Brick TNR Committee Seeking Donations For Colony Cats

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township's Trap-Neuter-Return program is seeking help and support for its program that helps to control the cat population in the township.

The program, which is run by volunteers in coordination with township officials, is collecting cat food and cat potty pads along with other supplies through the end of September.

The supplies are used to assist the caretakers of cat colonies in Brick.

The donations can be dropped off at Town Hall, 401 Chambers Bridge Road, from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The goal of TNR is to reduce the population of feral cats humanely over time. Feral cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, and returned to the site where they were living. Once spayed or neutered, the cats can no longer reproduce, meaning the population will decrease as the cats die over time.

Colony caretakers offer food for the cats and monitor the colonies, trapping any new cats that show up (usually through people dumping pets).

The program was caring for 59 colonies and more than 300 cats as of July 2023, according to a report from the committee chairman, John Talty.

An unaltered female cat can have at least five litters of kittens per year, with litters averaging four to six kittens. They can get pregnant as soon as 5 or 6 months old, making it easy for a population to explode quickly.

If you are feeding colony cats or are interested in helping with Brick's TNR program, information on the committee and how to get involved are on the township's website.