With Valentine's Day just weeks away, a South Jersey animal shelter is getting into the holiday spirit. Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center, based in Blackwood, New Jersey is offering individuals a unique opportunity to name a feral cat after their ex-partner. For a $50 donation, the shelter will spay or neuter the cat and give them a new name. The initiative plays off of the shelter's tagline: 'Some things shouldn't breed.'
The trap-neuter-return program is a humane and effective method employed by many animal shelters worldwide to manage the population of feral cats. Cats captured under this program are humanely trapped, vaccinated, and neutered before being returned to their original habitats. This procedure not only prevents the birth of more feral kittens but also contributes to the overall health and longevity of the existing feral cat colonies.
This initiative could prove beneficial for all parties. It provides an outlet for individuals nursing heartbreak, gives recognition to feral cats, and helps raise essential funds for the trap-neuter-return programs and other services provided by the shelter. Donations collected from the promotion are to go towards offering free or low-cost spay/neuter surgeries for community cats and their caregivers who might otherwise not be able to afford such services.
The Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center was founded in 1997 as the Camden County Animal Shelter and was re-named in 2018 to reflect it's expanded mission. It intakes some 5,000 dogs and cats each year. In 2023, the shelter performed more than 4,300 spay/neuter surgeries, more than 4,400 vaccinations, and boasted a 94% live release rate.
The shelter is currently accepting participants to 'neuter your ex' via a form on their website their website. To maintain a level of decorum and respect, the shelter will only use first names or nicknames of participants' exes.