DES MOINES, Iowa — The city of West Des Moines is no longer partnering with local animal shelters to help assist in finding homes for stray cats.

At a city council meeting on Monday, the council expressed interest in adopting a Trap-Neuter-Release program. The program is intended for feral or unsocialized cats.

Handlers would be responsible for catching strays and completing the spay or neuter procedure before returning the cats to the communities where they were discovered. This is intended to help keep down the population of stray cats, but this isn’t something Furry Friends Animal Shelter wants to see in West Des Moines.

“It’s heartbreaking we’re really seeing the decisions of the West Des Moines leaders bring animal welfare back at least a decade. Animals who had protections for a decade through Furry Friends and also through their other short-term partnership now are going to be put back in harm’s way. Animals, pets, [and] domesticated animals should not be out on the streets. There’s a reason that there is a leash law and that leash law is essentially meaningless when the city themselves are taking animals and just putting them back out,” said Britt Gagne, director of Furry Friends Refuge.

Despite possible issues, Furry Friends Refugee does say that trap neuter release programs can sometimes be an effective community tool.

If you are interested in supporting the Furry Friends Refugee, you can join community members on Saturday, April 12th, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. for their annual benefit chili cookoff at Tonic in West Des Moines. Admission costs $20 and includes one free Confluence Brewing beer, chili tasting, raffle prizes, giveaways and much more. To snag your ticket, call 515-490-5240.