The TNR program — which involves trapping feral cats, having them surgically neutered, then returning them to where they were found — has operated in the city for roughly 10 years. Until now, it had never been codified into law
Volunteers trap free-roaming cats and hold them through the recovery period before releasing them back to their original location. Central Florida Community Pet Clinic handles the surgical side, carefully matching each cat to its trap before and after surgery
“We literally go out and trap… we hold them in this trap for the duration of their recovery, and then they are released back to where they came from,” said Robin McClintock, a program volunteer
The clinic dedicates a specific recovery space — nicknamed “the Beach” by staff — to post-surgery care
“This is where everybody gets prepped. This is the Beach. We call it the Beach. This is where they recover after surgery,” a clinic staff member said
Stevenson, who approached Central Florida Community Pet Clinic about partnering on the program, says TNR does more than manage cat populations — it reduces nuisance behavior and protects public health
“This is very important because people just want to feed the cats and help them and take care of them. And if they did that alone, they would continue to overpopulate and reproduce,” Stevenson said
To scale the effort, Stevenson helped launch a nonpr