Many people see a cat who seems homeless and start feeding the cat. Ideally, the person quickly does more to help the cat:
If the cat is tame, the first step is to try to find the cat's owner. If the owner can't be found, step two is to try to find a permanent home for the cat through a shelter, rescue or other means.If the cat is feral, unapproachable and wary after several days of feeding, it's best to find out if there are any groups doing TNR in the community such as CRD so at least the cat can be spayed or neutered. If there are no local groups, step two is to consult one of the many resources that provide information about TNR.
Once a cat or colony of cats has been TNR-ed, it's ideal if a dedicated caretaker provides food, water and shelter, monitors the cats for sickness or injury, and TNRs new feral cats who arrive. Ideally, kittens young enough to be socialized and new tame cats who arrive are removed from the colony for possible adoption.
Many dedicated caretakers pay for TNR themselves to help improve the lives of cats and reduce their numbers. Without TNR and a dedicated caretaker trapping new cats who show up, the population of the colony could increase.