ACT the only Australian jurisdiction where cat management program trap, neuter, return is legal

Releasing stray cats into the wild is banned in most of Australia, but in the ACT a program called trap, neuter, return is placing them back onto the streets. Key points: TNR is banned in all other states and territories Ecologists say that while TNR sounds like a "nice" way of managing stray cats, it is ineffective and threatens native wildlife The Canberra Street Cat Alliance, which operates TNR in the ACT, says it is the only organisation in the territory that "humanely" and "proactively" reduces the number of street cats Under the practice of TNR, stray cats are trapped, desexed and then released onto the streets to live in "cat colonies". But the CSCA says TNR can "humanely" address Canberra's population of street cats and cat-containment laws alone will not reduce the number of cats living on the streets. But the CSCA said in a statement that it had evidence of cats in the ACT's colonies "sharing" their food with native wildlife. The Canberra Street Cat Alliance said the volunteer group, which also runs an adoption program, prided itself on being a "no-kill" organisation and it did not believe in the euthanasia of "healthy cats".