<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3AKtmP_1Gs8N0Dp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3AKtmP_1Gs8N0Dp00" width="700" height="394" ><p><b>DEBARY, Fla.</b> – DeBary’s City Council voted to make its trap-neuter-release program a permanent permit ordinance, cementing a decade of work by Councilmember Patricia Stevenson before she terms out of office.</p><p>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.</p><h2>How the program works</h2><p>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.</p><p>“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.</p><p>The clinic dedicates a specific recovery space — nicknamed “the Beach” by staff — to post-surgery care.</p><p>“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.</p><h2>Why it matters</h2><p>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.</p><p>“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.</p><p>To scale the effort, Stevenson helped launch a nonprofit and grow a volunteer base.</p><p>“With the help of some friends, we started a nonprofit and we’ve gotten more volunteers, and the organization level has definitely increased. We’re able to answer calls for requests for cats very quickly,” she said.</p><p>So far this year, volunteers have trapped 160 cats or kittens, according to McClintock.</p><h2>A legacy project</h2><p>Stevenson terms out of the DeBary City Council in a few months. She said her involvement with the organization she helped build is far from over.</p><p>The new permit ordinance marks the program’s transition from a passion project to a permanent part of city policy.</p></div></body>

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DEBARY, Fla. – DeBary’s City Council voted to make its trap-neuter-release program a permanent permit ordinance, cementing a decade of work by Councilmember Patricia Stevenson before she terms out of office. The TNR program — which involves trapping feral cats, having them surgically neutered, then returning them to...

DeBary makes feral cat program permanent with new ordinance

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