Mt. Olive Trap-Neuter-Return Project

The Mt. Olive TNR Project is a grassroots effort to manage the feral cat population in Mt. Olive through Trap-Neuter-Return, a humane and effective solution to feral cat overpopulation. Why this program is needed: For years, the Township of Mt. Olive tried to control its feral cat population via the “trap and kill” method, with animal control responding to complaints by trapping some of the cats, boarding them for the legally required 7 days, and then euthanizing them. In 2008, Mt. Olive impounded 181 cats and killed 141 of them, at an expense to the town of almost $20,000. Untrapped cats continue to reproduce, continuing the cycle of birth and extermination. How TNR works: Trap-Neuter-Return is a humane method of feral cat management. All of the cats in an area are trapped, friendly adults and kittens who can be socialized are removed for fostering and adoption, and the remaining adults are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their habitat for lifelong care. TNR is effective because it reduces feral cat numbers right away by removing kittens and friendly adults and because it stops the cycle of reproduction. Neutering also stops most nuisance behaviors, such as spraying, fighting, roaming, and caterwauling. TNR is affordable because low-cost spay/neuter clinics perform the neuters and vaccinations as steeply discounted prices. TNR is approved by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Morris County, the National Animal Control Association, the Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, the NJSPCA, and many other agencies and organizations. The Mt. Olive TNR Project: The Mt. Olive TNR Project consists of residents who volunteer their time. The Project’s volunteers do all aspects of the TNR Project, from outreach to trapping, transport, post-operative care, long-term oversight of cats and caregivers, and fostering and adoptions. We get cats neutered, vaccinated against rabies and distemper, ear tipped for identification (the universal sign of a TNR’d cat, where the tip of the left ear is removed during the neuter surgery), and micro chipped. Our project includes three residents who are certified animal control officers.

Note: PO Boxes will not show correctly on the map below.