Groton — Representatives from several local animal organizations are advocating for what they say is the only humane solution to the Naval Submarine Base's feral cat problem, a process called trap, neuter, and release, or TNR, which would involve neutering and vaccinating the cats before returning them to the base.

But a 2002 Navy policy ended existing TNR programs on Navy land and prohibits future creation of any such programs. 

Perhaps surprisingly, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals opposes the TNR approach and the idea of managing feral cat colonies.

In recent days, individuals and representatives of national and local animal organizations have reached out to base officials, many of them proposing the TNR approach, after The Day published a story about the problem. But base officials are exploring other proposed solutions, such as relocating the cats to one organization's private feral cat sanctuary, base spokesman Chris Zendan said.  

Relocating cats isn't easy given space constraints and over-capacity at many shelters, which often barely have space for domestic cats that are up for adoption.

Kitty Harbor, a no-kill cat shelter in Jewett City that has been in touch with the base, receives daily calls from people who want to give away their cats or who've seen feral cats roaming around their properties.

"No one has any room to relocate all the feral cats that are there," Maureen Jablonski, a Kitty Harbor board member, said of the base's feral cat population. Base officials have said they don't know how many cats are roaming about.

Jablonski and Gini Lach, president of Kitty Harbor, said it would be inhumane and unlikely that any vet would euthanize as large a population of feral cats that they suspect the base has. It also would be costly. They estimated it would cost $70 to $100 per cat.

They would be in favor of euthanizing the cats who were found to be very sick with feline aids or feline lukemia.

Jablonski and Lach, and some representatives of other local animal organizations, say at the very least the cats should be neutered to prevent them from reproducing, thus diminishing the population.

The base is considering partnerships with local animal organizations or shelters and contracting with certified, licensed or recognized animal rescue or management organizations to control its feral cat population.

"At this point, the SUBASE's priority has been to try to develop the most effective and humane solution to the issue," Zendan said. "Consideration of any costs remain secondary until a viable solution can be reached that is satisfactory to the Navy and humane for the feral cats." 

Feral cats, a problem not unique to the base, are a result of people not spaying or neutering their cats, leaving their cats outdoors, or moving and leaving their cats behind, said Donna Sicuranza, executive director of the organization Tait's Every Animals Matters. The organization operates the state's only mobile spay/neuter and vaccination clinic for cats.

The Navy has a policy prohibiting the feeding of feral animals on its installations. Sailors face a range of disciplinary and/or administrative actions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice if they violate the policy, and government civilians face a range of administrative actions including removal of their base access privileges in exceptional circumstances.

"Starving the cats, punishing the people feeding them, or rounding up the cats for euthanasia are not only inhumane methods, but ineffective ones also," Sicuranza said.

But feeding feral animals "can be considered inhumane as the animals could become dependent on human involvement," Zendan said. "Additionally, such human involvement increases human and feral animal interaction and the potential for such animals to be drawn to more populated areas on the installation as well as expose base personnel to disease." 

The biggest public health threat, according to Sicuranza, is rabies, which can be taken care of through the TNR process as the cats are usually vaccinated in addition to being neutered.

Domesticating a feral cat past the age of 10 to 12 weeks old is difficult, though not impossible, Sicuranza said. But with so many domestic cats up for adoption, who would opt for a feral cat, she asked.

j.bergman@theday.com