The cats of Seaside Heights, New Jerseylike Mo and Skar pictured hereare in danger.
Cats in Seaside Heights, New Jersey are in danger. Despite Mayor Tony Vaz’s claims that he intends to preserve the Borough’s Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program, the Seaside Heights Borough Council is considering a deadly ordinance that would end TNR in all but name and endanger hundreds of community cats.
The new ordinance would undo the TNR program Seaside Heights has had for several years. It would empower animal control to trap and kill cats in proposed colony-free zones, claiming that it’s inevitable that cats will be killed because the “community is small.” The proposed cat-free zones cover nearly half of Seaside Heights, and many colonies already live in these areas. This cruel and ineffective method won’t reduce the cat population. New cats will move in to fill the void; a phenomenon called the vacuum effect. TNR is the only humane and effective approach.
The ordinance would also force caregivers to meet unreasonable standards in order to practice TNR and care for a cat colony. Standards of care required in the ordinance include formal training, registering all colonies, and signing a legal waiver to be kept on file by the Borough government all before being allowed to care for cats. Citizens will be discouraged from caring for cats and practicing TNR because of these strict requirements. That is a loss for cats and the community.
Alley Cat Allies has been in talks with the Mayor, who has said that he doesn’t intend to allow any community cats to be killed in Seaside Heights, and that the cats are his priority. In spite of this, Alley Cat Allies’ repeated offers of expertise and resources to strengthen Seaside Heights’ TNR program have been ignored. This ordinance particularly flies in the face of the Mayor’s claimed intentions, because it is a death sentence for many community cats.
Seaside Heights and the Jersey Shore are huge tourist destinations, so your voice is influential and crucial. Please speak out and help us protect Seaside Heights’ cats.