Ear Tipping - A Lifesaver for Feral CatsBack to Cat Facts
Alley Cat Rescue recommends that all feral cats, while still under general anesthetic for spaying or neutering, have the top quarter inch of their left ear removed. The shape of this ear is then unmistakable, even from a distance. It must be emphasized that if too much of the pinna is removed the ear looks "cropped" and is aesthetically unacceptable to the cat caretakers. If too little is removed, the cat will not be identifiable at a distance. Also, if the cut is not straight, the silhouette is not distinctive enough. Properly done, ear tipping allows the caretaker to easily spot any new cat entering the colony, and neutered cats will not have to be retrapped. Any ear-tipped cat trapped in error can be identified easily within the trap and immediately released.
During surgery, the top 10 mm of the left ear should be removed by a straight cut.
- First, draw a straight line on the inner aspect of the pinna with a pen.
- Clean both ear canals to remove any source of irritation and prevent the cat from scratching its ears. Scrub the ear with Betadine solution.
- Hemostasis may be achieved in several ways: by following the cut with digital pressure, electrocautery, or application of a styptic or drying antiseptic powder.
It is important that eartipping become common practice. ACR is promoting widespread publicity for left eartipping as the preferred universal method for identifying neutered feral cats belonging to controlled colonies. Some cats are ear clipped with a "V" shape, but this can be confused with an injury to the ear from a catfight.
Eartipping is vital for identification and can save the animals life. If an eartipped cat is caught by animal control agencies they will know that the cat comes from a managed colony and the cat can then be returned to the caretaker. When I first traveled around the country in the early 1990s promoting TNR and eartipping, there was tremendous opposition to eartipping. This country has been trying to outlaw dogs from having their ears cropped and tails docked, and cats from being declawed, and so to some allowing ear tipping seemed to fall under the same category.
Many have tried other methods. Lots of money has been spent trying ear tags, and tattoos. Ear tags eventually fall out. They often get caught in bushes. This can rip open a cat's ear. Tattoos are hard to see by caretakers and animal control officers. You have to actually trap a cat before you can see the tattoo. Shaving a patch of hair off the ear does not last long before the hair grows back. Collars can choke or injure cats, or fall of and become lost. Microchips are a good idea only if used in conjunction with eartipping.
Eartipping has been used around the world on thousands of feral cats for 4 decades. So it is important to accept eartipping, and not try to reinvent the wheel on this one.