The article about Freehold Borough wanting to restrict the number of pets people own failed to even mention the importance of spaying and neutering (“Limit on Cats, Dogs Proposed in Freehold,” News Transcript, Sept. 24). The borough may be missing the point completely when the health officer states that people feeding stray cats is at the root of the problem. Stray cats come from dumped, abandoned or owned cats who are not spayed and/or neutered. Bottom line.
Irresponsible pet ownership is not defined by the number of pets someone has, but rather the manner in which they care for and keep the animal. Spaying and neutering is expensive. The borough should stress the importance of spaying and neutering to the public and inform them on where they can receive low cost spay/neuter for their pet.
TNR (trap, neuter and return) would be the best way to deal with the true stray cats within the borough and the population will decline naturally over a couple of years.
With tight budgets these days, spaying and neutering even the most beloved pet can be put at the bottom of the priority list. Perhaps the borough could work with a local vet or the already lower cost SPCA to bring the cost down temporarily.
Referring to stray cats in general, the health officer also states that this is a countywide and statewide problem. Actually, it is a worldwide epidemic. It is not “cute” or “fun” for your cat to have kittens when so many deserving cats await loving homes in shelters. The same goes for dogs. It would be monumental if veterinarians everywhere would lower the cost of spaying and neutering until the world can “catch up” with the cat population.
Whether or not the borough limits the number of pets one can own, people must understand that it only takes a couple of unspayed and unneutered cats to make a bunch of strays. And so on, and so on. Offering a stray cat a bowl of food and a gentle touch is not the culprit here.
Please spay and/or neuter your pet, and if you don’t have one, consider giving a shelter pet or your local stray a loving home with you.
Julie Rizzuto
Colts Neck

