Stray cats, feral cats and what to actually do about them

I have found a cat outside. What should I do?

Work out which kind of cat it is before doing anything else.

A lost pet cat is usually friendly, approaches people, looks well fed, and may have a collar. A community cat lives outdoors, keeps its distance, and is not waiting to be rescued. Taking a healthy community cat to a shelter is the worst outcome available for it.

If the cat seems to be somebody’s, start with a found pet report and a microchip scan. If it lives outside, TNVR is the route.

What is TNVR?

Trap, neuter, vaccinate, return. The cat is humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear tipped, then returned to the colony it came from with a caretaker keeping an eye on it.

An ear tip is the international mark that a community cat has been sterilised and vaccinated. A cat with one has already been through this and does not need trapping again.

What does TNVR cost in Tampa?

$35 a cat, as published by the shelter on 2026-09-15.

That covers spay or neuter surgery, a rabies vaccination, an FVRCP vaccination and the ear tip. Traps can be rented from the animal hospital for $10, Tuesday to Saturday between 8 AM and 3 PM, for the following Monday. An unreturned trap costs $92.

How does the appointment work?

TNVR runs on Mondays at the Tampa campus and it is appointment only.

Cats must arrive in humane traps. Carriers, crates and boxes are not accepted, and that is a safety rule for the people handling the cat rather than a preference.

Does the shelter come and trap the cats for me?

The programme is built around caretakers and volunteers doing the trapping, with the shelter supplying traps, surgery and vaccination. The request form asks whether you have traps, whether you have trapping experience, and whether you can transport cats to and from the shelter.

Answer those honestly. It is how the team works out what support a colony needs.

What about kittens?

Say so when you book. The form asks about kittens and pregnant cats specifically, because both change what happens next and neither is a good fit for a standard trap day.

Is TNVR available in Pinellas?

The shelter has published that TNVR is expanding to the Pinellas campus, with details to follow. Until then, Monday clinics run at the Tampa campus at 3607 N Armenia Ave.

What if the cat is injured or sick?

That is a veterinary question, not a trapping one. Call the animal hospital on 813.870.3304 during opening hours rather than waiting for a Monday.

What if it turns out to be somebody’s lost cat?

Then the priority is reuniting them. The shelter holds found animals for a full seven day stray hold, including when a microchip is unregistered or leads nowhere, and reports 715 pets reunited with their families in the last year.

The main guide has the shelter’s intake hours and phone numbers.