We analyzed 37 animal shelters in various US states to get a diverse representation. These shelters are both public and private. 

We looked at trap-neuter-return (TNR) being done by these shelters. (We used data for TNR, return-to-field (RTF) and shelter-neuter-return (SNR) and considered them all the same for these purposes.)
TNR is the humane trapping, fixing and vaccinating of free-roaming, unowned and homeless cats.

As you can see from the table to the right, there has been no substantial increase in the number of community cats fixed from years 2018 through 2022. Combine this with the vast majority of US animal shelters intaking fewer cats (under managed intake), and you have more and more unfixed cats on the streets. 

When you compare the number of cats being TNR'd by a shelter to the number of cats diverted from intake, it is a recipe for failure. These diverted and UNFIXED cats are often abandoned to the streets as a result.

This reflects a total failure in the current animal sheltering model called Capacity For Care (C4C) of which managed intake is a part.

MORE TNR is needed.  Shelters need to start a TNR program and increase TNRs done by each shelter. C4C pushes community partnering and our shelters are one of the biggest and strongest partners in our communities.

If you are seeing more cats running the streets, this is why.