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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 23-1780 BUDGET RESPONSE TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-1780 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 5, 2023 �s ° ram Page 1 of 2 Y *a SUBJECT: MANAGING THE FERAL CAT POPULATION f Yg7'3 The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide a report outlining Code Compliance's efforts in managing the feral cat population. Background Prior to 2012, there was an ordinance that prohibited feral cats. Code Compliance subsequently worked with neighborhood leaders, community non-profits, impacted residents and other stakeholders to develop a new ordinance that would permit managed feral cat colonies by non-profits and private citizens. This program/partnership successfully reduced the challenges with managing feral colonies, reduced many of the broad over-population problems (problems today cover smaller geographic areas) and provided better response/customer service by matching citizens with non-profit service providers, e.g., by allowing feral cats to be managed by community partners, more resources are available to assist with nuisances, spay and neuter, etc. Community Non-Profits Shelter staff continue to collaborate with community non-profits and individuals involved in spay/neuter activities and rescuing feral cats and kittens. Examples of the program include: 1. On a limited basis, when feasible, the shelter undertakes spaying or neutering of feral cats brought in by our community partners. This calendar year, the shelters have successfully altered 150 feral cats. 2. Staff collaborate with local feral cat non-profits to provide adoption placement for foster kittens that have been altered and prepared for adoption at one of our two PetSmart Adoption Centers. 3. We coordinate and collaborate with community non-profits supporting both their mission and fund raising. Community non-profits receiving grants for feral cat services such as spay/neuter is very effective and enables the City to focus on competing priorities to care for homeless domestic pets. 4. The City Call Center and City web pages provide resource and contact information for citizens wanting to get involved in feral care projects or assistance to addressing feral cat nuisances. 5. As resources permit, Animal Control Officers work with community non-profits and residents to address exceptional upticks of feral cat nuisances. Filling the Gaps Since its inception, feral cats have been managed by non-profits and local residents. This was by design and continues to be a recommended best practice. The Department works with these organizations to provide assistance with education, coordination, grants, nuisances and other activities. The Department, where it does not compete with a local non-profit, will also seek grants to assist with these activities and provide supplemental spay and neuter services. Having local and regional non-profits provide spay and neuter services is more efficient and less costly to the City. As an example, a number of years ago, before the ongoing veterinarian shortage nationally, Fort Worth had some capacity to assist the non-profits with greater spay and neuter services. While the concept was to serve Fort Worth residents and non-profits (using Fort Worth tax dollars), the shelter was quickly overwhelmed by feral cats being brought in from Dallas and other outlying metroplex cities. It became impossible to ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS BUDGET RESPONSE TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-1780 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 5, 2023 �s ° ram Page 2 of 2 Y *a SUBJECT: MANAGING THE FERAL CAT POPULATION f Yg7'3 determine the origin of the cats and the service was reduced and pushed back to local non-profits where boundary lines do not conflict with funding sources. In the current climate of high-volume intake and a challenging live release rate, it is important to recognize that the support of feral cats competes with medical treatment, spay and neuter, housing/care and adoption services for domestic pets. While there is always some tradeoff, there is not enough capacity to effectively run both programs concurrently. This is why we follow the best practice of supporting non-profits. Offering Surgical Facilities for No/Low Cost Spay Neuter Services In the past, we have worked with local non-profits and grant dollars to loan our surgical facilities for no/low cost spay and neuter services during off hours and on weekends. At the present time, due to a nationwide veterinarian shortage, many nonprofit organizations are struggling to have capacity to perform surgery to both companion animals and feral cats. We have been able to establish a partnership with Operation Kindness and Spay Neuter Network to provide additional community spay neuter services at our shelters (using our surgical facilities) starting in 2024. We are still working out the details and will be pushing out public education soon. New Animal Shelter Staff Included in the FY24 Budget As part of the 2024 Budget, we received new positions to assist with social media, public education and managing volunteers. The recruitment process has started to get these positions filled, and once onboarded, these staff will assist in increasing outreach and education on feral cats. Educating the public about feral cats and involving them in management efforts can be highly effective, notably right before the Springtime kitten season. By providing citizens with helpful resources and information, we can improve community awareness and support, which can lead to more successful feral cat programs. For questions regarding this information, please contact Chris McAllister, Code Compliance Deputy Director at chris.mc or (817) 392-6322. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS