Addressing the burgeoning stray cat population in Henderson, the City Council has approved a private-team approach to trap, neuter, and release these animals. Arvie Bromley of Henderson Cats has tirelessly advocated for such a program, which is slated to promptly begin on January 1 as a one-year pilot effort in collaboration with Heaven Can Wait Animal Society. FOX5 Vegas reported Bromley affirming that since announcing, her group has been inundated with calls from residents noticing an increase in stray cats.
Bromley, according to her statement to FOX5 Vegas, feels this initiative is crucial to quickly get ahead of an escalating crisis, highlighting a situation at Sunset and Eastern where she discovered a colony that included both feral and domestic cats. With each sterilization surgery costing $60, funded entirely through private donations, she calls on the community to continue to generously donate or volunteer. Interested individuals can contact Bromley directly at [email protected]. Although there's been a delay, it seemed the city needed time to recognize the extent of the issue as Bromley has long understood.
Further details released by the Las Vegas Review-Journal include the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) program, which involves the volunteer-based trapping of stray cats. These animals will be neutered and vaccinated against rabies, identified with a "tipped" ear, and then released. The program focuses on 'community cats' without microchips or signs of ownership. The multifaceted goal is to eventually reduce the stray population and consequently decrease euthanasia rates, particularly considering that Henderson shelters, struggling under chronic under-staffing and high intake volumes, have shifted from a no-kill to a low-kill policy. This Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return initiative mirrors those already in place in surrounding Southern Nevada communities.
Danielle Harney, Animal Control Administrator, rhetorically put forth during the City Council meeting, a hopeful note that other cities have indeed demonstrated positive impacts from similar programs. Unfortunately, without such interventions, feral cats, unsocialized and homeless, tend to be euthanized - a stark reality the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return program aims to massively reduce. To further support these efforts, the city has decided to ease an ordinance prohibiting residents from feeding stray animals, a regulation that is to not be enforced starting 2025. This practical approach offers a degree of sustenance for these animals while the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return program takes effect. The effectiveness of this program will be evaluated through data collection throughout the year, as per Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Championing the pilot program, the volunteer organization Community Cat Coalition of Clark County (C5) will be utilizing their experience from managing similar programs in Clark County, Las Vegas, and North Las Vegas. Their expertise will be pivotal in Henderson's strides to manage their own feline wanderers. Mayor Michelle Romero conveyed an extraordinary sense of hope for the new strategy to bring about a noticeable decline in the number of cats entering Henderson shelters, in a statement echoed by the city's commitment to evolve its policies amidst this ongoing initiative.
