration forms. Once they’re in the program, they will be able to legally feed and provide shelter for them.”
The ordinance is crafted so that homeowners are not classified as cat owners, simply caregivers of the cats. Leonoff says the people caring for the strays and feral’s will have to do certain things in the program. “The caregivers will be asked to sign a contract that will ,essentially for them, to agree that they’re going to continue to feed and care for the animals, clean up the feces, provide shelter, all of those kinds of things.”
Alderperson Lisa Rasmussen chairs the committee that has dealt with animal control issues, and she’s optimistic the T-N-R program can help solve the feral cat problem. “The Public Health and Safety Committee had passed a similar resolution twice, so finally, the council did pass it tonight. I think trap, neuter, and release operating in parallel with the work of the humane officer will help us reduce the unwanted cat population in the city in a humane way.”
Rasmussen believes the program will also have financial benefits for the city. “It will also help us get control of the cost of the contract that we have with the Marathon County Humane Society, and help us get them some relief also for the number of cats that are taken in, that are essentially homeless.”
CCAT is encouraging volunteers to come forward by calling 715-348-9162, or find them online or on Facebook.
