Henderson approves cat trap, neuter, and release pilot program 

After years of rebuffing calls from residents and animal activists, the Henderson City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a pilot program to permit the trapping, neutering, vaccinating and release (TNR) of cats within the city. The move brings Henderson in line with other Southern Nevada municipalities, which began welcoming community cats in 2015. 

Community cats are unowned cats that live outdoors, with or without human caretakers. They may be stray or feral. Stray cats have a better chance of finding a home. They are also more challenged to live without one. 

“Without a TNVR program, unsocialized feral cats who can’t adjust to life in a human home and have no traditional ‘owners’ to claim them are almost always euthanized,” says a report commissioned by the city to evaluate its animal shelter. “Many stray cats who don’t respond well to the shelter environment also face the same fate. National studies indicate the euthanasia rate for cats is as high as 70%.” 

Henderson ordinances prohibit the feeding of outdoor animals and prohibit animals from running at large. TNR is also currently illegal. Cats may be trapped but only if they are turned over to the shelter, where they are likely to be euthanized. 

The pilot program places a one year moratorium, beginning Jan. 1, on enforcement of those laws as they apply to community cats only. The city intends to gather data on the outcomes of the program. 

The National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA) says euthanizing healthy feral cats “fails to serve commonly held goals of community animal management and protection programs and, as such, is a misuse of time and public funds and should be avoided.” 

In an effort to stem the supply, a small but dedicated band of volunteers while away the hours in the dead of winter and the heat of summer in mobile home parks, apartment complexes, and hotel garages, awaiting the elusive, sweet sound of success – the clank of a trap door, signaling the arrival of a cat that has taken the bait. But not in Henderson, until now. 

TNR is widely viewed as the best of the bad options for feral cats. By sterilizing and vaccinating almost all of the cats in a colony, caretakers are able to reduce the population, protect against rabies and other diseases, and ensure a steady source of food and water.  

Henderson Animal Shelter director Danielle Harney has long opposed allowing feral cats in the city. 

In 2019 she said she had no idea of the scope of the feral cat problem and said the city had no plan for managing the herd.  

“We euthanize them,” she said at the time, shortly after the shelter achieved no-kill status, meaning no more than ten percent of animals taken in are euthanized. The shelter no longer has that designation.  

On Tuesday, Harney asked the council to approve the measure, which she said will rely on volunteers and rescue organizations, with no monetary contribution from the city and no demands on the animal shelter. Mayor Michele Romero thanked Harney for supporting the program. 

Keith Williams, founder of the Community Cat Coalition of Clark County, assisted Henderson residents in brokering the deal with the city for the pilot program. He’s not concerned at the moment about the fate of colony cats should the city choose not to make the policy permanent.  

“We haven’t addressed that specifically. As this progresses, if it looks like this is failing, that’s something we’d need to address,” Williams said during an interview before the meeting. “They’re not out aggressively pursuing these cats now, so I don’t see it suddenly moving to the top of their priority list. They really have a lot of bigger issues they need to spend their time on.” 

Henderson is estimated to have 30,000 household pet cats, according to information accompanying the city’s agenda item, and “potentially an even higher number of community cats.” 

Currently, Henderson residents who come across a feral or stray cat are short on resources, according to the resolution. 

“Residents with a Henderson zip code cannot currently use the services of available low-cost spay/neuter clinics for community cats,” the resolution says. “Unless they choose to have the cat/trapped and possibly euthanized, it is left alone to continue breeding.”

Experts have projected that two unsterilized cats can potentially produce 420,000 kittens within a lifetime,  however that figure has been challenged as unrealistic by those who contend it fails to consider the high mortality rate of kittens.  A more realistic estimate, they say, is 100 to 5,000 cats over seven years.  

Note: This story originally stated the projection that two unsterilized cats and their offspring can produce up to 420,000 cats in a lifetime and was edited to include additional information disputing that estimate.