On Valentine's Day, a New Jersey animal shelter is providing an outlet for those who have been spurned in love. On Tuesday, Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center in Blackwood, New Jersey, announced on Instagram the launch of its "Neuter Your Ex" donation event for Valentine's Day.
In this, a person can donate $50 to the shelter to have a feral cat named after their ex and then neutered. "The cat will then be spayed or neutered before being released back to their colony as part of our trap-neuter-return (TNR) program," Homeward Bound added on social media about the promotion.
Eric Schwartz, director of development for Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center, told CBS News, "It's absolutely taken off."
The director revealed that the idea for the campaign came from a shelter volunteer and the tagline "some things shouldn't breed" was created after the initial idea.
Mr Schwartz believes that the idea is so popular because it is "so relatable to people".
"Because whether they want to talk about it openly or not, I think an image or a name comes into their mind [when they think of the slogan]," he said. "So it's just kind of taken off, and we're certainly appreciative of the attention that it can bring to these animals."
Mr Schwartz shared that Homeward Bound had received around 50 name suggestions for feral cats through calls and donations. Notably, at least five of these names were inspired by donors' exes.
For those animal enthusiasts interested in aiding felines and seeking retribution on an ex, it's important to be aware that there are specific guidelines for naming the feral cats participating in the event.
The shelter says that only first names or nicknames can be used.
Once the feral cats involved in the initiative have been assigned names and undergone spaying or neutering, they will be reintroduced to the feral feline colony, the same location where they were initially discovered as part of Homeward Bound's trap-neuter-return (TNR) program.
Proceeds generated from the "Neuter Your Ex" donations will be directly allocated to support the shelter's TNR program. This initiative plays a crucial role in humanely managing the feral cat population in New Jersey.
"Our spay and neuter and release program allows us to get some of these stray cats off the streets," Schwartz told CBS News.
He continued: "Obviously, it's a cycle that needs to be broken or at least limited."
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