Mimi Marcus and her boyfriend Chip, who live in Weehawken, doubled the size of their family last month when they visited a new animal shelter in West New York and adopted a 2-year-old female cat and a female kitten. They didn’t even know at first that the older cat’s name is Chip, too.
“We’ve seen a lot of cats with different personalities.” — Mimi Marcus
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The couple lived together for four years, but never had cats together.
“We never had a kitten together, or a female cat, but we’ve each had cats seperately,” Marcus said last week. “My cat passed away a year ago.”
She added, “Nothing compares to the first one.”
The couple agreed to speak in order to help promote West New York’s animal shelter, which held a grand reopening last month to celebrate its new management. The shelter is owned by animal control officer Geoff Santini’s private NJ Animal Control and Rescue company, but is now under the management of the state’s Humane Society, which is a non-profit adoption center.
Several towns in Hudson County send stray animals to shelters in Jersey City or Newark to be adopted out, but some towns have started their own shelters. Weehawken doesn’t have its own shelter but contracts with NJ Animal Control and Rescue managed by the Humane Society in West New York.
Marcus and Chip spent three hours at the facility since it reopened officially at 8 a.m. on July 23, Marcus said.
“We’ve seen a lot of cats with different personalities,” she said.
“The grey cat is always the first to talk,” Aurelia Cruz said. “She is such a cuddle bug.”
Cruz is an animal control officer and an animal cruelty investigator for the NJ Animal Control and Rescue on Dewey Avenue in West New York. The new center is managed by the NJ Humane Society. July 23 was the official opening for anyone to adopt cats and dogs.
“Owners surrender their pets to us because they’re moving and the house doesn’t allow pets, or because they’re getting evicted,” Cruz said.
The grey cat, Chip, was at the shelter because she had been surrendered by her previous owner. The kitten was found behind Weehawken Town Hall on Park Avenue.
“Town Hall called it in and she had two siblings,” Cruz said. “We took the feral mom, went to the vet to get her fixed, and released her.”
Cats and dogs also come in from hoarding situations, or are abandoned outside. According to the town’s animal control officer, Geoffrey Santini, who owns the shelter site, a pitbull mix named Rebel was found one day after Christmas tied to a pole. Cruz said they’ve had him there for one and a half years, and he’s available for adoption.
“He gets VIP treatment. I take him home, and he comes on calls with me,” Cruz said.
Santini explained, “We pick up domesticated animals and wildlife. After they’re picked up as a stray in New Jersey, we have to hold them for seven days. After seven days they get transferred to the Humane Society — which is us — for adoption.”
One man who visited during the opening said that he had adopted a pitbull mix from the facility in 2014. “He’s the best dog. I adopted him October 24,” Johnny said. He then displayed a picture of Kip, the pitbull mix, with a baby next to him.
A prospective volunteer walked in during the opening. The center told him that they’re always looking for volunteers, and are open from Monday to Sunday.
“Mornings are the busiest,” Cruz said.
The center had one volunteer helping for the opening, Nastassja, 14, and she showed the prospective volunteer around.
For more information on the shelter, contact 201-822-7333.