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Volunteer proposes grant-funded TNVR program to manage Meriwether County community cats
Summary
Volunteer Heather Greene outlined a Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return program, explained the TNVR process, cited grant sources and volunteer capacity, and offered to coordinate training and education; she noted Meriwether previously ran TNVR (2017—21) and urged grant-funded implementation.
Heather Greene, a volunteer who helped establish the Troup County Animal Coalition, presented a Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) program to the Board on May 26 and asked the county to consider supporting a grant-funded program to reduce community-cat overpopulation.
Greene described the TNVR workflow: trapping cats the night before surgery, providing food and water, transporting cats to participating clinics for sterilization and vaccination, allowing recovery in temperature-controlled housing, and returning cats to their original colony locations. She said Meriwether County previously operated a TNVR program from 2017 to 2021 and noted increasing social-media reports of free kittens and abandoned colonies.
Greene said volunteers are available to trap, transport and educate residents and that the county has begun working with the Help Spay Neuter Clinic through the "Snip Ship" transport program for discounted services. She recommended grant applications to the Georgia Department of Agriculture and Best Friends Animal Society to fund surgery costs and said she would assist with training and public outreach.
The Board thanked Greene for the presentation; commissioners asked about partnerships, funding and volunteer coordination. Greene provided informational materials about population dynamics and clinic pricing.
What's next: No formal county funding decision was made at the May 26 meeting; Greene offered to work with county staff and local partners to pursue grant funding and training to relaunch TNVR services.
