Yes, many of the Cat Network’s adoptable cats are leash-trained!

Saturday is always Caturday, but this particular Saturday, Green Room in Fort Laduerdale takes the celebration to a new level with an entire party devoted to felines. As usual, that means an evening of music, with a live performance (and fan-submitted cat visuals!) by Miami’s Radioboxer, as well as DJ sets by residents Migs and Andie Sweetswirl.

Between songs, you can shop for custom kitty jackets (more on that tomorrow) by musician Jonny Veo’s new multi-species fashion line, Kitten Empire. Cat-themed works by local artists will adorn the walls, and if you come in your own ears-and-tails getup, you can pose in a photo booth or compete for free drinks in a late-night costume contest.

But there’s an important bonus: real live kittens, ripe for adoption, courtesy of the Cat Network! The nearly two-decades-running, South Florida-based organization is one of the largest rescue groups in the area, with a large focus on reducing the need to adopt out cats in the first place.

There are more than 800,000 homeless cats in Miami-Dade County alone, says Alan Drumm, director of the Cat Network’s adoption efforts near Midtown Miami. That number continues to grow exponentially, though, thanks to the city’s numerous colonies of fertile feral cats. “There is no winter, so it’s perfect year-round breeding weather,” Drumm says. On top of that, domestic female cats can birth up to four litters per year. Take a stroll through, say, Miami’s Upper Eastside to witness the result — homeless kittens at pretty much every turn.

As such, the Cat Network works constantly on what it calls “T.N.R.” — trap, neuter, and release. The mission is to fix all breeding-age feral cats; county laws prevent the group from moving entire adult colonies, but they can at least stem the breeding tide. Meanwhile, the kittens get scooped up, fixed up, fostered, and then made available for adoptions at public events, like an ongoing, Wednesday-night adoption party at Midtown’s fountain plaza.

A Cat Network adoption event at Midtown Miami

About a dozen adorable kitties looking for forever homes will appear at Green Room on Saturday, ready to swindle you into taking them home with their adorable, tiny paws. All of the Cat Network kittens come spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and tested negative for feline HIV and feline leukemia, for an adoption fee of just $75. (Pick up a stray off the street, and you’re likely to spend far more of your own dollars for all those necessary services.)

These aren’t just run-of-the-mill street cats; either. With the economy tanking, Drumm says, the Cat Network is increasingly finding abandoned purebreds birthing more kittens in the street. Last night at Midtown, for instance, there was an entire litter of four Siamese kittens of various markings snuggled up together.

Visit Green Room on Saturday if you’re looking for a furry friend, or to volunteer, see more available cats, or just learn more about the organization, visit the Cat Network on Facebook.

Caturday at Green Room, 10 p.m. Saturday, August 11 at Green Room, 109 SW 2nd Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is free; age 21 and up. Call 954-449-1025, or visit greenroomlive.com

Andie Sweetswirl, Cat Network, cats, Green Room, Jonny Veo, Kitten Empire, Migs