TNR & Community Cat Help

Our robust TNR program provides sterilization and vaccination of community cats with the help of volunteers, caretakers, and participating veterinarians.

Contact us for guidance or assistance.

What To Do If You See Community Cats

Step 1: Determine If the Cat Is Owned or Lost

✔ Before assuming a cat is feral, take time to investigate.
✔ Ask nearby neighbors if they recognize or own the cat
✔ Post physical flyers in your immediate area
✔ Post on local Facebook groups (lost & found, town groups), Nextdoor and/or Ring Neighbors. Ask a friend to post if you do not use social media
✔ Observe the cat’s behavior over several days

  • How long has the cat been around?

  • Does the cat have a collar?

  • Does the cat appear well-fed?

  • Is the cat friendly or fearful?

  • Does the cat go into a specific home at night?

For guidance on the differences between owned, stray, and feral cats, please click here.

For more information on community cats, click here.

Step 2: Look for an Ear Tip

If a cat has a clean, straight, angled tip removed from the left ear, that means:
✔ The cat has already been spayed or neutered
✔ The cat has been vaccinated
✔ The cat is part of a managed colony

An ear-tipped cat does not need to be trapped again unless injured or visibly ill.

Step 3: Confirm You Are in Our Service Area

TAILS provides rescue and spay/neuter support within the following Fairfield County towns:

Bridgeport
Fairfield
New Canaan
Norwalk
Shelton
Stratford
Trumbull
Weston
Westport
Wilton

If you are located outside this area, we encourage you to contact local animal control or rescue organizations in your town.

Step 4: Contact TAILS

Once you have confirmed:
✔ The cats are not owned or lost
✔ They do not already have ear tips
✔ You are located within our service area

Please contact us for guidance.

How TNR Works

If you are willing to help trap — wonderful. Community support is essential to making this work.

We provide:

  • Humane traps

  • Training (it’s straightforward and safe)

  • Scheduling with participating veterinarians

  • Instructions for pre- and post-surgery care

What happens next:

  • Adult feral cats are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped, and returned to their colony.

  • Friendly cats or young kittens may enter foster care and eventually be adopted.

TNR is humane, effective, and the only proven method to stabilize and reduce outdoor cat populations over time.

Important Notes

  • TNR does not relocate cats. Relocation is rarely humane or effective.

  • Removing cats without sterilizing them creates a “vacuum effect,” where new cats move into the same territory.

  • Spay/neuter is the long-term solution that stops the cycle of kittens being born outdoors.