COLUMBIA — A Columbia board will review the city's ordinance on feral cats March 13 as part of a wider review of the city's ordinances on animal control. Below is a simplified list of the proposed changes.

Proposed changes include defining a feral cat colony as a group of five or more feral cats cared for on one property, removing the microchip requirement for feral cats, requiring permission from neighbors to maintain a feral cat colony, and removing a regular testing requirement for some feline viruses.

Several of the changes would make caring for feral cats more accessible, one Boone County animal worker said.

"The proposed new changes will remove the barriers, and that will make it easier for people to have their colonies registered," Boone County Animal Care founder Jennifer Romesburg said.

Romesburg said removing the requirements for certain testing will encourage people, from a financial standpoint, to intervene if they see a feral cat.

"So, the improvements will make it more affordable to owners by reducing the costs of the microchipping and the yearly testing for their entire colony," Romesburg said.

Bertha's Beans Cat Cafe allows guests to come and visit with cats who are up for adoption.

Romesburg said existing requirements and stipulations make it too difficult to register a feral cat colony.

She said that she likes that the city has something in place if authorities were needed for a situation.

"If there were a reason to get authorities involved with some caretakers not taking care of the colonies as well, there's always something to look back on that we can do," Romesburg said.

Christina Byrd is a trap, neuter, release, or TNR, lead with Second Chance Animal Services in Columbia. The group is dedicated to helping animals in need by providing access to veterinary, spay/neuter and adoption services.

Byrd said low-income neighborhoods are often the areas that are most affected by feral cat colonies.

Christina Byrd is a volunteer with Second Chance Animal Services in Columbia. She specializes in TNR for the city's feral cat population.

"And you have to remember, low-income areas are the ones fighting this. So it's just not feasible right now with the way the ordinances are," Byrd said. "That's where feral populations really tend to flourish and grow."

Byrd moved into her home in northwest Columbia about two years ago. Since then, she's saved close to 75 cats through TNR.

"The main goal is that we go out, we trap cats that are in large colonies, we get them fixed, we give them a rabies shot, we do an ear tip, so we know they've already been fixed, and then we put them back where we got them," Byrd said. "And that's the main basis of TNR, and it's to help stabilize a population of cats so they don't continue growing."

Byrd proposed that the ordinance rules toss out the need for a permit to host a feral cat colony.

"...Just toss the permit and have ordinances that define tenure that basically guidelines if you feed them, you fix them," Byrd said. "And that makes it so much easier to enforce because then animal control can say well here's some rescues who actually do this. They can help with the cost, they can help with the trapping if the person's unable to."

Byrd anticipates that discussion about the ordinance changes will take several sessions with the Board of Health and plans to be there every step of the way.

Customers can adopt cats through Second Chance Animal Services at the cafe.

All public comments and questions must be submitted by 4 p.m. March 10 to be considered by the board at its March 13 meeting. The meeting will be held at Columbia/Boone County Health and Human Services, Training Room 1, 1005 W. Worley St.

The meeting will include presentations from city staff, discussions among board members and examination of current regulations.

The board will continue reviewing city ordinances on animal control over the next few months.

A document listing the proposed changes is available online .