CINNAMINSON, NJ — Cinnaminson officials will consider managing stray cats through a method that a local advocate says is more humane and cost-effective than the township’s decades-old policy.
Wendy Sanders, a township resident, says she’s been trapping cats in the township for 20 years. She embraces a practice called “trap-neuter-return” (TNR) — a method of reducing outdoor-cat populations that minimizes euthanasia. During recent Township Committee meetings, Sanders has pushed for Cinnaminson to adopt the practice.
What Is TNR?
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Supporters of TNR, including the Burlington County Animal Shelter, call it a humane alternative to traditional methods of managing unclaimed, outdoor cats.
The process typically involves live-trapping felines and getting them vaccinated and neutered. Cats that can be socialized as house pets become adoptable. Those that can’t be socialized will often get ear-tipped and then released in the area where they were trapped or to a colony where they can be monitored.
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Under more traditional practices, cats can get euthanized simply for being considered unadoptable.
“It’s really the only way to stabilize cat colonies,” Sanders said at Monday’s Township Committee meeting. “When a cat’s fixed, it has no reason to roam.”
Cinnaminson’s Regulations
In Cinnaminson, cats with no known owner or caretaker can be reported to animal control for seizure. If the cat has no apparent home, there’s a seven-day period when the owner, if it has one, can claim it.
Thereafter, the cat can be adopted or “disposed of … in as humane a manner as possible,” according to the township code.
Cinnaminson last updated the policy in 1990.
Sanders has practiced TNR on her own, getting veterinary care for captured cats and covering those costs. But she says the township ordinance negates those efforts.
“Knowing that animal control could come out and scoop up some cats when I already paid for them to be fixed — I’m helping control the population,” Sanders said. “So it’s discouraging knowing that we don’t have something more progressive or even animal-friendly.”
TNR is also more cost-effective than traditional practices, Sanders says. She recommended that the township partner with Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter, which requires only $30-50 for a trapped cat’s medical care — the organization covers the remaining costs.
During Monday’s meeting, township officials offered to discuss the matter with Sanders further on policies she would recommend.
Learn more about TNR in Burlington County.
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