BILLINGS— Animal rescue groups are pushing Hardin city officials to accept help neutering and spaying the high feral cat population.
City council members estimate Hardin is home to 1,000 feral cats, while rescue groups estimate the population is closer to a few hundred.
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Related: Hardin seeking solution for feral cat problem, and gas euthanization is out
Hardin City Council members ruled out gas euthanasia to reduce the population in April but are still considering other forms of euthanasia or relocation for the cats.
Rescue groups want the city to consider TNR instead, a trap, neuter and return method they say will reduce the high cat population over time.
Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter (YVAS) offered to partner with local rescue groups to start TNR for free, but the city rejected their offer in May.
“We were kind of met with, I wouldn't even say hesitation, but with even comments that they don't believe that TNR will be effective,” said Riley Bailey, YVAS head of veterinary services.
“It's been proven that TNR will even stabilize the population and eventually even reduce the population in an area,” she added.
Bailey spoke about TNR at the Hardin City Council meeting on May 5.
“We kind of got to a point where we felt like we weren't really getting anywhere with them and they were still talking about options for mass relocation or euthanasia,” said Bailey.
Another group, Hardin-based Hamster Boy and Tiger Lilly Rescue, planned to partner with YVAS to begin TNR efforts.
“It would have been a very good start,” said Tammy Devers, director of Hamster Boy and Tiger Lilly Rescue.
Devers told MTN Saturday that she is upset with how the city has responded to the offer.
“They're the one who said it was a crisis. Something had to be done,” said Devers. “But yet when they're shown a solution that's proven to be effective, they back away.”
Devers said she started the Community Cat Coalition of Hardin under her rescue organization, which has begun spaying and neutering cats in the community on a small scale.
She told MTN Saturday they have spayed and neutered 10 cats.
"We've just started. And we all work, so we have to have time to go trap," she said.
MTN emailed Hardin City Council members Thursday for a comment and has not received a response.
