cats trapped

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For a number of years, Montclair has been experiencing a problem that exists all over the United States: a large number of feral cats. Feral cats are those who live outdoors and have to some extent reverted to a wild state. They tend to be fearful of humans and keep their distance unless the person is someone they have come to know and trust. These cats were originally lost or abandoned domestic cats or they may be their offspring who have never lived with humans in a home. These cats have learned to live outdoors where they have little human contact, except that they depend on people for their food. In some cases, people are regularly leaving food out for them, and in other cases the cats are relying on food from a dumpster or other disposal area. Most of these cats live in "colonies" where they share territory and a food source.

What had been happening in Montclair prior to the institution of a TNR program was that feral cats were giving birth to litters of kittens all over town. Either these litters were taken to PAWS (when there was room) or left out to continue breeding and adding to the number of cats living on the streets. PAWS, especially in the Spring, was normally bursting with kittens. It was a sad picture and led residents to complain to both PAWS and the Health Department.

Montclair TNR is turning this all around.

Programs which rely on "trap and remove", whereby ferals are rounded up and euthanized, have been found to be costly, inhumane, and ineffective. The void that is created when the cats are removed is soon filled by new cats. With TNR, the colonies are stabilized and over time, the number of cats decreases.

The Montclair TNR program began in October of 2004, and as of November, 2009, 702 cats have been humanely trapped and spayed or neutered, thus directly preventing the birth of thousands of kittens and their subsequent offspring. The numbers are huge. The kittens or friendly cats that were trapped were adopted directly to homes or taken to PAWS for adoption. Many of them have already found homes. The cats who were returned to their colonies are fed on a daily basis and are provided with shelter. The program has met with enthusiastic approval.

Montclair TNR is funded by donations. Please help. WE CANNOT ADOPT OUR WAY OUT OF THIS PROBLEM. We need to get every cat in Montclair spayed or neutered. All of the people working in the program are volunteers, and all donations go to pay for the spay/neuter surgeries and shots. We are doing the best we can to keep the cost of the surgeries as low as possible, and we take advantage of the mobile spay/neuter vans operated by the Animal Welfare Association and the Passaic County Spay/Neuter Coalition on a regular basis. We also rely on local vets who help out with reduced prices for this program.

The Montclair TNR program is part of Shelter Showcase, a NJ organization which hosts programs and events to promote shelter adoptions and responsibility toward animals. Since Shelter Showcase is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, donations made to Montclair TNR are tax deductible as charitable contributions. To read more about Shelter Showcase and their excellent programs, visit www.sheltershowcase.com.