TRENTON, N.J. — Legislation sponsored by Sen. Brian Stack to expand humane, statewide management of New Jersey’s community cat population advanced Thursday from the Senate Economic Growth Committee.
The bill, S-261, would establish the Compassion for Community Cats Fund within the state Department of Health to help municipalities and counties implement programs to humanely trap community cats, spay or neuter them, vaccinate them against rabies, ear-tip them for identification and return them to their outdoor homes.
“For years, municipalities have been doing the best they can with limited tools and inconsistent guidance,” said Stack, a Democrat from Hudson County. “This legislation finally creates a statewide plan that is humane, responsible, and grounded in what we know works. It’s a practical step forward for communities, for shelters, and for the animals themselves.”
With limited veterinary or age-based exceptions, the bill would require that any cat released for adoption be spayed or neutered. It would also require that any impounded community cat be sterilized, ear-tipped and vaccinated before being returned to its outdoor location or placed with a new owner.
Violations of the bill would carry a civil penalty of up to $1,000, with collected funds dedicated to the Compassion for Community Cats Fund. The legislation also authorizes the Department of Health to adopt regulations to administer the program.
Community cat populations grow primarily through reproduction within existing colonies and can contribute to public health and ecological concerns when left unmanaged. Many New Jersey municipalities already use trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programs as a humane alternative to traditional euthanasia-based population control methods.
Trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programs are currently in use in more than 150 municipalities and five counties across New Jersey, according to the bill’s sponsors. The legislation would expand those efforts by providing grant funding and establishing consistent statewide standards for sterilization and vaccination.
