Pennsauken Township has been receiving an increasing number of calls from residents about the issue of “community cats,” ownerless, feral/stray cats that are making their homes outside in Pennsauken. Shying from human contact, these cats ultimately form colonies; if left unchecked, these groups of animals grow rapidly, as a female cat can become pregnant as early as five months old. The overpopulation of community cats creates a negative impact on neighborhoods and puts a severe strain on area shelters.

Pennsauken’s municipal government has made changes to its ordinance to create public-private partnerships as part of a community cat management program, which aims to protect the public health, prevent the spread of disease among animals, reduce shelter euthanasia, and preserve scarce shelter resources.

Ordinance 2021:12 - Further regulating cats and creating a community cat/TNR management program

CHAPTER 101: ANIMALS

As part of the program, the Township partners with community cat managers: individuals, organizations, or volunteers approved by the town to trap, neuter, and return community cats to their colonies, more commonly known as TNR, a method identified as the most humane and effective way to regulate community cats and shrink their numbers. Pennsauken’s Community Cats is the first such group approved by the Township as a community cat manager.

Community cat managers in turn work with community cat caregivers: any person who, under the manager’s supervision, assists in trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, ear-tipping, and returning the cats to the area where they were first trapped. In the case of kittens and strays/feral cats that have interacted with humans and/or can be domesticated, these animals are taken to Camden County’s no-kill intake shelter, Homeward Bound, and are vaccinated, spayed/neutered, microchipped, receive medical treatment if needed, and placed into foster care until ready for adoption.

For Pennsauken’s community cat management program to be successful, it will require an ongoing commitment from dedicated organizations and volunteers. It also means that managers and caregivers are approved by the town’s municipal government and subject to the code in the updated ordinance, which is expected to be approved by Township Committee this month. Any individual who is feeding a community cat colony in Pennsauken but not having them neutered, providing improper care, etc. will be subject to tickets and possible fines.

Report a community cat colony in Pennsauken

To become a Community Cat Manager, send an email here.

To learn how to get involved, join the “Pennsauken’s Community Cats” public group on Facebook.

To report cases of cat hoarding, inhumane treatment of animals, and the like, contact Pennsauken’s non-emergency dispatch at (856) 663-1234.