NJ Pet Shelter Will Neuter Your Ex — Sort Of — For $50 Donation

BLACKWOOD, NJ — A New Jersey animal shelter is giving jilted lovers across the Garden State a chance to symbolically neuter their exes as a way to raise funds for the organization ahead of Valentine's Day.

For a $50 donation, the Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center in Blackwood is offering to name a feral cat after the donor's ex before spaying or neutering the animal and releasing them back into their colony.

The promotion is part of the organization's trap-neuter-return program, the center said in a Facebook post.

"Because some things shouldn't breed," the center joked in the post.

"TNR is a vital component of feral cat population control as it breaks the breeding cycle and stops the birth of unwanted cats in our community," Homeward Bound wrote on Facebook. "Your donation ensures we can offer spay/neuter surgery at a reduced cost for community cats and their caregivers in need."

According to the ASPCA, trap-neuter-return programs are a way of humanely trapping feral cats to spay or neuter them, as well as vaccinate them against rabies. The method is an efficient way of stabilizing and reducing the number of feral cats in communities, the ASPCA said.

"By stabilizing the population, cats will naturally have more space, shelter and food and fewer risks of disease," according to the ASPCA. "After being spayed or neutered, cats living in a managed group tend to gain weight and live healthier lives."

Homeward Bound's promotion follows others across the country who took a similar approach to solicit donations. For example, in San Antonio, donors can name a cockroach after their ex. And in Virginia, one aquarium is offering to name a worm after your ex before feeding it to a Komodo dragon.

Anyone wishing to take advantage of Homeward Bound's promotion can send a $50 donation along with their ex's name using the following methods:

• Pay via Venmo to @hbpac, Cashapp to $hbpac, or PayPal to @hbnj. Enter your ex’s name into the payment comments.
• Weblink. Enter your ex’s name in the “in honor” section.
• Social media payment. Email a screenshot of your payment along with your ex’s name to outreach@homewardboundnj.org.