At its June 18, 2019 meeting, the Animal Welfare Committee made a motion, requesting that the City's Finance and Citywide Projects Committee discuss the benefits and costs associated with the following:
1. MOTION: Asking the City Commission to extend the community cat feeder and watering program.
2. MOTION: Asking the City Commission to increase funding for trap, neuter, and release programs and to include continuing Project CatSnip.
Since 2012, the City of Miami Beach has been the recipient of grant funds from PetSmart Charities, Inc. to provide subsidized spay and neuter surgeries for community cats, through the Trap Neuter Vaccinate Release (TNVR) program.
Over the years, the City has had an agreement with The Cat Network, Inc. to provide TNVR services via Project CatSnip, using volunteer trappers and feeders from SOBE Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc., a nonprofit (501c3) organization.
Pet Smart Charities Inc.’s grant amount for fiscal year 2019 was $15,000, and the City’s contribution was $5,000 for a total of $20,000. For fiscal year 2020 however, the City was not a recipient of these funds by PetSmart Charities, Inc. due to the limited funds available and the high demand from other organizations.
The Cat Network, Inc. agreement with the City expired in September 2019. However, in order to continue with Project CatSnip, the City continued using volunteers, trappers and feeders from SOBE Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc., and continued their yearly funding without interruption.
CURRENT STATUS
Since October 1, 2019, 126 cats have been trapped and treated through this program. Trappers, both volunteers and paid, have collected the cats and have transported the cats to the County facility (MDAS) in Doral where the surgeries are performed, and they are returned to where they were picked up. There are available funds remaining in this fiscal year of approximately $10,000 and will be used towards the TNVR of 288 additional cats as well as the purchase of badges, traps, feeding supplies for the trappers, water stations, signage, marketing, and miscellaneous supplies.
The feral cat population is currently estimated at over 15,000 across the City of Miami Beach. Through the Petsmart Charities Grant funds that have totaled $288,855 since 2012, 5,137 cats received surgeries associated with the TRVN program. The Animal Welfare Committee has voted to increase the funding for these activities as a critical need.
Public Works has included requested funding in the amount of $68,000, an increase from $24,000, for the fiscal year 2020/21 budget. This will cover for the TNVR program, marketing, traps, food, signage, cat feeder badges and supplies at current levels. This represents a net increase which fills the funding void left from the lack of grant money received and expands the ability to treat more feral cats to control their population.
With the COVID-19 closure of businesses and resulting unemployment, many of the feeders have expressed that they are unable to continue to provide the cats that they feed with the necessary food which they have been paying for from their own pockets. There have been some donations received by SOBE Cats Spay and Neuter, Inc. which have been distributed to the feeders. At the Animal Welfare Committee, there has also been discussions regarding enhancing the level of funding dedicated to the cats to include some money for food to be provided to the feeders.