BRICK – There is humane support in the township for anyone who is feeding stray or abandoned cats: the Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) Program exists to help feral cat colony caretakers spay, neuter and vaccinate the animals, which ultimately helps to halt the number of kittens born in the wild.
Feral cats are the offspring of domesticated cats that have been abandoned, lost or have adapted to living on their own.
Brick has an estimated 80 cat colonies with some 453 cats, with each colony ranging from three to 10 cats. The colony caretakers sign an agreement with TNR that they will care for and feed the animals and keep them sheltered and warm in the winter, said committee chair John Talty, who served as a Brick police officer for 30 years before retiring in 2017.
The TNR Committee meets every four to six weeks, with some 20 residents attending the most recent meeting held at Town Hall on October 15.
During the meeting, Talty said they were able to distribute some 1,000 pounds of cat food that had been donated from veterinarians of soon-to-expire cat food, donations from shoppers at Petco, where there is a drop-off bin for feral cats, and from private donations.
When Catherine G. (she prefers that her last name not be used) and her family moved into her home on the north side of Brick in 2001, they were near a former 30-acre farm and a couple of run-down houses.
Feral cats live out their lives in the wild after being fixed to stop the constant influx of kittens. (Photo courtesy Catherine G.)
“They had cats that they never fixed, so there were a lot of cats back there,” she said from her backyard recently. “When they started building a development and knocked down the two houses, where were the cats going to go? There were about 30 cats, and then they started coming here – and there was no TNR then.”
Catherine began to care for the cats and paid for many of them to be neutered. Then she found out about Animal Birth Control (ABC), a non-profit organization based in Pine Beach that helps people get their cats and dogs neutered at a discounted price.
She is still caring for the colony, which has dwindled down to just four cats, ranging in age from 14 to 17. Only one is friendly enough for her to touch, she said. She has a covered shelter set up on her back porch, complete with warming pads for the animals.
Talty said Catherine has probably the oldest cat colony in the township.
“She’s the epitome of what a colony should be – she’s done it the right way, so it’s gotten smaller and smaller because she’s gotten them spayed, neutered and vaccinated,” he said. “She feeds them and keeps them warm in the winter.”
The TNR program started years ago with some seed money from the township, Talty said. Now the committee gets its funding from a 50/50 raffle they hold during the Summerfest concerts, from fundraising and from private donations.
Some of the colony caregivers spend up to $500 a month out of their own pockets to care for their colony, he said.
A simple box filled with straw creates a safe haven for stray cats. (Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn)
Cats that have been neutered have one of their ears slightly cropped. The animals are vaccinated, de-wormed, de-flead and microchipped. If needed, TNR volunteers will help to trap the cat and bring it to East Coast NJ Spay Clinic in Toms River, who give the organization a discounted rate for spaying and neutering.
Afterwards, the cats are picked up and returned to where they were trapped, and are reintroduced to the colony. The male cats return to the colony less aggressive, and the cats are less likely to wander since they’re being cared for, Talty said. Once they can no longer reproduce, the population decreases as the cats live out their lives being fed and cared for.
Just recently, one of the volunteers trapped a feral cat, brought it to the vet to get TNR services, and when the vet scanned the cat to see if it was chipped found that it was someone’s cat that had been missing for five months.
“Somehow, it got lost, and that cat, through the Brick TNR program, got returned to its rightful owner and now it’s back home, sitting in the lady’s lap,” Talty said.
A shelter, lined with straw, protects wild cats from the weather. (Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn)
“We continue to find colonies that aren’t registered,” he said.
People who have been caring for feral cats don’t want them to continue having kittens and some have reached out to TNR for help, he said.
“We are truly blessed that we have so many people that are making a better home for what would be cats eating out of a garbage can at the back of a restaurant,” he said.
“Ideally, we would love to see all the cats get socialized and have a nice warm house to be in and a lap to lay on and watch Monday night football,” he said.
Talty said he wants to convey his thanks to all the people who choose to spend their hard-earned money to buy food and donate it to the Brick TNR food donation program.
For more information, search online for “Brick Township TNR.”
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