It would fund programs that Animal Services, with a $9 million budget, can’t afford, such as high-volume, free spay/neuter clinics in underserved communities, and public-education programs on responsible pet ownership.

Nonprofits that depend on donations and volunteers try to fill that gap now.

Rosenberg has been asking experts around the country to help craft or review the Trust’s operating manual, and said that all seem “so excited about what we’ve done here.’’

Among them: Becky Robinson, president/founder of Alley Cat Allies, a national network of a half-million feline-welfare advocates, based in Bethesda, Md.

“The most comprehensive study to date indicates that 72 percent of all cats entering [public shelters] are killed,’’ according to Alley Cat Allies. “Just 23 percent are adopted, and only 2 percent are reunited with their owners.’’

In Miami-Dade as elsewhere, far fewer cats than dogs survive the shelter. The local statistics conform to national estimates.

The news is better for dogs and puppies in Miami-Dade. About two-thirds entering the shelter this year are expected to survive.

Robinson said her group has spent 20 years “creating and building programs from the ground up’’ to humanely manage feral cat colonies, and is happy to help Miami-Dade with proven protocols and “not have to reinvent the wheel.’’

While each commuity is unique and requires a customized strategy, there are certain “do’s and don’ts,’’ Robinson said.

“The biggest population in shelters is feral cats,’’ which are not adoptable, should be handled by spay/neuter programs then returned to their home colonies, she said.

Animal Services Director Alex Munoz agrees.

“No ‘open admission’ shelter adopts its way to ‘no-kill,’ ’’ he said. “The way to save cats is not to take them in.’’