MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — The Street Cat Clinic, a nonprofit organization in Miami-Dade County, aims to solve the overpopulation problem in South Florida.

The Street Cat Clinic performs about 10,000 spay or neuter surgeries annually. Miami-Dade Animal Services performs more than 13,000 annually.

“We do anywhere between 60 and 80 spay or neuter surgeries a day,” Dr. Matthew Toscano, a veterinarian at the Street Cat Clinic, said.

There are an estimated half-a-million street cats just in Miami-Dade County, and most neighborhoods have residents feuding over them.

“Cat Lovers want Trap-Neuter-Return, right? We want less cats outside. People who don’t love cats want less cats outside, right? So, really it serves everybody,” Toscano said.

Thais Cervantes feeds the cats at the Brisas Del Este community every morning. A neighbor recently told her that he was poisoning the food.

“You can see they are very friendly. They do nothing to nobody. They just want food and water and protection,” Cervantes said.

Tia Williams, who works for the Street Cat Clinic and Cat Solutions 305, said Cervantes was a “responsible feeder” who picks up the food.

“People that don’t like cats threaten them, talk about harming them, even killing them and that’s something that happens all over Miami,” Williams said. “People are poisoning the cats, shooting them with BB guns, throwing hot water or even acid on them.”

Violations of cruelty to animal laws have consequences that include fines and prison time.

“We’re just trying to create a safe environment for them to just exist,” Williams said. “Cats sleep 12 to 14 hours a day. They’re not running around bothering you ... The truth is this is just as much their home as it is any human home.”

For more information about the Street Cat Clinic, visit this page.

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