Whiskers Wagon - 100 Cats & Counting!
- Kathy Gabrielescu
- 10 minutes ago
- 3 min read
One Month and 100+ Cats! The Whiskers Wagon Update!
We are one month into the Whiskers Wagon pilot program and we are learning a lot! We have helped some amazing people along the way but we have also faced some serious issues with the program. While this not an easy project it is not only helping cats but helping to shape our suggestions to both municipalities and the state of NJ on how to best end the cat over population crisis.
The first weeks of our program were of course the most successful. As with any new program there is a honeymoon period. There are responsible people out there sincerely looking for help, and they are the first to step forward when it becomes available. Unfortunately with all programs once you reach those who really want to do the right thing for the cats the struggle begins to convince others to spay/neuter. We face a 25% cancellation or no show rate on every van. This pilot has been no different which has only served to further convince us that the most critical component of controlling the population is in fact enforcement.
Most of our applications have come from residents who have taken cats off the street or the offspring of cats found by friends and family. New Jersey does not mandate that municipal shelters intake "owner surrenders". This leaves residents who are defined as owners for feeding with no place to bring kittens or friendly cats they have found and fed. It has created a cycle of FREE KITTENS being passed around communities all over NJ. Most never see a vet and are never sterilized. This is impacting our program as many cats have medical issues that need to be addressed at the time of spay/neuter. The population is growing on our streets and in the homes of well meaning residents with no where to turn.
While many residents have chosen to accept our help and fix the cats in their homes very few have opted to learn to TNR the cats they feed. There have been some exceptions but our theory that funding and transport are not the only reasons people do not TNR the cats they feed is sadly being proven to be correct. "Feeders", as opposed to caretakers do not feel it is their responsibility to control their growing colonies of cats. The only solution is to legally assign responsibility to feeder to TNR. Leaving sterilization as optional is creating the epidemic of homeless cats all over New Jersey.
Out state is facing difficult decisions regarding the cat over population crisis. Our fear is that if the correct decisions are not made in a timely fashion it may become too late to choose a humane path. The goal MUST be no more cats outside. The most affordable answer to how we get there is a combination of enforcement and providing access to spay/neuter.
We need your help now more than ever! In just 2 weeks we have scheduled over 100 surgeries! To keep this program available we will need financial support and volunteers willing to help.
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