"A letter from a Feral Caregiver"
Dear
Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Council Members:
I
am writing to advise the Township of a tax saving program that is
advocated by the Burlington County Health Department and Board of
Chosen Freeholders. The Township Clerk was previously presented with
this information so she may have already approached you about placing
the matter on the Town Council agenda.
The
program, "Burlington County Feral Cat Initiative (BCCI)," is explained
in the enclosed brochure. Also enclosed is a press release from the
Freeholders' office quoting Freeholder Addiego, the overseer of the
County Health Department - "The proactive program will promote
public health and save the County and its municipalities thousands of
dollars in the reduction of calls for animal control and in
the number of stray cats transported to the shelter."
I
have been caring for a feral colony of cats in my neighborhood for the
last four years. The colony was formed when some well-meaning neighbors
began feeding a few feral cats that lived in the woods. However,
because they could not afford to pay for the veterinary costs of
altering the cats, the colony grew.
Initially,
because I was unsure about what to do about the cats, I contacted
Animal Control. I was of the mistaken belief that Animal Control would
trap the cats and take them to the shelter where the cats would be
adopted. I was advised by Animal Control that they did not have the
resources to deal with the cats and that they would only react to
nuisance calls about the cats, after which the cats would be destroyed.
I did not want to harm the cats, but I knew it was against public
interest to allow the cats to reproduce.
I then spoke to my veterinarian, Gordon B. Stull, V.M.D. of Vetco in
Tabernacle. It was through him and an organization known as Spay USA
that I became educated about feral cats. I learned that the majority of
feral cats are not tamable and that the traditional method of dealing
with feral cats was eradication at a huge cost to taxpayers. As the
enclosed brochure indicates, "It is estimated that approximately
$100,000 is spent annually by the Burlington County Shelter alone on
the housing and euthanasia of feral cats." This is an incredible waste
of taxpayer money especially when there is a better, more humane
solution that reduces taxes.
The
solution is to manage the colonies by spaying/neutering, inoculating,
feeding and monitoring for health problems. The outcome is that the
cats live contentedly without endangering the public. Furthermore, the
research has shown that eradication has not reduced the feral cat
population - that a reduction (accomplished, without spending tax
dollars, through programs like BCCI) only results when the colonies are
managed.
In
fact, I have altered and inoculated 26 cats in my neighborhood. Because
of natural attrition and adoption of the tamable cats, the colony has
been reduced to approximately 15 cats, which proves the effectiveness
of the program. If I had not implemented the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
program in my neighborhood, the cats would have multiplied at an
alarming rate since one cat can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in
six years!
While
I did obtain some limited funding from Spay USA (now funding is through
New Jersey Animal Rights) the majority of the veterinary costs for my
cat colony have come out of my pocket. Needless to say, this has been a
costly venture, but well worth it.
Unfortunately,
most people do not have disposable income that they can allot to the
cats. Other feral cat caregivers, within Mount Holly Township and
elsewhere, who realize the importance of altering and inoculating the
cats, frequently contact me for help. However, because they cannot
afford the veterinary costs, they continue feeding and the cats
continue reproducing. The feral cat explosion has become an epidemic in
every township in Burlington County (an estimated 40,000 in our county
alone) and throughout the United States, except where TNR programs have
been implemented.
In
order for the BCCI program to be implemented in Mount Holly, Township
Council must adopt an ordinance, as the Freeholder press release points
out, allowing BCCI to educate feral cat caregivers about the program.
Once implemented, BCCI will provide workshops and will offer
reduced-cost or free vaccination, spay/neuter, microchipping, and feral
cat colony support to all of the Township's feral caregivers. I will
gladly assist BCCI by volunteering my time and resources to implement
the program and to teach residents how to handle and care for feral
cats.
BCCI
is slowly being implemented throughout Burlington County, and it takes
people like me to alert their township and to coordinate a
presentation. Enclosed is a letter from Dr. Stull, the veterinarian
affiliated with BCCI, indicating that he is willing to make a
presentation to Mount Holly Township officials to provide data
regarding the effectiveness of the BCCI program, to show how it will
promote public health and reduce taxes. Our township officials have
always been very concerned with reducing taxes so it is my hope that
the Township will, at least, schedule a presentation with Dr. Stull.
Because
of the innovative mindset of our Township officials, Mount Holly is a
leader. This program presents another opportunity for Mount Holly to
lead other Burlington County townships with a ground-breaking tax
reduction program.
Thank
you for your time and attention to this important matter. Dr. Stull and
I look forward to hearing from the Township about scheduling a
presentation.
Very truly yours,
Wanda L. Riddle
