LBI Feral Cats Population Dropping Thanks To Trap, Neuter, Return Program

The life of a feral or stray cat is not an easy one.

The Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter are working to reduce the number of ferals and strays in Southern Ocean County through a network of volunteers in its Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) program.

There’s been a significant drop in the number of cats brought to the animal shelter in the past few years, according to The Sandpaper.

In 2011, 156 cats were brought to the shelter. In 2015, only 36 cats were impounded, Stafford Township Animal Control Officer Kelly Karch said during a recent presentation at the Long Beach Island branch of the Ocean County

“As the numbers of cats being brought to the (Manahawkin) shelter continues to decrease, one can only hope that 2016 impounds will continue to be at a record low,” she said. “We may never achieve trapping every single cat on LBI, but I believe we are getting closer and closer.”

Volunteers in the TNR program help humanely trap feral cats, have them spayed or neutered, get them vaccinated and have their ears tipped for identification, Karch said.

They are then returned outdoors, where colony caretakers feed them and provide water. There is no freshwater source on Long Beach Island, said Dottie Reynolds, president of the Friends group.

Volunteer Sue Douthitt has been involved with the TNR program for three years.

“It’s very gratifying because you know they’re out there struggling to survive,” she said.

For more information about the TNR program, call 609-494-0146 or 609-597-6040. For kitten fostering, contact 609-978-2474, and for bottle baby fosters, call 973-809-1990.

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Photo credit: Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter.