WAILUKU >> The Maui Humane Society is embarking on a massive cat sterilization effort to stem the island’s overpopulation of feral cats.

The organization’s cat-sterilization campaign is set to hold its first clinic in June, the Maui News newspaper reported. The organization hopes to trap and sterilize hundreds of feral cats every couple months for five years.

For the effort, the organization has partnered with Animal Balance, a nonprofit group that advocates sterilization for population control of dogs and cats.

“Nothing of this magnitude has ever been done on Maui,” said Maui Humane Society CEO Jerleen Bryant. “This is pretty groundbreaking for us, and we hope Maui’s success can serve as a template for the other Hawaiian Islands.”

In June, organizers aim to sterilize 600 cats in a five-day period, with trapping efforts focused in the Kanaha area, which has an estimated 2,000 unsterilized cats. That’s the highest community cat population on the island, Bryant said.