Free-roaming cats pose serious risk, should be permanently removed from the environment The issue of stray cats has come to the forefront in Upper Freehold. Municipal code (5-5.2) states that no one owning, keeping or harboring an animal shall permit the animal to run at large. In essence, cats that are fed or sheltered or provided some type of care cannot freely roam off the property of the person providing care. Condoning a trap, neuter and release (TNR) effort would undermine this law, which is important in helping to protect public health and prevent nuisances. Freehold Area Health Department representative Margaret Jahn stated that the public should not feed feral cats unless they belong to a condoned cat colony. Who condones them? Who monitors them? TNR is neither a prudent nor good public health policy. These colonies pose a public health risk. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians has stated that there is no evidence that colony management programs will reduce diseases. Not every cat is trapped; therefore, not every cat is vaccinated for rabies. Colonies consist of true feral cats, strays, free-ranging house cats and rabies-vector species like raccoons and skunks. TNR is environmentally irresponsible. Natural predators like great horned owls and barn owls make excellent mousers. Cats do not distinguish among the species they kill. They are prolific hunters of birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians and are not an environmentally friendly method of rodent control. Cats are the only species to shed toxoplasma gondii in their feces. This parasite stays in the environment for many months and causes toxoplasmosis. Cats defecate on or near soil or grain ingested by livestock or cats deposit feces in gardens on or near produce. There are many zoonotic disease concerns from cats besides rabies, although cats are by far the leading carrier among domestic animals. Canine rabies has been eliminated in the U.S. through licensing, vaccinations and stray dog control - not by managing stray dog colonies. We should expect no less for cats. Cats should be licensed and vaccinated and anti-roaming ordinances should be enforced. Stray and feral cats should be removed from the environment. TNR has not been proven to reduce the number of feral cats through natural attrition. Cats that evade capture are fed and thus better able to breed. They do not defend their territories. Neighborhood cats find the food source and irresponsible owners dump their cats into colonies. Caregivers often relocate cats from one colony to another when problems develop at the first site. TNR is based on perpetual colony maintenance. Feral cats are not wildlife - their home is not outdoors. Releasing domestic companion animals to live and die in the wild is neither ethical nor compassionate. Many adult feral cats can be socialized and adopted. For more information visit www.tapworks.org. Euthanasia, as a last resort, is a more humane outcome for these cats. Trap and remove has been proven to work when the food source is also removed. The TNR program in Cape May has never been properly evaluated. The animal control officer can only somewhat account for the cats in registered colonies and not for the overall population of cats on the island. We do not know what effect TNR has had in total. A reduction in euthanasia at area shelters is not an indication that there are less feral cats on the streets. The organization Alley Cat Allies claimed that within ten years the colonies would cease to exist. Twelve years have passed and the cats remain. If TNR cannot work on an island, how will this work in suburban and rural areas? Any free-roaming cat poses a serious risk for native wildlife, already struggling to survive. Well-fed cats still hunt and can further compromise threatened and endangered species. Releasing these non-native predators is just one more way humans degrade habitat. Information for municipalities is available at www.TNRrealitycheck.com. Linda Cherkassky Voorhees