A California Superior Court has ordered the City of Los Angeles to halt what was described as an effort to "secretly and unofficially" promote TNR or trap neuter return, the practice of trapping feral cats, spaying/neutering as well as vaccinating them, and returning them to a feral cat colony cared for by a volunteer caregiver.

Under a TNR program, kittens and cats that are not actually feral but are abandoned pets forced to live on the streets or in the wild, may be socialized and placed for adoption.  

Indianapolis and Rhode Island are examples of local governments which have turned away from bans on feeding feral or stray cats. Instead, they have embraced laws regulating and supporting managed colonies of feral and stray cats.

But in the fight for humane treatment for animals, sometimes it seems as if it's one step forward and two steps back. Apparently stray cats were getting into the garbage and making a mess. Thus the solution of starving them?

Update Oct. 20: The Petaluma, California city council declined to make any of the suggested changes to its new trap neuter return program.

For more on the city's new ordinance that some say will unnecessarily and unduly burden cat caregivers, read Animal Law Coalition's original report below. 

Update Oct. 1: After first threatening to jail at least one feral cat caregiver for feeding cats, the City of Bevery Hills has now adopted TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) as a way to control feral cat populations and reduce citizen complaints about the cats.

Update July 16: Camden, New Jersey's city council has given first round approval to a plan to implement trap neuter return in the city. 

Under the proposed ordinance, caregivers would register with animal control and be responsible for trapping and spaying or neutering the cats, obtaining vaccinations and otherwise maintaining the colony.