Letter written to The Miami Herald by Janet Carbelli – Published May 16, 2023
Congratulations to the Miami Herald on the well-deserved Pulitzer Prize for the “Broken Promises” editorial series. This reminder of our representatives’ failures over the years to fulfill voters’ wishes is more than disheartening.
One of those wishes was funding for Pets’ Trust Miami. I was one of the 65% of voters who supported funding the initiative (costs would have been less than $20 per household per year). I am beyond exasperated that this measure — preventing stray animals from reproducing and providing owners with low-cost sterilization surgeries for their pets — has not been implemented.
The numbers of unwanted, suffering animals has continually risen. During the COVID-19 crisis, those numbers increased when the meager resources for free and low-cost sterilization were shut down for nearly two years.
The average female cat can have three to five litters a year, with four to eight kittens per litter. That could be at least 12 unwanted cats a year. And they can reproduce for up to 15 years. That’s a lot of homeless animals.
In 2020, Miami-Dade County had estimated between 300,000 and 400,000 “free roaming” cats. Residents who do not like cats should be particularly supportive of the efforts to stop this needless and harmful reproduction cycle.
We, as pet owners and animal lovers, must sterilize our animals and support organizations and individuals who work tirelessly to stop overpopulation among stray animals and find homes for those that are adoptable.
Within our communities, we must hold our elected officials accountable. They work for us. And it is beyond insulting that they disregarded our wishes.
Janet Carabelli, El Portal