CAPE MAY, N.J. -- The federal government has threatened to withhold some of Cape May's beach replenishment money if it refuses to move feral cats from where endangered shore birds nest.

The City Council is considering taking action and will consider eliminating the town's Trap-Neuter-Release program, under which feral cats are spayed or neutered, given rabies vaccinations and screened for certain diseases before being released into their colonies, where they live out their lives without reproducing.

According to the Feral Feline Organization, the alternative to TNR is extermination, which they say is not only inhumane, but more costly, too.

"Continued attempts to catch feral cats, house, euthanize and dispose of them costs much more than to simply TNR them," the organization explained on its Web site.

Few will argue that cats are part of the culture of the Victorian beach resort at the southernmost tip of New Jersey. But it's also one of the best bird-watching spots in North America.

Federal law prohibits killing endangered birds like the piping plover and least tern, both of which nest there.

And many birders said feral cats are harming threatened birds. Some have even gone as far as boycotting Cape May.

However, Alley Cat Allies, national stray cat advocates, said the TNR program in Cape May has been successful, and that although the Fish and Wildlife Service strives to protect shorebirds, it has not shown evidence that cats in Cape May are causing harm to endangered species.

According to its Web site, the group said "ending the 10-year old Trap-Neuter-Return program would be a major step backwards for the citizens of Cape May and would lead to the deaths of many cats."

A local woman who started her volunteer career in animal rescue at Animal Outreach in Cape May hopes the council will not eliminate the TNR program. She said she saw it work firsthand.

"I want each cat to be treated as if they were worth living, whether it's your house pet or a feral cat outside," Leigh Ann Shmidheiser said. "Together, we can make a difference for these ferals. Let's speak for those who don't have a voice."

"As many of us know, impounding a social, adoptable cat frequently turns into a death sentence," Shmidheiser added. "These feral cats don't have a prayer of being rescued and almost certainly face death. Impoundment is a quick and dirty way to eliminate these 'problem' cats without any regard to their well-being or the overpopulation issue."

Anyone who wants decision makers to keep the TNR program in place can visit Alley Cat Allies to sign a petition.

Meanwhile, an article posted on New Jersey Audubon Society's Web site indicates that predation is the second largest killer of birds behind habitat loss:

"A combination of cats indoors, proper spaying and neutering of domestic cats, and humane removal should limit the impact of cat predation on wildlife and reduce the swelling U.S. feral cat population.

Habitat loss causes the most devastating drops in New Jersey bird populations, but predation is the second largest killer. Keeping domestic cats indoors is a wise and easy step to reduce the suffering of cats and to save hundreds of millions of birds every year."

NJAS encourages all pet owners to keep their cats inside at all times. But the problem of what to do with feral cats in Cape May remains, with both sides drawing support for their cause.

In the end, City Council will decide if it will protect threatened birds or homeless cats.

City Council members will vote on whether to eliminate the TNR program at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at Cape May City Hall, located at 643 Washington St. in Cape May.

Some environmental advocates said a New Jersey agency had a chance to make a major impact on protecting threatened shorebirds earlier in the month, but failed.

Last week, the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council rejected a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection-proposed plan to protect the threatened red knot shorebird by imposing a two-year moratorium on horseshoe crab harvesting.

The crab eggs are the main source of food for the birds as they make their long annual journey across continents. Several environmental organizations backed DEP's plan to cease horseshoe crab harvesting for two years so the animal's numbers could rebound from overharvesting, but the plan was denied.