Residents urge Waukee council to address feral, stray cats; ask about licensing, TNR and animal-control capacity

Several Waukee residents told the City Council during open forum that the city lacks adequate services for stray and feral cats and urged the council to develop a local response, including licensing enforcement, a trap‑neuter‑return (TNR) program and either hiring an animal-control officer or contracting with a shelter.

Linda Adams, a Waukee resident, said the city contracts with Heinz for dog control but has no comparable arrangement for cats and that cat licensing is not being enforced. “As an avid animal lover — dogs and cats — I implore you to please find a solution to help the cats in the community, whether it’s working with another city or an animal shelter,” Adams told the council. She also asked the city to consider a TNR program to control unaltered cat populations.

Gina Tuttle, who identified herself as a Waukee resident, noted a recent animal-control agreement that became effective April 1 with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Tuttle said she had researched the DNR’s role and concluded the DNR provides guidance and resources related to wildlife but “does not have a specific program or focus solely on feral cats.” She told council members that volunteers and citizens currently shoulder much of the work of trapping and caring for community cats and asked whether the city had explored hiring an animal-control officer, contracting with a shelter to provide TNR services or offering assistance to a shelter to expand services.

Joan Ross, another resident speaker, supported licensing and responsible ownership: “If they let their cats roam, they should license them,” she said, noting that roaming animals create quality-of-life concerns for neighbors.

Speakers said they had discussed the issue previously with city staff (a February 10 animal-control discussion was referenced in public remarks) and requested that the council explore options, including cross-city shelter partnerships and support for volunteer TNR efforts. No council action was taken during the meeting; staff offered to follow up with residents after the session.

Clarifying details provided in public remarks included the city’s overall budget figure mentioned by a speaker ($157,000,000) and a reference to the recent DNR agreement (effective April 1). Council members thanked speakers and noted staff would follow up after the meeting.

The open forum comments asked the council for several concrete next steps: review whether current municipal contracts or staffing can cover lost or stray cats, identify partner shelters or another city that can provide TNR or impound services, and consider making cat licensing enforcement a priority if local ordinance requires registration.