Donna Gellert, a Chalfont resident, on Monday brought her quest to address the mismanagement of feral cats to the New Britain Township Board of Supervisors.
Gellert said she has more than 20 years of experience with feral cats, those that are unsocialized to humans and often unfit to live indoors.
Her goal is to start small and find ways that the community can help to protect the animals. One of the ways she has been helping to control feral cat colonies is by trapping, neutering and releasing them, also known as TNR.
“I’ve probably trapped over 100 cats, all TNRs,” Gellert said. “Some have found homes and some have been put back.”
“When you TNR feral cats, you’re cutting down on rabies,” because the cats also get vaccinated.
When released, TNR cats’ left ears are tipped, so that people can tell whether cats have been neutered or spayed just by looking at them.
“What I would like to see is the colonies to be numbered and registered and the names of the people that are taking care of the colony,” said Gellert.
Four Paws Thrift Store in Warrington helps pay for TNR by offering vouchers from the revenue from the thrift store, which goes to Forgotten Cats.
She works with other community members who are bothered by the cat colonies to control their growth.
Some of the people she helps want the cats gone for good but Gellert explained that taking feral cats from their territory does more harm than good.
“People say they don’t want them back,” she said. “But this is their home. They have to come back.”
She said that once a colony has been TNR’d, it eventually dwindles due to natural causes, including foxes and other predators.
Feeding the cats without intention to neuter them also adds to their growing population.
Gellert said, “I think one of the reasons people get overwhelmed is because they reproduce as quickly as rabbits, and they can become pregnant at five to six months old. It can become overwhelming, but if we take control of it, we can stop this cycle.”
Members of the New Britain Township Board of Supervisors were interested in helping her efforts but explained that they can only control what goes on in their small area.
There is an ordinance in place in the township that prevents people from letting their cats run loose, and dumping unwanted pets is already illegal in Pennsylvania.
The next steps for Gellert include reaching out to animal shelters and other national organizations like Alley Cat Allies that already exist to bring awareness to our county’s feral cat issue.
She intends to contact state legislators to hopefully enact ordinances like Illinois’ Managed Care of Feral Cats code that protects feral cat colonies.
“Bottom line is, I want to see more laws on taking care of our community cats humanely,” Gellert said.
Her biggest goal is to continue educating the public about the issues the cats face. She is always looking for volunteers to help TNR the community’s cats. For more information on local efforts, contact Donna Gellert at dgellert101@gmail.com.
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