Most of these community cats were brought in by residents and Community Action Targeted Trapping Initiative (CATTI) volunteers.
In 2019, more than 12,000 cats received services through Animal Services’ TNVR program and an addition 6,000 through our partnership with the Miami Veterinary Foundation and the Humane Society of Greater Miami. Residents can even rent a trap from Animal Services and drop off cats at the shelter any day of the week no appointment necessary. Under this program, Miami-Dade residents can bring outdoor cats to our Pet Adoption and Protection Center in Doral to be vaccinated and sterilized for free, before returning the cats to their community. Strategically, Miami-Dade Animal Services has a program for that: Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return, or TNVR. With springtime upon us, we expect cats to be going into heat soon, which means now is the time to act to get your neighborhood’s outdoor cats spayed/neutered. Spaying and neutering outdoor cats is the most humane and effective way to keep the free-roaming cat population from growing. A single, outdoor female cat can produce hundreds of kittens in her lifetime. We have to look at the entire picture, the whole lifecycle of the cat.
So how do we keep outdoor cats who aren’t owned by anyone healthy and safe? These programs provide the community with information, resources and services, making Miami-Dade residents an integral component of the effort to safeguard the welfare of community cats. Miami-Dade County Animal Services has implemented various complimentary programs aimed at addressing the needs of community cats. The free-roaming status of community cats provides an opportunity for a larger discussion about sterilization, community responsibility, and animal welfare in the County. Unlike dogs, these cats are not confined and can move freely among multiple homes, communities and caretakers. Miami-Dade County has a population of “free roaming” community cats that sources estimate can be between 300,000 and 400,000.
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