Sugar Land, TX – Sugar Land City Council recently approved an ordinance that adds aggressive animal provisions and a community cat program to the city’s Code of Ordinances.
A Trap Neuter Vaccinate and Return (TNVR) program will be implemented citywide following a successful yearlong trail period at First Colony Mall. During the pilot program, 37 cats were trapped, 13 have been adopted and five transferred to rescues.
The program is the result of extensive community input and was championed by the city’s citizen-led Animal Advisory Board.
“Several areas of the city with community cat colonies could benefit from this program,” said Director of Special Projects Jennifer Brown. “We’re excited to expand this program to better meet the needs of animals in our community and help address crowding challenges facing shelters across our region.”
Rescues, organizations or individuals must register with the city to participate in the program. Volunteers are then able to trap the cats and deliver them to a contracted veterinary clinic for evaluation, vaccination, surgery and ear-tipping. Caretakers of the colonies are not considered owners of the cats. An ear-tip is the universal sign that a community cat has been spayed or neutered. The cats are then picked up from the vet by the caretaker and returned to their colony after recovery.
City Council’s approval of new measures to address dangerous dogs and aggressive animals is also the result of community feedback and a recommendation of the Animal Advisory Board. The ordinance distinguishes between dangerous dogs and aggressive animals, establishes a process for having an animal declared as an aggressive animal and establishes requirements for owning an aggressive dog. New provisions follow:
- Animals impounded by the City are subject to the following at the owners expense in addition to impoundment fees: if proof of current status cannot be provided, the city will conduct rabies vaccination, microchip implantation and sterilization if the animal is more than 6 months of age and not already sterilized.
- The ordinance establishes a maximum $500 fine per offense for any person found guilty of violating the ordinance.