Shelter recently took in cats who need a safe outdoor environment and are hoping pet lovers will give them a non-traditional home.
BRIDGEWATER -- As the staff at the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter hectically works to provide medical attention and homes for more than 30 cats recently found in a township home, they're asking pet lovers to consider a non-traditional adoption.
Many of the cats recently recovered from a Martinsville home are not suitable for in-home adoptions because they can not adapt to indoor living, are under-socialized and prefer limited human contact, and need access to an outdoor environment.
Thus, Brian Bradshaw, executive director of the shelter, is asking pet lovers and business owners to consider a "barn" or "warehouse" adoption in which the cats can be placed in a happy and safe environment and the owner can rid his barn or warehouse of rodents, (i.e. mice, rats, squirrels, beavers, etc.).
"This is a situation that is beneficial to both the cats and the owner," said Bradshaw. "The cats can provide a rodent service. I would say 50 percent of these cats we just took in need homes like that. They're under socialized. They can have only limited interaction with people. They need access to an outdoor environment."
There is no fee to adopt a "barn cat" from the shelter but a donation is always appreciated, said Bradshaw. The felines will be spay/neutered, dewormed, up-to-date on vaccinations, ear-tipped and microchipped.
"We just want to find a good home for these cats," he said.
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Two weeks ago, the cats were taken from the Martinsville home of a woman who was trying to provide a safe haven for stray cats, said Rose Tropeano-Digilio, assistant shelter manager. Over a period of years, the woman became overwhelmed by the number of cats and was unable to care for them or provide medical attention as they multiplied.
Tropeano-Digilo said an additional 20 to 30 more cats may still be on the property. Currently, the shelter has taken in 36 cats. They range from 4-week-old kittens to 10-year-old cats, she said.
The shelter, which is small and has limited cage space, is in need of donations to help care for the cats, many of whom are in dire need of medical attention, said Tropeano-Digilio. They've required various degrees of emergency medical care, including fluids, syringe feeding and vaccinations.
Once the cats have recovered from their sickness, they will be neutered.
Last week, former Gov. Christine Todd-Whitman visited the shelter and applauded its Trap-Neuter-Return program for cats.
"As you can imagine, this is quite costly for a small shelter with only four full-time employees and limited cage space," said Tropeano-Digilio. "We're a very small operation and it's difficult for us to take care of all these cats. We welcome the community's help."
The cats have a variety of medicine issues and medical care could run as high as "a few hundreds dollars" for each cat, said Tropeano-Digilio.
Anyone wishing to make a donation toward medical care for the cats is asked to visit the shelter website at Somerset Regional Animal Shelter.com or send a check to the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter, 100 Commons Way, Bridgewater, NJ 08807.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.