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  1. #1
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Are We Stupid to REally Dislike This Idea? Cut The Cat's Ear Off?

    I mentionned one of the cats we're feeding outside in another thread but would like some opinions. We can live trap Joey and the local Humane Society will neuter him for a good price in their TNR programme. BUT, they will cut about one fifth of his left ear off. This is so he can be identified as having already been snipped so someone else won't put him through the stress of being trapped again.

    I've not heard of this, neither has my cat loving friend so we wonder, who knows? What good will it do if people don't know?

    How do you tell an ear clipped in a cat from one lost to frostbite in our cold winter climate? Close up maybe you can, but at a distance?

    He's male, once caught a second time it would be obvious he'd been neutered; well maybe not for a while.

    Plus, people who would care enough to do this are few and far between and if he sticks around our yard those people are us.

    I can maybe see the value for a female cat, no way to tell if they are spayed by looking and I guess this place doesn't do the tattoos some places do.

    OH has already said, no way, we're not having his ear cut partly off, we'll neuter him at our expense at our Vet's. More than double the price, at least. But he'd get to keep both his pretty ears. I think we have decided, but what do you think?
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  2. #2
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    It's common around here for the trap and spay programs to do this. I can understand why they do it. IMHO, if that is what it takes to get the job done...

  3. #3
    Senior Dog
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    Yes, we have friends who adopted feral kittens to be barn cats and the trap-neuter release program they got them from does this.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  4. #4
    House Broken
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    This is done with all the TNR here. I see no problem with this procedure.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog sparky's Avatar
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    I have never heard of taking a 5th of the ear only square of the tip. The ones I've seen look normal at a glance but if you get close enough you can see they have had their ear "tipped" This is an acceptable practice if it helps stop some of the feral cat issues. Taking a 5th of the ear seems very excessive.
    This is what I've noticed.
    -feralcattippedear-jpg
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  6. #6
    Senior Dog
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    I'm with you...I'd spend the extra money.

  7. #7
    Senior Dog arentspowell's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SunDance View Post
    I'm with you...I'd spend the extra money.
    Same here! I've never heard of that so I would've thought he got into a fight and lost a piece of his ear.

  8. #8
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    Yes I have heard of it. not sure how I feel about it. They have to do something I guess.

    ETA: no I don't think you are stupid at all for disliking it!
    Last edited by Tanya; 11-18-2015 at 10:03 AM.

  9. #9
    Senior Dog shellbell's Avatar
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    I too have heard of it. Especially for a female, there needs to be some way to know that they have already been spayed.

  10. #10
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    I hadn't heard of it and wouldn't have know what it meant. I'll have to ask my sister if her 2 adopted feral/barn cats, who now think they're house cats, had their ears clipped or otherwise "adjusted."
    Sue

    Chase 9/29/2006- 6/30/2017 Always in our hearts
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    “Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor as well as love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this world be like without dogs?”

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