Ear Tipping 101
Have you ever seen a cat with a clipped ear and wondered what happened? Don’t worry, this is actually a good sign! The practice is called “ear-tipping” in which free-roaming feral cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, given vaccinations, ear-tipped, and finally returned to their homes.
Beau, pictured above, was once a free-roaming cat and had this procedure done. However, he later required additional medical attention so Pause 4 Paws felt it was best to move him into foster care. We would love to move Beau into his forever home! If you or anyone you know is looking to adopt please contact us at jill@pause4pawsmn.org.
Why Ear-Tip Community Cats?
As an effort to manage the feral cat population, spay and neuter procedures are extremely important! However, it’s difficult to get close enough to a feral cat to tell whether it has been spayed or neutered. This is why ear-tipping is so critical. It is a universally accepted way to identify if a cat has been spayed or neutered. It also indicates that a cat has been vaccinated. This indicator helps save time and resources by allowing quick identification of which cats have received an s/n procedure and which cats may still need one.
Other Methods
Other methods to identify feral cats have been used in the past, but ear-tipping is the most successful. Different methods include:
Microchipping- not easily identifiable and requires a microchip scanner.
Ear tags- can fall off or cause infection.
Collars- can fall off, get caught on things, become too tight, or hurt the cat.
Tattoos- difficult to see unless you’re very close
Beau Still Needs a Home!
Beau has the most amazing foster mom, Michelle, who has been watching him for over a year now. We are so grateful for all the time and work she has put in to give Beau a happy home. Now, we would love to find Beau his permanent home. If you or anyone you know may be interested in adopting, please reach out to jill@pause4pawsmn.org.