S.T.A.R.T. has been overwhelmed with the intake of kittens and the returns of adult/senior cats. Recently, a 14-year-old cat was found on the streets of Central Jersey.  Animal Control contacted the owner who did not want the cat back!!  Thanks to our microchip system, she is safe in our foster care, though we are saddened and confused that after 14 years someone can abandon their pet.  Over the past year, we have had three senior cats surrendered back to us for various reasons.  They have gone back into our foster care in the hope that they will be adopted again. We do understand that sometimes extenuating circumstances may occur in someone’s life. We will never abandon our fosters. We care deeply for the cats and kittens we foster and want to ensure they are cared for properly. 

Unfortunately, we have had to turn people away due to the overflow of intake this year.  This is something that breaks our hearts, not being able to take in these animals in need. The best we can do is recommended Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) these souls back to the locations they were found. After all TNR is the reason, this group was started over 32 years ago.  Homeowners can continue to feed these babies, while ensuring no new babies are born.  We cannot help them without your help and the help of the local communities. We can help stabilize the colony by altering, vaccinating and giving any medical attention needed. If you or know anyone one feeding unaltered stray’s, we beg you and your community to educate on TNR. All of us need to help reduce the current over-population of strays.

Hoarding animals, over breeding and dumping animals has been a major problem these last years. All of these issues have caused an overflow of animals in shelters and rescue groups. Right in our back yard in Paterson, NJ, a horrific hoarding situation took place.  A home claimed to be overwhelmed with fifty cats. Actually, they had over 180 cats spread thru three levels of the home.  Pregnant females continued to give birth as the rescue group rushed to remove the cats from the location. S.T.A.R.T. helped where we could, taking Mom’s and newborn babies. Many of these cats had serious issues due to the homes conditions which caused in-breeding.  In-breeding causes caused still born kittens, mothers with no milk and birth defects. The initial evacuation removed all of the kittens, known pregnant cats, the nursing mother cats and those in need of immediate medical attention. It was a devastating situation for all the rescue groups involved.

We received a call for help in late 2023, a litter of kittens that was noticed on the banks of Route by an exit. The Mom had been hit by a car leaving the babies alone and unsure of how to survive.  These four babies were probably 4-5 months old. We knew socializing these babies would not be easy. Knowing the odds, there was no way we could leave them on the banks of the highway. They deserved a chance at life. We have since had two of these little ones adopted to forever homes. Anyone having the time to work with these now year-old kitties, please reach out to us and see how fostering can help. Lake and Bubba are still shy!  When you adopt a single cat, you make a difference in the lives of many. Please help us to help them, one cat at a time.  

As always, we could never survive without our dedicated volunteers and fosters. These volunteers are the core of our rescue group and we depend and appreciate them more than they know!  A special thank you to each and every one of you.

 Good Luck to everyone that has come out to support the animals today! Have a great day!!