TNR

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.