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Feral cats on ninth life
Felines have until July 1, or they may face death
BY
JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer
Published 4/29/04 in the The North South Brunswick Sentinel
NORTH
BRUNSWICK — The remaining cats in the feral cat colony behind the Ramada Inn may be put to death next month.
Animal
Lifesavers Pet Adoption Inc. has until July 1 to humanely manage the feral cat colony down to 20 felines before the township
sends in an animal control officer to remove them for extinction, according to Township Business Administrator Robert Lombard.
"The
answer, to you, is murder," Animal Lifesavers spokeswoman Debbie DeHaven said. "Well, all I can say is that I’m going
to fight you tooth and nail all the way."
DeHaven said her organization works day and night in hopes of rescuing the
remaining cats.
Municipal Judge Ronald E. Wright granted the humane organization six months to try to reduce the cat
population in the wooded area on Route 1 in June.
When the group agreed to assume all costs in their efforts to trap,
spay/neuter, and adopt out the cat population, the Township Council gave Animal Lifesavers an extension to the previously
set deadline of Nov. 12.
"We’ve removed more than 200 cats from that area in the last three years," DeHaven said.
"This program is working, and it’s humane. It does not cost the township anything, but they think murdering the cats
is a solution. How can they sleep at night?"
The township will not grant Animal Lifesavers another extension based
on resident complaints, Lombard said.
Lombard estimates more than 20 cats still reside in the area.
"Residents
in that area believe more cats are migrating there from other towns, or being dropped off," Lombard said.
DeHaven said
the group estimates, through monitoring, that there are fewer than 20 cats in the colony. Since November, Animal Lifesavers
has rescued more than 35 felines from the colony, she said.
Once the group’s time extension expires, the township
will send in an animal control officer to capture the remaining cats. The township will transfer the cats to Edgebrook Animal
Hospital, where they will be exterminated.
The cost to put to sleep and dispose of a cat is $60.
Lombard said
the township spent less than $15,000 last year on costs associated with capturing and killing feral cats.
DeHaven said
the township should use that money for a low-cost spay/neuter program or to start a fund for an animal shelter.
For
almost three years, Animal Lifesavers, a non-profit volunteer organization that runs a no-kill animal shelter in East Brunswick,
has managed the cat colony by providing food, shelter, vaccinations and homes for the cats.
The problems with the feral
cat colony began seven years ago when unspayed and unneutered cats mated in the woods.
To date, the group has removed
more than 200 cats and spent more than $20,000 while managing the felines behind the hotel, DeHaven said.
Costs include
$350 a day to feed the cats, and to provide for spaying and neutering, rabies vaccinations, distemper checks, testing for
feline leukemia and AIDS, and other shots, Espenschied said.
The group does accept monetary contributions and donations
of supplies.
Animal Lifesavers used a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) technique to control the population.
Using
the TNR technique, Animal Lifesavers feeds the cats to trap them, spays or neuters the cats and then returns them to their
habitat for monitoring.
Animal Lifesavers works with various local shelters and Pet Depot in East Brunswick to adopt
the animals out.
For more information about Animal Lifesavers, visit www.petfinder.org/shelters/nj252.html
Copyright
2004 Greater Media Newspapers.
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