Kingsburg recognizes volunteer TNR group and boosts city support to $20,000

Kingsburg City Council on Feb. 18 recognized a volunteer trap‑neuter‑return group for work to reduce the community cat population and said the city has increased its annual funding for the program.

Community services director Adam Castaneda told the council the city has supported TNR work since 2018 and, because of the volunteers’ recent success, raised its contribution this past year from about $5,000 to $20,000. Castaneda said the city has two agreements with Fresno‑area veterinary clinics to perform spay/neuter operations.

Volunteer coordinators April Johnson and Debbie Plain described the program’s operations: volunteers humanely trap community or feral cats, transport them to partner clinics for spay/neuter and vaccines, ear‑tip them for identification and return them to their outdoor locations. Johnson said the group began organized efforts in October 2024; Plain and Johnson reported roughly 185 cats treated in the last year and “nearly 200” since forming the volunteer group.

The volunteers said the program focuses on visible, high‑impact locations — commercial parking lots, downtown, schools, apartments and senior living communities — but will also assist with large residential colonies where 10–15 surgeries per month are anticipated to sustain population control. The volunteers said about 40 cats have been placed into homes via rescue contacts, though rehoming is not the program’s primary mission.

Castaneda said the city provides administrative oversight and financial support but does not perform the physical trapping; volunteers handle field operations and maintain detailed records of animals and locations. Volunteers asked residents who know of colonies to contact the city through the website so staff can connect them with the TNR team.

Because this agenda item was informational, no council action was required.