Whiskers Wagon Makes its Inaugural Trip!
- Kathy Gabrielescu
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
On July 22nd 2026 the Whiskers Rescue Whiskers Wagon made its inaugural trip!
We have worked so hard to make this program possible and we were so excited for our first day. We have met some amazing residents and we are incredibly happy to be in the position to help them. The city of Passaic has accepted our program into their city and we have great plans to make a huge impact on the cat population.
Over the last 2 weeks I have spoken to hundreds of Passaic residents and we are learning a lot from their experiences. The majority of our initial applications for help are coming from residents who have taken in stray cats and cannot afford to have them sterilized. The vast majority of NJ has inadequate shelter capacity and under current NJ state law shelters are not required to intake "owner surrenders".
The sad reality is that this broken system has created what has become known as the "cat distribution network". Many people mention this term with amusement but the reality is that it is incredibly detrimental to animals, to quality of life and to public health. Cat loving residents are taking stray cats into their home to save them from the streets but without spay/neuter the cats continue to breed. NJ residents are often forced to make the decision between watching a cat suffer outside or risking their housing, health and financial stability. Many kittens are given away prior to sterilization while others ultimately end up back on the streets as the numbers have become unmanageable in the home.
It is critical to recognize that animal issues are human issues. Many people question funding used for animals and will claim that people are more important. The two can not be untangled. The cat crisis impacts humans through loss of housing, disease exposure and escalating psychological stress caused by being forced to make horrible decisions between their own security and being forced to watch animal suffer and die.
The reality is that there is no way we can end the cycle of homeless cats through adoptions nor through warehousing. The ONLY way to end the cat overpopulation crisis is through prevention. Residents need access to affordable spay/neuter. Many residents are in need of financial assistance but for many who do not have vehicles funding alone is not enough. New Jersey currently has many areas with no easy access to clinics.
Our state is in crisis and facing a growing number of homeless animals that impact our quality of life and present serious potential threats to public health. 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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