Iwas a resident of South River for most of my life, then moved to Manchester and more recently to Ohio.

Everywhere, it is the same story — ignorant people do not have their cats neutered and then let the cats outside to reproduce, to the point that a feral colony ensues. Whose fault is that? Not these poor creatures that didn't ask to be abandoned or lost.

There is great importance and relevance in TNR (Trap-Neuter- Return). There will be less and less ferals, and they will get their shots (including rabies) when neutered. I have practiced TNR for decades. It's the most compassionate thing to do for cats and kittens.

In Manchester there was a ban on feeding ferals, and one faced a $500 fine for doing so. It was sad to see lovely women in their 80s drawn to court to pay such fines for just being animal lovers. I could no sooner turn my back on a hungry cat or kitten than I could on a hungry child.

TNR works. If those who oppose it will read legitimate articles on the subject, they will educate themselves and realize that feral populations can be reduced to the point of almost nonexistence if responsible people neuter their cats. It is so plain and simple, yet people still abandon litters of kittens at the roadside, where the animals face death and starvation. How can people be so heartless and cruel to animals that can feel pain, are hungry, and, when made house pets, can provide years of unconditional love to their owners?

With the help of the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance (NJARA), we almost got TNR approved in Manchester until re-election time came around and TNR was put on the back burner and forgotten about. Here in Ohio the situation is worse. Shelters don't even take in kittens because there is such an abundance of them that newspapers are filled with ads for free kittens.

Why don't these people neuter their cats and prevent litters? It is just plain ignorance on their part. They love to see kittens born, but they forget the consequences.

To those who oppose TNR, I just cannot understand your point. Cats kill birds, they say. Sure they do. I hate to see that, also. But people kill birds, too, and deer and so many other animals, and often miss their target and let a wounded animal get away to suffer until death comes. Neutered cats, including males, will mark less and the odor will be so much less if they are neutered.

It's just time to end the vendetta against these poor cats that had the misfortune of being abandoned, ran away from home due to the carelessness of owners, or were just born in the wild. They do not deserve to be abandoned by man and senselessly slaughtered.

Please, if you are a cat lover, ask your animal-control officer for the loan of a cage to capture these poor creatures and take them yourself to the vet to be neutered. There are many organizations out there that help with the cost of neutering, and it takes so little time to find them. They include NJARA in Englishtown, ABC in Pine Beach, and so many more if you just check on the Internet or ask at a vet's office.

When you help one or several cats, you will find this wonderful feeling in your heart because you are helping to reduce an ever-increasing population of cats that without your help can be maimed or killed by predators, suffer needlessly from disease and infection and fleas, or be targeted by an inhuman person who takes delight in killing defenseless kittens and cats.
Christine Magielnicki Adams
Chillicothe, Ohio
formerly of South River