Mission of GNHCP

The Greater New Haven Cat Project, Inc. (“GNHCP”) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in New Haven, Connecticut, comprised mostly of volunteers. GNHCP’s mission is to end the suffering of homeless cats through the practice of trap/neuter/return (TNR), and also to educate the community ethically about the importance of animal welfare. Our primary goal is to provide the low-income and transient neighborhoods of the greater New Haven area with a comprehensive TNR program and a low-cost spay/neuter program. These programs play a vital role in giving cats a second chance at life. We are dedicated to providing a safe environment for all stray, abandoned, and feral cats by educating the public as to the importance of our mission and to meet the spay/neuter needs of as many cats and people as possible.

Celebrating 30 Years

Celebrating thirty years of caring for cats and their people

As The Greater New Haven Cat Project, Inc. (GNHCP) is about to celebrate our 30-year anniversary, we remember that it all began in 1993 when a group of neighbors in the East Rock section of New Haven undertook caring for a colony of feral cats and kittens.

Soon, they realized that something had to be done to keep the colony from growing. So — using their own money to cover expenses — they humanely captured the animals, turned garages into temporary cat shelters, fielded assistance requests, and collaborated with generous veterinarians to provide vaccinations and perform the spay and neuter surgeries.

From these grassroots Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) efforts, The Greater New Haven Cat Project was born three years later. In 1996, SpayUSA held a feral cat conference in New Haven, bringing together animal welfare activists from across Connecticut to discuss the problem of stray and feral cat overpopulation. From this initial meeting, GNHCP was established with policies, procedures, and a mission statement. Shortly thereafter, a foster home network was formed, with adoptions taking place from the homes of foster cat caregivers.

Our next organizational milestone occurred when we acquired our 501(c)(3) status in February 1998, making GNHCP a non-profit charitable organization. In December of 2000, we opened our GNHCP center on State Street in New Haven, providing a space from which to coordinate adoptions for our foster cats, organize volunteer activities, and disseminate information to the community about the importance of spay/neuter and responsible pet ownership. Also at this time, GNHCP launched our low-cost spay/neuter assistance program for tame cats.

Now, as we mark our 30th anniversary year, we have a brand-new home that opened in November of 2025. The new GNHCP Center in Northford provides the space for better care for our cats that need us most, creates new opportunities for community engagement, and allows us to plan for opening our own spay/neuter clinic.

Many of our early initiatives have expanded. CATmatters, our newsletter introduced in 1998 to raise awareness of GNHCP’s mission, is published biannually and is now available on our website and circulated electronically. The Tommy Fund, introduced in 1999 to fund a crucial ultrasound for four-month-old Tommy, continues today as a special account for cats rescued by GNHCP who need exceptional medical procedures, medications, or life-saving surgeries. Our website, introduced in 2000, has developed into a significant resource that offers educational materials, raises GNHCP’s visibility, and provides information about our spay/neuter programs, adoptions, events, and fundraisers.

Even as we begin a new chapter in our new Center in Northford, our mission remains the same: to humanely address cat overpopulation through spaying/neutering; to educate the community about the importance of animal welfare and responsible pet ownership; to provide low-cost programs for tame and feral cats; and to help as many cats and people as possible.

History

GNHCP was founded in 1996 when a group of 40 animal welfare activists from various parts of Connecticut met in New Haven to discuss the escalating problem of stray and feral cat overpopulation, especially in the low-income and transient neighborhoods of the greater New Haven area. From this initial meeting, GNHCP was formed. GNHCP acquired its 501(c)(3) status in August 1998. In 2000, GNHCP moved into its New Haven center of operations (GNHCP Center) which serves as the coordination hub for the organization’s activities including scheduling TNR and spay/neuter appointments, coordinating adoptions, volunteer activities and fundraising events, and to disseminate educational material to the community. In addition, we maintain a small adoption facility at the Center where tame cats and kittens rescued through our TNR program are taken into foster care to be adopted into forever homes. Our adoption center is “no-kill.”

GNHCP has a dedicated corps of approximately 25 volunteers who carry out a breadth of tasks including direct care of our foster cats, fundraising, TNR, writing grants and maintaining social media accounts. In each edition of our bi-annual newsletter CATmatters, a GNHCP volunteer is highlighted recognizing his or her accomplishments. We also have a strong relationship with two veterinarians who reserve a secure number of appointments for GNHCP, enabling us to have the capacity to sterilize up to 20 cats a week.

With more than 25 years of experience, GNHCP has become a valuable resource in New Haven’s low-income and transient neighborhoods. Demonstrating that GNHCP’s services are a critical resource in our community, we receive over 30 calls and emails each week from individuals who care for feral cats, as well as from individuals who have taken in a stray cat, but are financially unable to alter their pet. It is through our TNR and low-cost spay/neuter programs that we offer assistance to these individuals regardless of their ability to pay or make a donation, as our focus is on serving a high-need cat/human population.

GNHCP’s TNR program adheres to a set of policies and procedures that enable us to work together with feral cat caregivers to humanely and efficiently bring feral cat colonies to a managed status through sterilization and vaccination. These procedures include documenting calls from the community requesting us to alter stray/feral cats, collecting assistance information from each caller, evaluating the situation, trapping the cats, providing pre-operative care, transporting the cats to the veterinarian, providing post-operative care, and returning the cats to their home environment. We have three dedicated volunteers who engage in the trapping, transporting and recovery steps of our program.

In 2024, GNHCP provided assistance to 697 cats – spaying/neutering 673 cats and kittens (feral and tame) and assisting 24 other cats with injuries and other matters.

GNHCP is also dedicated to improving the lives of all cats through community outreach focused on educating the public about compassion and respect for all animals and helping community members to appreciate the role they can play in helping homeless cats. When TNR assistance is provided, GNHCP often forms partnerships with feral cat caregivers to get them involved with more than just feeding the cats. They are educated in the correct way to feed and shelter outdoor cats, and many times GNHCP provides outdoor shelters and/or feeding stations to feral cat caregivers who cannot afford these items on their own. Caregivers are encouraged to promote awareness of cat overpopulation amongst community members and to help GNHCP in identifying cats and people in need.  This networking empowers individuals and communities to make a difference by improving the lives of cats living outdoors which not only benefits both caregivers and colonies, but promotes respect for animals and humane values.

In addition to educating caregivers, GNHCP engages in education workshops that include adults and children. It is through such activities as crafts, discussion groups, and informal talks where individuals develop compassion and respect for all animals. During these workshops, GNHCP has the opportunity to talk about the origination of feral cat colonies, and the importance of responsible pet ownership. At these workshops, GNHCP also distributes its own Activity Book, which is available in English and Spanish.

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, which is also comprised of an Executive Committee.  This core group provides leadership and stability to enable GNHCP to continue helping feral and stray cats within the greater New Haven community.

Happy at Home

Here are some photos of our foster cats post-adoption and settled into their forever homes.