DeBary makes feral cat program permanent with new ordinance

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 where they were found — has operated in the city for roughly 10 years. Until now, it had never been codified into law.How the program worksVolunteers 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.“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.The clinic dedicates a specific recovery space — nicknamed “the Beach” by staff — to post-surgery care.“T