The topic of feral cats was again brought before the Brownwood City Council during Tuesday’s meeting as Tami Rodgers with TNR Brownwood presented a petition regarding the cat colony in Riverside Park.

A more than two-hour discussion that drifted back and forth from the Riverside Park situation to the entire city itself occurred and featured multiple contentious moments.

Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes began the discussion by stating, “It came to our attention several months ago that we had people building structures inside our city parks for the cats, along with feeding the cats on a regular basis. We’re getting tons of complaints about the number of cats in our parks about feces in the playground equipment and other issues. We asked Tami to please help us remove the cats from the public parks and we believe that means remove housing and stop feeding the cats. No one has said or mandated the cats be trapped or euthanized.”

Rodgers then presented a petition with 1,278 signatures, including 543 current Brownwood residents, in favor that the cat colony remain as is at Riverside Park.

Rodgers said, “What we would like to propose as a result of that petition is that TNR Brownwood would respectfully request permission to seize removal of the remaining Riverside Park colony cats. We would like to propose that we be allowed to continue to feed and maintain the colony according to the following: the cats currently at the park will be cataloged and vaccination records would be readily available; any newcomers to the park would be immediately trapped and vaccinated and returned to the park as long as the numbers are acceptable; the colony size would be maintained to at or less than 25 cats; friendly cats would immediately be put up for adoption through the shelter or TNR Brownwood’s Facebook page; ferals will be made available as working cats to anyone who needs pest control; we will continue to offer barn cats even if the colony size is acceptable; we would like the complaints about the cats to be passed on to us and we could work to resolve those. If one cat is singled out as a nuisance and we can’t resolve it that cat would be removed from the colony. We would ask this plan of action be extended to the other city parks as well.”

Along with Rodgers, those speaking in favor of the cat colony at Riverside Park included Heather (Shane) Huff, Steve Harris, Teenya Thomas, Terry Igou, Amber Longley, Monica Frenden of American Pets Alive (via phone), Charity McCluskey, Bill Freeman, Serene Macker, Freeda Davis, and Katie Wishowski (via statement).

Huff spoke of mental health disorders and how pet therapy provided by the Riverside Park cats aids in treatment.

“I have several disorders, multiple personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, PTSD, sleep insomnia,” Huff said. “All my disorders bring out something different in me. I didn’t have a mother and father that looked after me, so when I go there it’s a different world. I get to escape from reality, I get to escape suicidal thoughts. I get to be the kid I didn’t get to be when I had the chance. And you guys want to take that away. It’s part of my treatment plan with MHMR. I get it you guys are looking at it from everybody else’s point of view, but I’m here speaking for people who can’t speak.”

A point of contention regarding the cats remaining at Riverside Park involved feeding the animals. Haynes suggested not feeding the cats would lead to their departure, while those in favor of keeping the cat colony cited possible outcomes being the vacuum effect as well as the action, on inaction, itself being a potential form of animal abuse.

“There are so many accounts and research papers out there about what happens when you remove a group of cats from an area, and not just cats it’s across nature,” Rodgers said. “It’s called the vacuum effect. When you eliminate the animals from an area, the surrounding ones are going to go think ‘oh, that’s empty,’ and they’re going to move in.”

Haynes replied, “There are also well-researched animal activist articles that say don’t feed feral cats. Hundreds of them from well-known animal activists. All you have to do is Google the term ‘don’t feed feral cats’ and you’ll find article after article.”

Harris, the president of the Greenleaf Cemetery Association, addressed the council and suggested working together “to find a way to co-exist whether it be on public property or private property… A well managed cat colony anywhere works.”

Haynes then asked Harris, “Would it be OK to move the cat colony from Riverside to Greenleaf?”

Harris responded, “I can’t speak for Greenleaf and I’m kind of interested in why you would even bring that up?

Haynes said, “I’m just looking for a place for the cats.”

Harris retorted, “I think it’s really inappropriate for you to do that. That’s just me.”

Thomas, a former rescue coordinator at the Corinne T. Smith Animal Center, said to Haynes during her comments, “You are trying so hard to say that the city is not advocating for the shelter to euthanize, because you don’t want those words to come out of your mouth. We don’t want you to feed them so they’ll disperse, where are they going to disperse to? They’ll disperse to the community and then who picks those cats up? Animal control will bring them to the shelter that’s already overwhelmed, and then they’ll be euthanized. Where do you think they’re going to go?

Haynes responded, “They’re not being euthanized right now at the shelter to my knowledge.”

Thomas then said, “They’re not killing them now, but if there is an influx of cats and there isn’t a place for them to go and rescues will not take them …”

The most heated moment of the meeting came later as the conversation meandered toward cats in other parks around the city.

Igou stated to Haynes that no cats were at Festival Park near Gordon Wood Stadium. “They’re not in Festival Park,” Igou said. “Stop saying they’re in Festival Park, they’re not.”

Haynes replied, “There are cats in Festival Park.”

Igou interrupted by stating, “Bull****.”

Haynes replied saying, “Mr. Igou, you’ll speak with a proper tone or I’ll have the police remove you.”

Igou said, “Good bye. You can’t even talk regularly,” as he exited the council chambers.

Council member Draco Miller – who openly stated he was against cat colonies is all city parks – later stated, “This morning I sat back and I heard anger, vulgarity, cursing, and that is no way in shape to create a solution and get to a point where we solve this issue. We need to respect the council, we need to respect the chambers and we need to respect one another when we talk one another. We can’t get there with a lot of bickering and arguing to the point of our solution is better than your solution. We have to come up for one common solution and that’s for the citizens of Brownwood, not the cat colony.”

Council member Walker Willey at one point asked about the estimated number of cats at Riverside Park, to which the answer 20 to 25 was given, down from 40 to 45 when the TNR program began. Willey then requested a way to document the types of complaints being received regarding feral cats, a suggestion that most in attendance applauded.

McCluskey during her comments suggested three “pillars” as a possible solution to the feral cat issue.

“One is education,” McCluskey said. “If people don’t know about the benefits of spaying and neutering they’re not going to do it. We don’t really have an education program for that, being responsible for your pets. Another pillar that I feel like needs to occur is a mandatory spay and neuter law. That’s one way of cutting down the population and that is a city-wide problem, overpopulation. Then you also hear so many times about a low cost spay and neuter program. We don’t have a low cost place expect for what Tami is doing for them. To me it’s not about the Riverside Park cats, but how can we support those who are doing something for the Riverside Park cat issue, and furthermore what can we do for the City.”

Haynes responded, “I’ll be the first to say has the City has been derelict in delegating all this responsibility to the Brown County Humane Society, yes we have. But we’ve also believed that’s the way the Humane Society preferred it to be. I don’t recall receiving any requests from any group in any of the animal right groups that came in and said we need this amount of money for this specific project. What we get is what we get from all organizations which is a generic request for more money.”

Miller suggested putting the matter up for a vote, stating “There’s 19,288 people that live here. I’ve seen petition of 500 and some odd people that live here. My thing is, let’s talk to the people that are paying taxes here in Brownwood, not a bunch of signatures on a piece of paper saying we want this. Do 19,288 all agree to that? Put it out for a vote and see what the citizens say. The best solution I’ve heard so far (today) was can we start right here with a vote from the council.”

No action on the matter was taken, and the feral cat topic is again expected to appear on a future Brownwood City Council agenda.