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.

Clark County, Nevada, home to Las Vegas and its suburbs, has adopted an ordinance allowing managed feral cat colonies.

Good news from a major metroplitan area when the alternative was to trap and kill the cats or euthanize those picked up by animal control. If rescues and caregivers can be found to establish managed feral cat colonies, the county will not trap and kill these cats.