A Vicious Cycle is Leading Us to the "Slow Kill" Nation
- Kathy Gabrielescu
- Jan 14
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The concept of a "no kill nation" is appealing to many animal lovers.
National organizations are making millions of dollars by championing the idea and even creating metrics that measure which towns are more "no-kill" than others, such as the one mentioned here. Anyone who questions the feasibility or methods of achieving no-kill status is instantly branded a cat hater without actually considering what is behind the "no kill nation" initiative.
For over a decade, we have been tracking the way "no kill" is interpreted and implemented in the state of New Jersey.
Regardless of income or size, the same cycle plays out and instead of working toward a no kill nation, municipalities inevitably end up achieving a hideously cruel result: The Slow-Kill Nation.
The process starts with ignoring or creatively working around enforcement of animal cruelty and welfare laws. It progresses to eventually excluding cats from animal control or eliminating vital elements of animal control programs altogether.
However, those that do include cats in their animal control programs continue to perpetuate the same cruel cycle that creates not No Kill, but Slow Kill animal sheltering programs. Here's how:
Step 1: Managed Intake.
Municipal shelters opt to be "managed intake." On-the-spot admission is denied and residents to hold on to cats "until a cage opens up." While it seems logical on a case-by-case basis, New Jersey has taken it too far. Residents who can no longer keep a cat are turned away altogether or put on wait lists that may be literally years long. Most residents can not or will not keep the cats they are attempting to surrender or strays they found. Whatever the reason, it does not matter, as those cats are released on to the streets. Some of them suffer and die agonizing deaths while others are the seed cats for HUGE feral cat colonies.
Step 2: TVNR Ordinances
Some towns have TNVR ordinances but I have yet to find one that actually enforces a simple "if you feed it you fix it" law. Without enforcement, it leaves TVNR as optional and many feeders still consider dropping food to be "good enough" because they are not able or willing to be caretakers. The cats continue to breed even if everyone else is doing TVNR--other residents seek help to TNR. They look for non profits to assist or learn to TNR on their own, but cats continue to breed and suffer due to those who allowed to refuse TVNR.
Step 3: Feeding = Ownership
A more recent trend is for municipalities to operate under the premise that if you feed a cat it is your property. However, they do not enforce requiring vaccination or licensing, nor require feeders to TVNR. The towns contract for minimal outsourced animal control services that offer inadequate or no impound facilities and exclude resolving calls about cats.
The result?
Let's talk about the best case scenario.
You walk outside to go to work and find a hungry, skinny cat screaming for help.
You call animal control who tells you, "we are full, leave it there."
Of course, you feel horrible and feed the cat.
After reaching out to already overwhelmed rescues, you cannot find a home and decide to at least TNVR the cat to avoid more kittens.
Unable to afford low cost, you find a group like ours to fund the surgery.
Some time passes and the cat shows up sick or injured for breakfast. You still have no budget for vet care so once again you call animal control. This time you are told, "IF YOU FEED THE CAT AND IT IS EAR TIPPED IT IS YOUR PROBLEM."
You ask to surrender the cat instead of watching them die. The answer: "WE DO NOT TAKE OWNER SURRENDERS. WE ARE FULL."
Many city ACOs have decided (incorrectly) that having an ear tip defines a cat as "owned" and therefore not eligible for intake even when they are suffering - despite state law requiring the cat to be impounded when ill or injured.
Now what?
You are not left with no options. You try to call rescues but budgets are tight and no one has the funds to pay for medical care. With no budget for veterinary care, you are left to watch the cat suffer until they finally die. Days or weeks may pass as the cat becomes more and more ill, stops eating, and gasps for breath. If we are lucky, they are not dying of a disease that can be passed to humans. In the cases where the cat is carrying a contagious disease, weeks will pass as the human population is left at risk.
How did we get here?
By focusing on the wrong end of the equation! No kill is a goal with many steps and a lot of work. You cannot take shortcuts or achieve "no kill" by declaring that there are enough homes for every cat and demonizing anyone who sees euthanasia as a necessary evil to avoid suffering.
Where do we go from here?
We have a plan!
We must pass comprehensive legislation to reform animal control.
You can read about pending legislation here.
We must require municipalities to have adequate budgets and implementation for animal control services. This will help put an end to the Slow Kill Nation, protect public health and protect our right to enjoyment of private property.
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