On Valentines Day, Chief Perez Honored For Love Of Cats

Police Chief AJ Perez loves animals and he’ll be recognized for his affection on Valentine’s Day.

State Rep. Jack Hennessy and Annie Hornish, director of the Connecticut Chapter of the Humane Society, will honor Perez for his work to humanely relocate a colony of community cats living outside of the Bridgeport Health Care Center.

Eight feral cats had been cared for by employees of the Bridgeport Health Care Center, a nursing home now under new management following a bankruptcy filing. The new administration directed employees to stop feeding and housing the felines.

Former City Councilman Tom White is among community leaders who stepped up on behalf of the cats during extreme cold weather. See White’s interview above from News 12 feed.

According to Hennessy, Hornish will award Perez Thursday morning for his promotion of humane management strategies to relocate the cats, which are currently being cared for and evaluated for adoption.

A majority of the community cats were previously neutered or spayed through Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) programs, according to Hennessy, that help reduce and stabilize populations of community cats. These programs humanely trap, neuter or spay, vaccinate, and eartip the cats before returning them to their outside habitat.

More information about TNR programs is available through the Humane Society of the United States website.