TNR & Community Cat Help

Our robust TNR program provides sterilization and vaccination of community cats with the help of volunteers, caretakers, and participating veterinarians in 10 towns around Fairfield County.

Fill out our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) / Community Cat Application for guidance or assistance.

Note we will ask the following questions on the TNR Application Form:

  • Is the cat located in one of the 10 towns we service?

    • 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.

  • How many cats are there?

  • Are there kittens?

  • Are any of the cats friendly?

    • Friendly is a cat who will come up to you and who you can pet. If you know of any history on the cat(s) - please include it here.

  • Are any of the cats ear-tipped?

    • Ear tipping is when a cat has the pointy tip of his ear missing - usually the left. It is used as a universal sign that the cat has already been neutered and given a vaccination of rabies at the time of the surgery.

  • Do any of the cats appear to be injured, ill, or pregnant?

    • We ask this to get at what resources we might need to assist.

  • Are you willing to help with the actual trapping of the cat?

    • This is a primary obstacle that we have as there are few of us versus the thousands of feral cats in our area. Trapping is not rocket science and we will train you with our traps that we loan you.

  • Are you able to make a financial contribution towards the cost of veterinary care?

    • We appreciate and need all donations but realize this isn't always possible. The cost of a single feral cat spay/neuter/vaccines to TAILS is ~$70 - so greatly reduced from regular retail but this cost does not include food/litter during recovery, the traps themselves, additional medical needs (which is very common), etc). Each dollar raised means we can help more cats.

  • Do you have permission to be on the property where the cats are and will that permission be extended to TAILS too?

    • Confirming that we have access to the area where the cats are currently.

  • After the surgery are you able to recover the cats? This requires a warm, quiet space for 1-3 nights.

    • Male cats recover from their surgery and can usually be released the next day; female cats take 2-3 nights recovery due to the nature of the surgery. An ideal spot for cat recovery is a bathroom or heated garage (depending on what time of the year it is).

  • Anything else we should know?

    • This is a good place to tell us more about the cats, who/how many people feed them, what time of day they're fed, if it's a neighborhood of homes or an industrial area, etc)

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.