The city government of El Paso, Texas has adopted Trap-Neuter-Return as official policy thanks in part to expertise and guidance from Alley Cat Allies, the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the humane treatment of cats. El Paso’s Animal Services Shelter will be conducting the Trap-Neuter-Return program as part of its goal to move toward no-kill status.

“We congratulate El Paso for positioning its shelter to be part of the solution,” said Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies. “More shelters across the country need to follow El Paso’s example, ensure positive outcomes for stray and community cats, and eliminate policies that call for the killing of cats.”

In September Alley Cat Allies spoke to an engaged group of community members in El Paso, TX.

In September Alley Cat Allies spoke to an engaged group of community members in El Paso, TX.

Sun City Cats, the El Paso group that led local efforts to adopt Trap-Neuter-Return, released a statement thanking Alley Cat Allies for its help:

“Sun City Cats is grateful for the guidance from Alley Cat Allies and elated about these changes in El Paso. It’s gratifying to see the cat euthanasia rate drop as more community cats are diverted to Trap-Neuter-Return. As people realize that Trap-Neuter-Return reduces the community cat population, makes cats better neighbors, and saves taxpayer dollars, we’re sure that support for this program will grow.”

Trap-Neuter-Return is a humane and effective approach to save the lives of stray and community cats. Cats that are brought in to the shelter will be spayed or neutered, and a small portion of their ears will be removed while the cats are anesthetized. Trap-Neuter-Return is proven to stop the breeding cycle of cats and improves their lives while preventing reproduction. It stabilizes the size of cat colonies. By ending the behaviors associated with mating, it also answers the needs of the community.

Alley Cat Allies has many years of experience in developing ordinances and implementing programs for Trap-Neuter-Return, and is simultaneously working with several local communities across the country at any one time.

El Paso joins more than 500 other communities in the U.S. that have already adopted Trap-Neuter-Return. It also is dropping a practice that allowed pet owners to drop their pets at the Animal Services Shelter to be euthanized.