To control an overpopulation of stray cats, the City of Leander is looking into a trap-neuter-return program.

The program would allow people to trap stray cats and return them to the area they were found after the cat has been spayed or neutered.

"There are colonies of cats, and it's an unsustained colony. Basically, they begin to multiply and grow and it's potentially a problem for our law enforcement, our animal control," Leander Mayor John Cowman said. "It's not a major problem, but it can grow into a major problem, and we want to see if we can basically check that problem by providing this ordinance."

While some believe the trap-neuter-return programs are the most effective way to control feral cat overpopulation, others say the program would inhumanely put cats back outside in the elements.

However, Austin Humane Society Executive Director Frances Jonon said it's a solution for both people who like and dislike cats. “The result is the same - fewer cats," she said.

In 2007, the Austin Humane Society began Austin's first feral cat sterilization program. They take in cats that have been trapped humanely, sedate them so they don't attack or make erratic movements during the procedure, then spay or neuter them before returning them to the people who trapped them. The program can also provide traps and train people on how to use them.

"Each year at the Austin Humane Society, we spay and neuter over 5,000 feral cats," Jonon said.

Cowman said citizens brought the feline overpopulation problem to his attention, along with data to show that trap-neuter-return programs had proved successful in other areas. Leander City Council members were originally scheduled to discuss the issue during a meeting two weeks ago, but didn't feel prepared to vote on it.

That's why Cowman said an educational work session was set up for Thursday night, with experts invited to discuss the trap-neuter-return method. City council members may now consider voting on an ordinance in a couple weeks.