TNR

[formerly known as 'cat arranger']

I took two cats into a local shelter. One was a stray
and the other was a friend's cat. The local cat advocates
said that we could get them both neutered and that wouldn't
be a problem.

They came home with a large chunk cut out of their ears. The
stray looks bad but the friends Siamese looking cat looks worse.
Is cutting a piece of their ears off the only way to mark ferals
and strays so they don't get operated on a second time? Can't
they put in a chip or find another way to mark the cat without
disfiguring her? Why do they do it to males? It's pretty east to
see that a male has been neutered.

I feel bad and I don't think I'm going to try to trap any more
strays. It seems sadistic to me.

[Luvskats00]

"formerly known as 'cat arranger'" writes
>I took two cats into a local shelter. One was a stray
>and the other was a friend's cat....
>They came home with a large chunk cut out of their ears. The
>stray looks bad but the friends Siamese looking cat looks worse.
>Is cutting a piece of their ears off the only way to mark ferals
>and strays so they don't get operated on a second time?

You don't mention the locale in which this happened, but, if possible, ask
around at other shelters BEFORE bringing any more cats in.

[Luvskats00]

"formerly known as 'cat arranger'" writes
>I took two cats into a local shelter. One was a stray
>and the other was a friend's cat....
>They came home with a large chunk cut out of their ears. The
>stray looks bad but the friends Siamese looking cat looks worse.
>Is cutting a piece of their ears off the only way to mark ferals
>and strays so they don't get operated on a second time?

You don't mention the locale in which this happened, but, if possible, ask
around at other shelters BEFORE bringing any more cats in.

[Wendy]

"formerly known as 'cat arranger'" > wrote
in message news:Y4pJc.6582$nF1.5972@lakeread04...
> I took two cats into a local shelter. One was a stray
> and the other was a friend's cat. The local cat advocates
> said that we could get them both neutered and that wouldn't
> be a problem.
>
> They came home with a large chunk cut out of their ears. The
> stray looks bad but the friends Siamese looking cat looks worse.
> Is cutting a piece of their ears off the only way to mark ferals
> and strays so they don't get operated on a second time? Can't
> they put in a chip or find another way to mark the cat without
> disfiguring her? Why do they do it to males? It's pretty east to
> see that a male has been neutered.
>
> I feel bad and I don't think I'm going to try to trap any more
> strays. It seems sadistic to me.
>
>
Around here they notch the ear so they know they've been neutered if they
get trapped again. The notch is a small slice in the edge of the cats ear
not a chuck missing. Apparently where you are they take a chunk out. I would
assume with feriles they want a marking that is easy to spot. Frequently if
the cat is freaked out they will tuck the tail between their legs. If the
cat is wild, I know there is no way I'd lift the tail to see if he still had
cajones and there would be no way to tell with a female before preparing her
for surgery.

Did you tell them your friend's cat had a home? If not they probably thought
it was a TNR as well. If they were being neutered through the rescue
organization (as far as the shelter knew) it's not an unreasonable
assumption.

I don't imagine the rescue groups have the resources to chip every ferile
they trap. The ear notch is probably the least painful and most easily
spotted method of marking these animals.

W

[Wendy]

"formerly known as 'cat arranger'" > wrote
in message news:Y4pJc.6582$nF1.5972@lakeread04...
> I took two cats into a local shelter. One was a stray
> and the other was a friend's cat. The local cat advocates
> said that we could get them both neutered and that wouldn't
> be a problem.
>
> They came home with a large chunk cut out of their ears. The
> stray looks bad but the friends Siamese looking cat looks worse.
> Is cutting a piece of their ears off the only way to mark ferals
> and strays so they don't get operated on a second time? Can't
> they put in a chip or find another way to mark the cat without
> disfiguring her? Why do they do it to males? It's pretty east to
> see that a male has been neutered.
>
> I feel bad and I don't think I'm going to try to trap any more
> strays. It seems sadistic to me.
>
>
Around here they notch the ear so they know they've been neutered if they
get trapped again. The notch is a small slice in the edge of the cats ear
not a chuck missing. Apparently where you are they take a chunk out. I would
assume with feriles they want a marking that is easy to spot. Frequently if
the cat is freaked out they will tuck the tail between their legs. If the
cat is wild, I know there is no way I'd lift the tail to see if he still had
cajones and there would be no way to tell with a female before preparing her
for surgery.

Did you tell them your friend's cat had a home? If not they probably thought
it was a TNR as well. If they were being neutered through the rescue
organization (as far as the shelter knew) it's not an unreasonable
assumption.

I don't imagine the rescue groups have the resources to chip every ferile
they trap. The ear notch is probably the least painful and most easily
spotted method of marking these animals.

W

[Ron Herfurth]

"Wendy" > wrote in message
...
> > I feel bad and I don't think I'm going to try to trap any more
> > strays. It seems sadistic to me.
> >
> >
> Around here they notch the ear so they know they've been neutered if they
> get trapped again. The notch is a small slice in the edge of the cats ear
> not a chuck missing. Apparently where you are they take a chunk out. I
would
> assume with feriles they want a marking that is easy to spot. Frequently
if
> the cat is freaked out they will tuck the tail between their legs. If the
> cat is wild, I know there is no way I'd lift the tail to see if he still
had
> cajones and there would be no way to tell with a female before preparing
her
> for surgery.
>
> Did you tell them your friend's cat had a home? If not they probably
thought
> it was a TNR as well. If they were being neutered through the rescue
> organization (as far as the shelter knew) it's not an unreasonable
> assumption.
>
> I don't imagine the rescue groups have the resources to chip every ferile
> they trap. The ear notch is probably the least painful and most easily
> spotted method of marking these animals.
>
> W

Around here it's called ear tipping because the tip of the ear is cut off.
The cut is straight across the ear and it's done while the cat is under
anesthesia for the speuter.
Alley Cat Allies has a sketch showing a fairly large tip being removed,
enough so it would be evident at 10 or 20 feet which may be as close as
you'll ever get to the cat again. It doesn't say anything about which ear
gets tipped. I understand that there's a blood vessel going part way up the
ear that shouldn't be cut so the tip is removed above that.
ron
charlottesville virginia

[Ron Herfurth]

"Wendy" > wrote in message
...
> > I feel bad and I don't think I'm going to try to trap any more
> > strays. It seems sadistic to me.
> >
> >
> Around here they notch the ear so they know they've been neutered if they
> get trapped again. The notch is a small slice in the edge of the cats ear
> not a chuck missing. Apparently where you are they take a chunk out. I
would
> assume with feriles they want a marking that is easy to spot. Frequently
if
> the cat is freaked out they will tuck the tail between their legs. If the
> cat is wild, I know there is no way I'd lift the tail to see if he still
had
> cajones and there would be no way to tell with a female before preparing
her
> for surgery.
>
> Did you tell them your friend's cat had a home? If not they probably
thought
> it was a TNR as well. If they were being neutered through the rescue
> organization (as far as the shelter knew) it's not an unreasonable
> assumption.
>
> I don't imagine the rescue groups have the resources to chip every ferile
> they trap. The ear notch is probably the least painful and most easily
> spotted method of marking these animals.
>
> W

Around here it's called ear tipping because the tip of the ear is cut off.
The cut is straight across the ear and it's done while the cat is under
anesthesia for the speuter.
Alley Cat Allies has a sketch showing a fairly large tip being removed,
enough so it would be evident at 10 or 20 feet which may be as close as
you'll ever get to the cat again. It doesn't say anything about which ear
gets tipped. I understand that there's a blood vessel going part way up the
ear that shouldn't be cut so the tip is removed above that.
ron
charlottesville virginia

[[email protected]]

In article >,
"Ron Herfurth" > wrote:

> Around here it's called ear tipping because the tip of the ear is cut off.

I think tipping is better than notching. It's easier to see in dim light
(cats are crepuscular, not truly nocturnal as commonly believed--that's
why cats are such good alarm clocks) and it's less likely to be torn in
a fight.

<snip>

> Alley Cat Allies has a sketch showing a fairly large tip being removed,
> enough so it would be evident at 10 or 20 feet which may be as close as
> you'll ever get to the cat again. It doesn't say anything about which ear
> gets tipped.

I wish we as rescuers would come up with a standard for
eartipping/notching. I think it would be very handy (for anal people
like me, anyway) to correspond the snipped ear to the cat's gender.

I keep an Excel spreadsheet record of the cats in my feral colony (now
with digital pictures!), their comings and goings, how much food they
eat, anecdotes, observations and so on (I'm trying to be an autodidactic
naturalist, I guess). Anyway, given the number of animals I care for now
and in the past, it sure would be handy to visually reference their
gender by which ear was cut.

[[email protected]]

In article >,
"Ron Herfurth" > wrote:

> Around here it's called ear tipping because the tip of the ear is cut off.

I think tipping is better than notching. It's easier to see in dim light
(cats are crepuscular, not truly nocturnal as commonly believed--that's
why cats are such good alarm clocks) and it's less likely to be torn in
a fight.

<snip>

> Alley Cat Allies has a sketch showing a fairly large tip being removed,
> enough so it would be evident at 10 or 20 feet which may be as close as
> you'll ever get to the cat again. It doesn't say anything about which ear
> gets tipped.

I wish we as rescuers would come up with a standard for
eartipping/notching. I think it would be very handy (for anal people
like me, anyway) to correspond the snipped ear to the cat's gender.

I keep an Excel spreadsheet record of the cats in my feral colony (now
with digital pictures!), their comings and goings, how much food they
eat, anecdotes, observations and so on (I'm trying to be an autodidactic
naturalist, I guess). Anyway, given the number of animals I care for now
and in the past, it sure would be handy to visually reference their
gender by which ear was cut.

[Sharon Talbert]

Eartipping is standard (thought not quite standardized) practice for TNR.
Alley Cat Allies promotes a 1/4 inch be snipped the tip of the left ear.
They even provide surgical instructions for vets. It is an excellent way
to mark a feral cat has having been "done," both helping to identify the
animal in the field and by animal control officers who chose to cooperate
with feral colony caretakers. Campus Cats made one its most rewarding
rescues by responding to a notice that Seattle Animal Control had taken in
an injured ear-tipped cat. Thanks to the local feral cat mailinglist and
the cooperation of the City of Seattle, a great (and non-feral) cat was
scraped off the street and given a good home.

It sounds like your vet got a bit carried away with how much ear was
trimmed. I've seen that myself from time to time; a chat with the vet
takes care of the problem. If they need instructions, Alley Cat Allies
can send them a handout on how it's done. Straight cut at the tip of one
ear, no notch. (A notch is too easily confused with old war wounds.)

It would be nice if a standard established itself that allowed observers
to identify the sex of the animal from a distance. (Left ear for boys;
right ear for girls, for example.) That may come, and of course
caretakers can always come to such an agreement with their vet.

Please don't be put off by the eartipping, though. As long as it is
conservatively and competently done, it is certainly as humane and the
sterilization surgery and causes little discomfort to the animal.
Eartipping should only be performed on feral cats who are being returned
to the field, of course. But those animals who may later find a home
simply have a heartwarming story to tell. It's just another way to get
the plight of the feral cat out there.

Sharon Talbert
Friends of Campus Cats
Seattle

[Sharon Talbert]

Eartipping is standard (thought not quite standardized) practice for TNR.
Alley Cat Allies promotes a 1/4 inch be snipped the tip of the left ear.
They even provide surgical instructions for vets. It is an excellent way
to mark a feral cat has having been "done," both helping to identify the
animal in the field and by animal control officers who chose to cooperate
with feral colony caretakers. Campus Cats made one its most rewarding
rescues by responding to a notice that Seattle Animal Control had taken in
an injured ear-tipped cat. Thanks to the local feral cat mailinglist and
the cooperation of the City of Seattle, a great (and non-feral) cat was
scraped off the street and given a good home.

It sounds like your vet got a bit carried away with how much ear was
trimmed. I've seen that myself from time to time; a chat with the vet
takes care of the problem. If they need instructions, Alley Cat Allies
can send them a handout on how it's done. Straight cut at the tip of one
ear, no notch. (A notch is too easily confused with old war wounds.)

It would be nice if a standard established itself that allowed observers
to identify the sex of the animal from a distance. (Left ear for boys;
right ear for girls, for example.) That may come, and of course
caretakers can always come to such an agreement with their vet.

Please don't be put off by the eartipping, though. As long as it is
conservatively and competently done, it is certainly as humane and the
sterilization surgery and causes little discomfort to the animal.
Eartipping should only be performed on feral cats who are being returned
to the field, of course. But those animals who may later find a home
simply have a heartwarming story to tell. It's just another way to get
the plight of the feral cat out there.

Sharon Talbert
Friends of Campus Cats
Seattle

[Cat Protector]

If you told them it was for TNR I can see why that happened. They tip the
ears to show they are feral cats that have been spayed or neutered.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com
"formerly known as 'cat arranger'" > wrote
in message news:Y4pJc.6582$nF1.5972@lakeread04...
> I took two cats into a local shelter. One was a stray
> and the other was a friend's cat. The local cat advocates
> said that we could get them both neutered and that wouldn't
> be a problem.
>
> They came home with a large chunk cut out of their ears. The
> stray looks bad but the friends Siamese looking cat looks worse.
> Is cutting a piece of their ears off the only way to mark ferals
> and strays so they don't get operated on a second time? Can't
> they put in a chip or find another way to mark the cat without
> disfiguring her? Why do they do it to males? It's pretty east to
> see that a male has been neutered.
>
> I feel bad and I don't think I'm going to try to trap any more
> strays. It seems sadistic to me.
>
>

[Cat Protector]

If you told them it was for TNR I can see why that happened. They tip the
ears to show they are feral cats that have been spayed or neutered.

--
Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com

Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com
"formerly known as 'cat arranger'" > wrote
in message news:Y4pJc.6582$nF1.5972@lakeread04...
> I took two cats into a local shelter. One was a stray
> and the other was a friend's cat. The local cat advocates
> said that we could get them both neutered and that wouldn't
> be a problem.
>
> They came home with a large chunk cut out of their ears. The
> stray looks bad but the friends Siamese looking cat looks worse.
> Is cutting a piece of their ears off the only way to mark ferals
> and strays so they don't get operated on a second time? Can't
> they put in a chip or find another way to mark the cat without
> disfiguring her? Why do they do it to males? It's pretty east to
> see that a male has been neutered.
>
> I feel bad and I don't think I'm going to try to trap any more
> strays. It seems sadistic to me.
>
>

[Sunflower]

"formerly known as 'cat arranger'" > wrote
in message news:Y4pJc.6582$nF1.5972@lakeread04...
> I took two cats into a local shelter. One was a stray
> and the other was a friend's cat. The local cat advocates
> said that we could get them both neutered and that wouldn't
> be a problem.
>
> They came home with a large chunk cut out of their ears. The
> stray looks bad but the friends Siamese looking cat looks worse.
> Is cutting a piece of their ears off the only way to mark ferals
> and strays so they don't get operated on a second time? Can't
> they put in a chip or find another way to mark the cat without
> disfiguring her? Why do they do it to males? It's pretty east to
> see that a male has been neutered.
>
> I feel bad and I don't think I'm going to try to trap any more
> strays. It seems sadistic to me.
>
>

The vet I work with does ear tipping for ferals, and all surgeries receive
green tattoo ink in the incision. Boys and girls. It helps mark even an
owned cat as being fixed, (and not cryptorchid for the boys) so if they ever
get lost and are rehomed, there won't be a need to put them through the
trauma of surgery again just to be sure they are fixed.

[Sunflower]

"formerly known as 'cat arranger'" > wrote
in message news:Y4pJc.6582$nF1.5972@lakeread04...
> I took two cats into a local shelter. One was a stray
> and the other was a friend's cat. The local cat advocates
> said that we could get them both neutered and that wouldn't
> be a problem.
>
> They came home with a large chunk cut out of their ears. The
> stray looks bad but the friends Siamese looking cat looks worse.
> Is cutting a piece of their ears off the only way to mark ferals
> and strays so they don't get operated on a second time? Can't
> they put in a chip or find another way to mark the cat without
> disfiguring her? Why do they do it to males? It's pretty east to
> see that a male has been neutered.
>
> I feel bad and I don't think I'm going to try to trap any more
> strays. It seems sadistic to me.
>
>

The vet I work with does ear tipping for ferals, and all surgeries receive
green tattoo ink in the incision. Boys and girls. It helps mark even an
owned cat as being fixed, (and not cryptorchid for the boys) so if they ever
get lost and are rehomed, there won't be a need to put them through the
trauma of surgery again just to be sure they are fixed.

[Tracy]

Yep. I have an ear-tipped one, myself. Such a sweetie! I've atually
gotten so used to her missing bit of ear that I don't even notice it
anymore. And it causes no discomfort to the cat that I've ever
noticed. I'm not sure she even realizes that the top of her ear is
missing. It really is far less traumatic than being captured over and
over again by enthusiastic rescuers and really, if you can't get close
to a cat, what else can you do that would be visible from several feet
away?

[Tracy]

Yep. I have an ear-tipped one, myself. Such a sweetie! I've atually
gotten so used to her missing bit of ear that I don't even notice it
anymore. And it causes no discomfort to the cat that I've ever
noticed. I'm not sure she even realizes that the top of her ear is
missing. It really is far less traumatic than being captured over and
over again by enthusiastic rescuers and really, if you can't get close
to a cat, what else can you do that would be visible from several feet
away?

[Sharon Talbert]

>
> The vet I work with does ear tipping for ferals, and all surgeries receive
> green tattoo ink in the incision. Boys and girls. It helps mark even an
> owned cat as being fixed, (and not cryptorchid for the boys) so if they ever
> get lost and are rehomed, there won't be a need to put them through the
> trauma of surgery again just to be sure they are fixed.
>
>

That is very cool! I'll discuss this with our vets. We just got a cat in
who has been opened up a second time because her spay scar was too old to
see.

Sharon Talbert
Friends of Campus Cats

[Sharon Talbert]

>
> The vet I work with does ear tipping for ferals, and all surgeries receive
> green tattoo ink in the incision. Boys and girls. It helps mark even an
> owned cat as being fixed, (and not cryptorchid for the boys) so if they ever
> get lost and are rehomed, there won't be a need to put them through the
> trauma of surgery again just to be sure they are fixed.
>
>

That is very cool! I'll discuss this with our vets. We just got a cat in
who has been opened up a second time because her spay scar was too old to
see.

Sharon Talbert
Friends of Campus Cats

[Melanie's Phony Email Address for NGs]

My Cristobel has a small slice in her left ear. I thought she had just
been in a fight? Is it possible it means she has been spayed? Vet said
she had been and she has never come into heat.

She's a great kitty! I'm her 4th home. Forever home now. Good grief,
someone is missing out on a great cat!

~Melanie

[Melanie's Phony Email Address for NGs]

My Cristobel has a small slice in her left ear. I thought she had just
been in a fight? Is it possible it means she has been spayed? Vet said
she had been and she has never come into heat.

She's a great kitty! I'm her 4th home. Forever home now. Good grief,
someone is missing out on a great cat!

~Melanie

[[email protected]]

On 26 Aug 2004 15:24:20 -0700,
(Melanie's Phony Email Address for NGs) wrote:

>My Cristobel has a small slice in her left ear. I thought she had just
>been in a fight? Is it possible it means she has been spayed? Vet said
>she had been and she has never come into heat.
>
>She's a great kitty! I'm her 4th home. Forever home now. Good grief,
>someone is missing out on a great cat!
>
>~Melanie
Sounds like she was part of a TNR program at one time.

[[email protected]]

On 26 Aug 2004 15:24:20 -0700,
(Melanie's Phony Email Address for NGs) wrote:

>My Cristobel has a small slice in her left ear. I thought she had just
>been in a fight? Is it possible it means she has been spayed? Vet said
>she had been and she has never come into heat.
>
>She's a great kitty! I'm her 4th home. Forever home now. Good grief,
>someone is missing out on a great cat!
>
>~Melanie
Sounds like she was part of a TNR program at one time.

[Wendy]

"Melanie's Phony Email Address for NGs" >
wrote in message om...
> My Cristobel has a small slice in her left ear. I thought she had just
> been in a fight? Is it possible it means she has been spayed? Vet said
> she had been and she has never come into heat.
>
> She's a great kitty! I'm her 4th home. Forever home now. Good grief,
> someone is missing out on a great cat!
>
> ~Melanie

If the cat has been trapped they don't always know right away whether the
cat is suitable to be adopted or not so they notch the ear when they have
the cat under anesthesia to be neutered. Sometimes during the post-op
recovery they discover the cat is really a sweetheart and is put up for
adoption instead of released. You may have gotten one of these.

W

[Wendy]

"Melanie's Phony Email Address for NGs" >
wrote in message om...
> My Cristobel has a small slice in her left ear. I thought she had just
> been in a fight? Is it possible it means she has been spayed? Vet said
> she had been and she has never come into heat.
>
> She's a great kitty! I'm her 4th home. Forever home now. Good grief,
> someone is missing out on a great cat!
>
> ~Melanie

If the cat has been trapped they don't always know right away whether the
cat is suitable to be adopted or not so they notch the ear when they have
the cat under anesthesia to be neutered. Sometimes during the post-op
recovery they discover the cat is really a sweetheart and is put up for
adoption instead of released. You may have gotten one of these.

W