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Bloomfield Launches First Municipally-Approved The Friends of the Bloomfield/Bukowski Animal Shelter (FoBAS) completed a successful trap-neuter-return (TNR) project over the Labor Day weekend. Twenty cats from two Bloomfield cat colonies were trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and had their ears marked for future identification. 14 of the cats were then returned to their colonies in Bloomfield, 3 were held for attempted socialization and adoption, 2 were held for further veterinary treatment prior to release and 1 gave birth to 5 kittens. (The family is being fostered by a volunteer.)
Ellen Powley, President of FoBAS, stated that using very conservative estimates, "spaying and neutering of the twenty cats in these two colonies prevented a minimum of 500 new feral cats over the next three years." Colony caretakers manage each colony providing food daily and veterinary care as needed. FoBAS will be planning additional TNR projects. FoBAS is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that assists in improvements to the health and well-being of the animals at the shelter and in the community. Donations to support this and other projects may be sent to PO Box 2267, Bloomfield, NJ 07003. |
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TNR
programs are the humane way to control feral and stray cat populations.
Neighborhood Cats provided assistance by sharing methods, procedures,
hands on help and training for FoBAS to continue the program into the
future with other colonies. Mayor McCarthy and the Township Council were
most generous in providing holding space for the cats during the program.
The Bloomfield Board of Health and the Health Department supplied support
and approvals throughout the project.