Bucks County Courier Times

At a Buddhist temple in Bensalem, a pride of feral black cats wakes from its morning nap to stare out sleepily at Thai monks in meditation.

Lounging among gold leaf statues of the Buddha, these cats seem to live a life of respite luxury.

But for the monks of Mongkoltepmunee Temple, the strays pose a complex moral dilemma, requiring the help of the Bucks County SPCA.

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Traditionally, monks can't have pets. They can have no possessions or any responsibilities that might be a distraction to meditation.

But they can't allow any animal to go hungry, either.

"We could be cats in the next life," said monk Suphichaya Esawanish. "All life must be shown love."

On Friday, the Bucks County SPCA offered the monks a literal "middle way," at least in terms of population control.

The organization agreed to neuter all cats in and around the temple.

There, they can continue to live in peace without breeding, much like the monks who are forbidden to so much as touch a woman.

The SPCA contacted the temple after receiving a phone call from Dolores and Clinton Clark of Bristol Township.

The Clarks come to free meditation classes offered by the order on Saturday evenings.

Dolores said the meditation is so powerful that it relieves muscle pain in her neck. Clinton said the monks helped him lower his blood pressure to the point that he needs less heart medication.

One night, Dolores was surprised to see several cats in the parking lot outside the temple.

"We gave them some food and suddenly we just started noticing all these other cats. There were just so many of them," Dolores remembered. "I made one phone call to the SPCA and they set all this up."

Veterinarian Karen Detweiler performed surgeries on nine cats from a mobile operating room in the back of a van. Niki Thompson of the SPCA said they will return several times this year month try and neuter all the animals. There are believed to be about 20 cats around the temple.

No one is certain where the cats came from.

SPCA Executive Director Anne Irwin said cat abandonment remains a problem in the area and the economy could be leading even more people to give up on pets.

"If you put your cat out there in a community of feral cats, chances are your house cat is not going to do very well," said Irwin.

The Woman's Humane Society in Bensalem estimates that pet abandonment is up 11 percent. Recently, the society began posting warning signs along major streets.

State animal cruelty laws call for a fine of up to $750 and 90 days in jail for the abandonment of pets. State Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, R-18, last year co-sponsored a bill that would double those fines.