Residents urge council to legalize trap-neuter-return; council liaison to request study

Dozens of Costa Mesa residents and volunteer rescuers told the City Council on March 4 that the city should legalize and implement a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program to reduce feral and community cat populations and shelter euthanasia.

At public comment, multiple speakers described years of volunteer TNR work, costs borne by residents and what they said are understated municipal intake figures. “The data represented on the agenda was not only misleading but felt deeply inaccurate,” said Megan (last name not provided), who said volunteers keep detailed records of trapping and treatment. Several speakers said Priceless Pets, the city’s contracted shelter, is overloaded and that community members are already performing TNR and arranging surgeries outside city records.

The push came during an extended public-comment period that lasted the early portion of the meeting. Animal-services committee vice chair Becca Walls told the council she drafted a model ordinance and presented it to the committee; committee members…