The recent Ledger report, “Rabies-infected cat attacks five people and puppy in North Lakeland,” highlights a longstanding problem in Polk County: the lack of humane and effective management of feral and free-roaming cats, commonly called community cats.
This case underscores the need to amend the Polk County Animal Ordinance and reflects a failure of leadership by both the Polk County Commission and Sheriff Grady Judd, who oversees Polk County Animal Control.
In 2012, the Hillsborough County Commission recognized TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-return) as the most humane and effective approach to addressing cat overpopulation. That recognition helped shape policies that support TNVR programs, and the county’s ordinances now include specific provisions for managing feral cats and cat colonies.
The results have been significant: Hillsborough’s live outcome rate rose from 51% in 2013 to 82% in 2016, 91% in 2019, and 92% in 2023 — well above the statewide average of 83%.
Polk County, by contrast, has no ordinance provision supporting TNVR and has fallen far behind Hillsborough County in live outcomes. Polk’s live outcome rate increased from 37% in 2013 to 49% in 2016, 55% in 2019, and 65% in 2023.
While that reflects some progress, Polk still trailed the 2023 statewide average by 18 percentage points. It also remains among the five worst-performing counties in Florida for live outcomes and has historically recorded the highest raw number of animal euthanasia in the state.
That raises an obvious question: Why has Polk County’s live outcome rate not improved as much as those of neighboring counties? The answer is clear — Polk County has not supported humane, effective management of community cats.
If feral cats were trapped, neutered, vaccinated and returned to their environment under the care of colony caretakers, rather than killed in shelters, Polk’s live outcome rate could improve dramatically. This approach also helps reduce wildlife predation when caretakers provide a reliable food source.
Over the past year, an informed and dedicated group of citizens has presented the Polk County Commission with factual, compelling evidence supporting an amendment to the Animal Control Ordinance to embrace TNVR. We were met with dismissive responses from Commissioners Rick Wilson and Bill Braswell, who told us this was Judd’s problem and that we were speaking to the wrong people.
Respectfully, I disagree. The County Commission is the governing body of Polk County, and the Polk County Charter, as amended on November 5, 2024, states in Section 2.8(2):
“Adopt such ordinances as may be necessary to carry out both county and municipal powers and purposes.”
The County Commission clearly has the authority to amend the Animal Control Ordinance to make it more supportive of community cats by embracing TNVR. Doing so would: (1) reduce cat intake at the shelter, (2) decrease the euthanasia of cats, and (3) save taxpayers money because it costs more to trap, hold and euthanize a cat than to manage one through TNVR.
Based on the presentation I gave to the commissioners, adopting TNVR in Polk County could save the county an estimated $400,000 per year, in addition to saving countless feline lives.
It is time for a change. Polk County needs to adopt TNVR as a humane and effective method of managing community cats. This approach would not only help cats, but also protect pets and residents by creating a barrier to rabies between wildlife and domestic animals and people, while also reducing costs to taxpayers.
When asked why he does not support TNVR, Judd repeatedly says, “It doesn’t work.” Yet he offers no viable alternative beyond the outdated “trap and kill” model.
Simply dismissing TNVR does not solve the problem. Cats have been killed for decades, and that approach has plainly failed. Polk County needs a new strategy.
Judd’s concern about TNVR may be influenced by his interest in bird photography, but available data suggests that managed TNVR colonies pose less risk to birds than window collisions. There is considerable misinformation about the impact of feral cats on bird populations, and community members who support a responsible TNVR program have not been given an adequate opportunity to present that evidence.
This committed group of Polk County residents has returned month after month to urge the County Commission to amend the county’s Animal Ordinance. Each time, there have been no questions, no discussion, and no action.
Why? Are the Commissioners so unwilling to challenge Judd that they will not exercise sound judgment to improve conditions for both animals and people in Polk County?
We have been killing cats for decades, and it has not solved the problem. Polk County needs a new direction, and the recent rabies case is proof that the current approach is not working.
G. Robert Weedon is a semi-retired veterinarian and part-time spay-neuter surgeon with Paws Plus Veterinary in Lakeland. He’s also on the board of directors for the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Rabies case shows need for new approach to cats in Polk | Commentary
Reporting by G. Robert Weedon, Guest columnist / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By G. Robert Weedon, Guest columnist | USA TODAY Network
