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No.
Cats that have not been through the city’s trap-neuter-release program are also allowed to roam freely under certain requirements, according to its animal ordinance.
The ordinance requires free-roaming cats that have owners to be vaccinated and wear vaccination tags. They must also be identifiable through collars, tags, microchips or identifying tattoos, or have an owner who can provide proof of sterilization.
Cats in the TNR program must have an ear “tipped,” the ordinance states, signifying it has been neutered or spayed and vaccinated by a veterinarian.
Free-roaming kittens over 8 months old and adult cats without an identifiable owner may be brought in a cage trap to the city’s Animal Services to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated through the Community Cats program, its website states.
Texas House Bill 3066, approved in 2023, protects people who introduce cats to TNR programs from being charged with abandonment or animal cruelty.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- City of El Paso Animal Ordinance
- El Paso Animal Services Community Cats program website
- Texas HB3066
The post Does the city of El Paso allow cats to roam free only if they’re part of a trap-neuter-release program? appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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