For many years, numerous Hudson County municipalities have reported serious problems with growing colonies of feral cats (also known as community cats), causing acute environmental, public health, nuisance, and animal welfare issues. The resolution would permit the County to provide direct reimbursement to any Hudson County municipality for 50% of qualified costs incurred from running TNR programs for an amount not to exceed $10,000.00 per municipality.

“I am proud to usher this resolution through the Board so that it can become law,” said Commission Chair Anthony Romano (District 5). “Every municipality in Hudson County has feral cat colonies, and this legislation will help our communities pay for the costs associated with TNR. None of this would have been possible without the dedication and commitment of the Executive and Legislative branches of County government, as well as our strong partnerships with the mayors across Hudson County. Their collaboration has been essential to advancing this important initiative.”

The following TNR Activities would qualify for payments to municipalities:

• Humane trapping
• Veterinary Services directly related to TNR such as:
  • Spaying and neutering of feral cats
  • Vaccinations related to TNR 
  • Ear tipping
  • Microchipping
  • Recovery
  • Medications
• Transportation (limited to transport directly related to TNR); and
• Other similar TNR related expenses.

“I would like to commend the subcommittee and officials who worked towards the common goal of treating our feline friends humanely. When I spoke with my constituents in North Bergen and Secaucus, they frequently talked about feral cats,” stated Commissioner Robert P. Baselice (District 8), who was passionate about championing this initiative. “I am sure Hudson County’s municipalities will take advantage of these grants and work with animal welfare advocates to establish or expand upon TNR programs.”

As established by the resolution, the rules for participating municipalities are as follows:

1. The County will only provide direct reimbursement to the municipality for any services rendered.
2. Receipts and proof of payments (including Purchase Orders and Invoices) must accompany all reimbursement requests and returned to the County with the attached reimbursement request form.
3. This program is only intended for TNR purposes and not for any other feral cat colony expenses. 
4. The grant period will be from September 11, 2026, through September 10, 2027. All bills must have been incurred during that period.
5. The County will not reimburse for services rendered to privately owned animals; this service is only intended for stray/feral cats within Hudson County municipalities.

“TNR programs offer a humane way to manage community cat populations,” Commission Vice-Chairperson Fanny Cedeño (District 6) said. “Providing care, preventing future litters, and allowing cats to return safely to the places they call home is the right thing to do. I am very happy to strongly support this resolution.”

According to Alley Cat Rescue, the country’s first national cat protection association, established in 1997, approximately 400,000 healthy cats and kittens are euthanized annually at shelters across the U.S. Of these healthy cats, feral cats often face the bleakest outcome. This is because feral cats are born and raised in the wild and are generally unsocialized towards people. Feral cats are not good candidates for adoption; they often hide in the back of their cages and do not seek affection from people.

“TNR programs are simple common sense: humanely trap community cats; spay or neuter and vaccinate them; return the cats to their territory to reduce the feral cat population over time,” stated Commissioner Kenny Kopacz (District 1). “Unfortunately, some cats are not suitable pets, but TNR offers a compassionate solution we should all embrace.”

As per the Alley Cat Rescue website:

• A TNR and spay/neuter voucher program in Aiken County, South Carolina resulted in a 50% increase in animals saved and a 50% decline in animals euthanized.
• A study that covered six large scale TNR programs at shelters in diverse communities over three years resulted in a median reduction of 32% in feline intake and a median decline of 83% in feline euthanasia across the shelters.
• Seventeen years after the implementation of targeted TNR of a colony of about 300 community cats Newburyport, Massachusetts, none remained. Up to one-third of the cats trapped were sociable and adopted into homes; the remainder were sterilized and vaccinated before being returned to the waterfront, where they declined in number over time due to attrition.

“By sterilizing and vaccinating feral cats, TNR programs help reduce the risk of disease while curbing nuisance behaviors such as fighting, yowling and spraying. Over time, they create healthier, more stable cat populations and improve quality of life for our residents,” stated Commissioner Caridad Rodriguez (District 7).

-30-