Wake County commissioners approved a new ordinance Monday that allows citizens and private animal welfare groups to trap, sterilize, vaccinate and return feral cats to the wild. The “TNR” method is considered by leading animal advocates to be a more effective way of managing feral cat colonies than the county’s previous option, which was trapping and killing wild cats.

TNR management of the cats will be financed and carried out by local nonprofit groups and is expected to save the county money through a reduction in trapping and euthanizing the animals.

Commissioner Joe Bryan praised the tenacity of the animal advocates who worked long and hard to revise the county’s approach.

“We seek to make Wake County a much better place in a number of ways,” Bryan said. “There’s no reason we can’t be No. 1 in animal welfare.”

Lisa Kroll, associate executive director for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Wake County, was one of several animal advocates who appeared at Monday’s meeting to thank commissioners.

“We stand ready to continue to work with the county staff,” she said.