Costa Mesa council approves trap-neuter-return ordinance for feral cats

The Costa Mesa City Council unanimously gave initial approval April 21 to an ordinance that would allow registered rescuers to legally trap, sterilize and return feral cats to their communities — a measure animal advocates have pursued for seven years, according to Voice of OC.

The vote fills a gap left when Orange County's animal shelter halted trap-neuter-return services over legal concerns about animal abandonment, leaving nonprofits and volunteers to manage an unchecked feral cat population across the region.

Under the proposed rules, qualified organizations would obtain annual permits to trap unowned, unsocialized cats, have them spayed or neutered and checked for microchips, then return them to their original locations. Cats deemed friendly and socialized must be given a chance for adoption. Permit holders are required to maintain records and submit documents to the city; violators could face permit revocation or citations. The program would carry no direct cost to the city, running entirely through volunteers and nonprofits.

Cara Stewart, vice chair of the city's animal services committee, offered broad support for the measure. "We not only wholeheartedly endorse this, and I'm a big proponent of this, but others have wrestled with this for seven years," Stewart said at last week's meeting, according to Voice of OC. She framed feral cat overpopulation as a public health emergency. "This is not only a community issue about the cats. It's really a larger public health issue, and therefore a larger public safety issue," Stewart said, adding that the ordinance "doesn't just allow TNR — it actually regulates it. Importantly, it creates structure and accountability as well as oversight."

Orange County's county-run animal shelter stopped offering trap-neuter-return services after receiving legal advice that releasing cats could be considered illegal animal abandonment, Voice of OC reported. The decision has left nonprofit organizations to absorb the burden of managing feral cat populations — particularly during kitten season in the spring — with no institutional backing.

Garden Grove already operates a comparable initiative, the Return to Field Program, offering trap-neuter-return services on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Costa Mesa's ordinance would extend similar access to residents in that city, at no municipal expense.

Mayor John Stephens voiced unqualified support. "It's all upside for the city. I think it's going to make it better for the cat population," Stephens said, according to Voice of OC. Councilmember Manuel Chavez, who cited feral cat problems in mobile home parks in his district, said: "Having had to deal with cats in my district with mobile home parks, I see the value in this. I'm just happy we got here."

A speaker at the council meeting described the cost of inaction. "The alternative is what we're already experiencing: continued population growth, more kittens and ongoing strain on residents and resources," the speaker said, according to Voice of OC.

The ordinance must clear a second council vote before it can take effect.