Ear tipping is aesthetically unacceptable to some people. So what! – I hear you say. Ear tipping makes a cat look less attractive. This may be important because a good percentage of cats that are trapped, spayed and neutered are domestic cats who are strays. They have a home and an owner. The owner may be reunited with her cat. She may be upset by the mutilated left ear and reject her cat. In a study of the roaming outside cats of Florida University, 25% of the cats were domesticated. They weren’t feral cats.
I don’t know of any research on this but I would expect that shelter managers would assume that any ear tipped cat brought to the shelter was feral. In which case he or she would normally be euthanised. Ear tipping is “branding” a cat. It places the cat amongst a lower class of cats. Yes, I believe there is a class structure among cats (from a human perspective). Ear tipping could be a death sentence to a cat. Although, perhaps, I am being a bit extreme in stating that.
Also, sometimes local humane societies run free spay/neuter clinics. I presume – and correct me if I am wrong – that people can walk their cats in and get them sterilized. One person did this and made a donation to the charity. When he came back his three indoor cats had been ear tipped. From the picture you see below, I have to conclude that the ear tipping was carried out in a heavy-handed way:
I don’t understand why the vets ear tipped indoor cats. It may have been a mistake or they decided to ear tip all cats in the clinic undergoing spay and neuter operations that day.
Ear tipping is probably the only viable way to identify a spayed and neutered feral cat because you can see from a distance that the cat has been a recipient of a TNR (trap-neuter-return) program. Other forms of identification such as a tattoo would probably require sedation which may be impractical.
The fact of the matter is that the “collateral damage” of ear tipping, making a cat look less attractive, must be accepted by people who let their cats stray too much and who are subsequently caught in a TNR program (alternatively called Trap-Neuter-Return-Monitor (TNRM)). That would be the argument by 99% of the population.
Apparently, there are no medical problems with ear tipping. Cats don’t suffer and don’t even feel irritation in the ear when they wake up from the spay or neuter operation.
RELATED: Is ear tipping cruel?
Here’s a wild suggestion as an alternative to ear tipping. The vet could clip into the left ear a small brightly colored plastic tag, which could be removed with a tool by a vet if the cat was a wandering domestic cat and the cat’s owner was upset or a feral cat was adopted. Such a tag could be seen at a distance.
If the ear tipping is heavy-handed, as shown in the picture, I wonder whether hearing is affected slightly on that side? Theoretically, it should be because the ear flap collects sound and directs it down the ear canal to the eardrum. In theory, at least, removal of part of the ear flap would make the ear slightly less effective. This may affect the cat very slightly.
A veterinarian writing on the PET MD website states that many pet owners are reluctant to adopt cats with a part of their left ear missing. They say that it negatively impacts their natural beauty. He thinks that ear tipping should be customised to fit the ‘status’ or circumstances of the cat. If it’s a stray cat entering an adoption program and that cat has been through a TNR program previously then perhaps it is better not to ear tip if it’s reasonable to presume that this individual cat has a home waiting for him.
However, most veterinarians insist on ear tipping and they refuse apparently to perform low-cost feline sprays and neuters without doing it! I’m not sure if this veterinarian is joking a bit but perhaps the bottom line is that the benefits of ear tipping outweigh the cosmetic downsides. If a domestic but stray cat gets ear tipped it is collateral damage, sadly.
Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.
Note: this page was written in Nov 2013, 8 ears ago and has been upgraded slightly and republished on Dec 3rd, 2021.
SOME MORE ON EAR TIPPING:
WHAT THE WHAT -WHAT ON EARTH- ITS JUST NOT CIVILIZED IM TALKING ABOUT EAR TIPPING IN CATS THESE PRECIOUS LITTLE DARLINGS EARS
BE IT KNOWN-IN MY DEFENCE FOR THESE CATS -WITH EVIDENCE- “ACCORDING” TO “VETERINARY LAWW” EARTIPPING FALLS UNDER COSMETIC SURGERY AND PERFOMED “ECLUSIVELY” FOR “MEDICAL” REASONS THEREFORE ACCORDING TO VETERINARY THEORY/IF THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CATS EAR WHY PERFORM THIS SURGERY – THEY ARE PERFORMING THIS SURGERY WITHOUT MEDICAL GROUNDS WITHOUT A THOUGHT OR CONSIDERATION -THATS INSANITY IN VETERINARY CARE
THERE IS NO LEGITIMATR REASON TO PERFORM THIS PROCEDURE = DAMAGES TO CATS HOW CAN WE HELP THESE CATS I CANNOT DO THIS ALONE LETS DO THIS TOGETHER -HELP- THESE CATS KEEP THEIR EARS ON THEIR HEADS -SPCA AND HUMANE SOCIETIES CANNOT JUST CHOPP OFF THIER EARS AND THROW THEM IN THE GARBAGE CATS THEY NEED THIER EARS ON THEIR HEADS — IM BEZURRK OVER IT -CATS EARS MATTER/ THIS HAS CAUSES US TRAUMA OUR KIDS TRAUMA -MY FRIENDS CHILD WAS SO TRAUMATIZED HE WAS LOOKING FOR THE CATS EARS -MOM JUBE JUBE LOSTS HIS EARS/ THE CHILD IS INCONSOLABLE ITS TIME TO PUT THIS PRACTICE TO REST / FOR THE GOOD OF ALL CATS AND HUMANS
A MFTHE LAW- THEY DO HAVE A DEFENCE THEY ARE PROTECTED UNDER VETERINARY LAW- ITS DONE OUTSIDE PRACTICES OF VETERINARY LAW – LETS GET THAT STRAIGHT
SO PEOPLE WHAT YOUR SEEING AND FEELING IS CORRECT – ITS A HANOUS HIDIOUS CRIME THAT CHANGES TO AN “EXTREME” THE CATS APPEARANCE. \
HOWEVER THIS CRIME IS INSERTED INSIDE THE VETERINARY PRACTICES
MOST VETS WONT PERFORM THIS PROCEDURE BECASUE THEY “KNOW’ IS A NO-NO AND AGAINST VETRINARY LAW- ITS PRACTICED OUTSIDE THE LAW
YET IT REMAIS IN THE POLICIES OS SPCAS AND HUMANE SOCIETIES COVINCING VETS TO PERFOM IT VETS A RE INVOLVED THEY HAVE TO STOP IT BUT NOT ONE VET COME TO THEIR DEFENCE
PLASTIC SURGERY IS USED AS AN “IDENTIFICATION’ STRATEGY IN FEROL SPAYED / NEUTERED CATS –WHO SAYS WHO CAME UP WITH IDEA MAKE MY BLOOD STOP IN HORROR IS NOT SUPPORTED BY VETERINARY LAW NOR RECOMMENDED IN CATS
ITS A CRIME -HOW DARE THIS HAPPEN TO THE BELOVED EARS OF CATS- AND HOW DARE THIS HAPPEN AND STILL
MOST VETS WILL NOT PERFORM THIS PROCEDURE
IVE CONTACTED- WRITTEN LETTERS TO COUNCIL
VETERINARY COLLEGES /ADMIMISTRATIONS OF VETRINARY LAWS INTERNATIONALLY
IN MY DEFENCE
I CANT LIVE WITH IT FOR THEM THEY HAVE SO LITTLE ON THE EARTH AND GIVE SO MUCH TO US LETS
PLEASE CONTACT ME dotresearch1986@gmail.com lets BANN EAR TIPPING IN CATS BECUASE CATS EARS MATTER
AUSTRAILIA BANNED EAR TIPPING IN 2021 BECAUSE THEY DONT BELIEVE IT HELPS THANK YOU JESUS AUSTRAILIA REALIZED IT..LETS FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS SEE HOW THY DID IT AND COPY CAT
Ear tags were attempted in the early days of TNR. The tags would fall or be ripped off, which made them both useless for identification of altered cats and a potential health risk to the cats when ripped off.
This is information that literally a 30 second Google search would have given you, had you bothered to look.
Aesthetics are not a good reason to oppose ear tipping. Maybe as the more introspective species, we humans could get the f*** over it and embrace ear tipped cats, whether feral or socialized.
This post and everyone supporting it are utterly ridiculous.
Try caring more about cat’s lives than you do about your own squeamishness or imagined photography skills.
“This is information that literally a 30 second Google search would have given you, had you bothered to look” – what is the point of saying that?
I did not say whether aesthetics is a good reason or not. I’m just making the point that the tipping looks aesthetically much less good than no ear tipping. It’s a simple issue. And this post is not ridiculous. I am simply making a point, a subjective point. It is my opinion. I am entitled to have my opinion on my own website.
You are being rude. I care more about cats than you can imagine. I’ve given away thousands of pounds on cat welfare. I have spent tens of thousands of hours writing about cats with the objective of improving cat welfare. I think you need to do your research not me.
I will allow one more comment in response to mine if you want to make one. Thereafter you will be banned because you are rude and ignorant.
I totally agree_
I don’t know how to respond to this mutilation?
But I think everyone would find out fairly quickly-including myself if a Vet did this to one of my pets.
Eva-
Yes Eva, I see both sides of this as I am sure you do but there is a tendency for people who deal with animals a lot like vets to objectify them, to fail to see them as sentient beings just like us. And removing part of the ear is pretty gross if it is lopped off as shown in the photo.
I don’t know of any reputable vet who would eartip any domesticated cat that has a responsible caretaker without their permission. However, if the cat is inside/outside like some of mine are, it might be a consideration since any cat in the U.S. that spends time outside is at risk of being taken to a kill shelter by animal control. I have had all of my inside/outside cats eartipped for that very reason. I want to make sure that those officers know that my cats are protected, cared for, and are “hands off”.
If the cat is a stray and living completely outside, without anyone coming forward to take responsibility, the cat should be tipped for their safety. Just my opinion.
For ferals, it’s mandatory that they be tipped. The only exceptions are upon my request when I feel that I can socialize a feral or feral kittens to the point where they could be adopted. In those cases, the cats must come inside, continually, with me until they reach that point.
Ear tipping is the best way that ferals can be identified. A lot of cats have notches in their ears from fighting so a notch may not be a sign that the cat is fixed. Tags can get caught on things and rip the ear. A large ear tip is easier to see from a distance, however a lot of times a cat that we think is feral is just a scared stray and can be adopted so I do prefer the smaller ear tips for that reason. The size of the ear varies with different vets/clinics.
Our shelters will not euthanize an ear tipped cat because they know someone is caring for the cat. They will try to return it to to where it was brought in from.
Thanks Heidi. I do realise that what you write is correct. I am just commenting on it.
It’s because too many humans are freaking HEARTLESS !!!! The same breed of human may easily not want to adopt a cat with an ear chunk gone. CHUNK, not tip. I’ve read “tattoos can’t be seen.” What, is the human blind?? If we can see a jail tatt on an inmate, we can see a tattoo on a kitty’s ear. Most of the populace don’t even know what the ear tip,-ear Chunk means! I paid for a stray cat to be fixed, logged her in as a scared STRAY and she still got ear chunked. Beauuutiful Himalayan. It just makes me SICK. How’d people like to have parts of them lobbed off?? Now I know if I want to rescue a stray I’ll just tame the dang cat myself and take him/her to my vet and adopt the cat out like I used to.
Roberta, thanks for sharing. Your story is distressing. I may do short article about it.
I understand your frustration, Roberta.
I work, mostly, with colony cats and they must be ear tipped for their own safety. Granted, some ear tipping is more severe than I think it should be.
Stray cats, generally, don’t need taming. It’s ferals that require that sort of work. It’s hard to domesticate ferals, as you may already know. And, there are time frames as well as short windows of opportunity.
If the beautiful Himalayan was, merely, a stray that you were going to bring inside or try to rehome, ear tipping could have been deleted if you asked the TNR group to do so. I don’t know of any that wouldn’t consent.
But, ofcourse, they would want evidence that the cat was inside your home and they would be able to tell if she was feral or not.
Again, tipping is a safety measure so that all animal service groups know that the cat is a part of a TNR program and protected.
I’m shocked at the amount that was ‘tipped’ of that ear!! I think that there really was no need for that much to come off; certainly not tipping more like lopping half the ear off!! Completely not neccassary! All thats needed is a tiny square or triangle nipped off the tip of the ear all that photo shows is a scant regard for the cat from the vet 🙁
Yes, it was almost done as if the ear was a bit of paper. As Marc says, it is objectifying cats – making them something non-living.