Cat Identification

The program has gone through a frustrating time (like all other feral cat programs we have contacted) with identification of released cats. In the beginning, tags with collars were used to identify released cats along with their sex, etc. After nearly fifty percent of the cats either lost their collars, having been ripped off, bitten off, or even getting caught on foreign objects or their own limbs, ear notching was tried. A small hole was placed in the left ear for males, right for females that had been fixed. This, again, presented a problem due to the fact that many cats, after being released, often fought to defend their territory and would rip their ear punches straight through, causing the ear, a highly vascular area, to bleed profusely.

Finally, ear tipping was introduced, with males marked on the left and females on the right, to great success. The initial bleeding from the small laceration is easily controlled in the hospital during surgery to be spayed/neutered, and once the cat is released, the ear is free from further injury. In addition, this method proves very useful in seeing from a distance if cats have been already trapped and altered (having gone through the program) and what their sex is. This identification process is also aided by volunteers keeping track of each cat at his/her feeding station.