CASPER, Wyo. — A Wyoming city is considering a ban on feeding feral cats, a proposal supported by animal control officers and wildlife advocates but opposed by others.
The Casper City Council plans a final vote on the proposed ban in the weeks ahead.
The animal shelter in Casper took in over 1,500 cats and euthanized nearly 500 in 2019, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.
An estimated 25 percent of the cats taken in were feral, which can’t be adopted and usually are killed.
“Feral cats plague our community, defecating and urinating on private property, killing protected songbirds and spreading disease,” Metro Animal Services’ 2019 annual report reads. “They cannot safely be placed with a family, and generally must be euthanized.”
Proponents of the feeding ban include the local Wyoming Game and Fish Department office and Audubon Society. Others joined by the national advocacy group Alley Cat Allies oppose the idea.
Feeding bans are hard to enforce and don’t stop feral cats from reproducing, said Becky Robinson, founder of Alley Cat Allies.
The group has worked with municipalities to implement trap-neuter-release programs focused on stopping feral cats from reproducing, Robinson said.
