Animal shelters across New Jersey say they're at a tipping point, overcrowded, running out of the space, and volunteers needed to maintain the welfare of the animals they keep.

And activists who showed up at a hearing in Trenton today say there's another problem plaguing the pet industry.

A senior correspondent, Brenda Flanagan, reports.

There's a patchwork system of oversight, making it nearly impossible to know whether a dog from the pet store came from a licensed breeder or a puppy mill.

Should you adopt instead of shop?

And how can towns best care for feral cat colonies like this one under Atlantic City's boardwalk?

People got emotional over a couple of bills before lawmakers today, like the proposal to fund TNVR or trap, neuter, vaccinate and release of unsocialized catch with state tax dollars.

Organizations like mine cannot continue to sustain paying for all the community cats and the feral cats that are brought to our attention.

Supporters of the Compassion for Community Cats bill told the Senate Economic Growth Committee that in 2021, catch comprised 60% of animals impounded in New Jersey and 80% of those euthanized.

Exploding cat populations can overwhelm local organized nations and town shelters.

It's expensive.

At a single shelter.

We trap and TNVR over 2000 cats per year.

We are on pace this year to spend $70,000 on TNVR clinics and another 60,000 getting medical attention for injured community.

cats.

Ann Rapisorda says TNVR works at her Burlington County Shelter.

It reduced the number of cats euthanized from 500 in 2019 to 200 this year.

But opponents insist cats don't belong in the landscape and prey on songbirds.

You will hear shelter workers say they are stressed by having to euthanize cats.

This is true.

Here is something else that is stressful.

Working in wildlife rehabilitation, holding in your hand the broken body of a songbird that has traveled 1000 miles only to land in the jaws of a cat.

Meanwhile, overcrowded animal shelters could get a boost from another bill that would ban pet shops from selling dogs, cats and rabbits from breeders, and instead foster adoption from shelters.

It would also repeal New Jersey's Pet Purchase Protection Act as it no longer required.

Unsuspecting consumers are routinely duped by pet stores, claims that their animals come from family breeders.

Small breeders.

In reality, virtually all animals sold at pet stores are sourced from mills large scale commercial breeding facilities that prioritize profit over the welfare of animals.

But pet shop owners are outraged and blame so-called activists.

These animal rights people have been harassing us for years, sending an undercover activist with hidden cameras, harassing local town officials with spam emails and lies about our business.

Make no mistake, the activists will stop at nothing to try and drive our stores out of business.

No matter the quality of our breeders.

If they sell to a pet store, by definition they are automatically bad.

There is no standard that will ever be acceptable to them simply because they don't like what we do.

Who breeds the dogs and what defines a puppy mill remains open to interpretation.

Seven states have already passed similar laws, and New York's ban on animal sales in pet shops takes effect next year if.

New Jersey doesn't pass this law in 2024.

Some of these same bad actors in New York are to come right across the river and come to our state.

The committee didn't vote on any of these measures.

It's still taking testimony and could tweak the language in response to comments at the statehouse in Trenton.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ.

Spotlight News.