Just an FYI - Clipped ear on a feral doesn't always mean snippage has occured

[Christa_P]

I moved into my new place last fall and a local feral cat was hanging around so I kept cat food out for him, no big deal. I figured I would trap him at some point and get him neutered.

Then he got caught in my shop so I trapped him to move him out and finally got a good look at him. I saw the clipped ear and thought great he is already snipped.

He has slowly learned to sort of trust me and will occasionally let me pet him and he hangs around the barn, but he does NOT get along with my other, now neutered, former ferals (this was 1 clue that something was up - my 3 boys all get along pretty well and 2 were neutered as feral adults).

Then, a few weeks ago I got a good look at his back end as he walked away from me one day and thought I saw intact parts . Then yesterday he decided to be friendly while he was eating and I got a chance to feel around back there - yep, everything is still there.

I don’t know if the ear was actually clipped or if he lost the tip in a fight or with another injury, but now I will plan on getting him truly snipped sometime in the spring.

So, unless you KNOW the cat with the snipped ear is from a managed colony don’t assume they are neutered.

[SonnysMom]

I thought when they ear tip them it is pretty obvious it was ear tipped and not lost the tip in a fight. It is going to be a clean cut across the ear. I would think it would be really hard to have a clean cut across the ear from a fight or injury.

Glad you are going to get him neutered.

[Christa_P]

I have 3 that are ear tipped and his looks similar.

[trubandloki]

It would not surprise me if a tom cat would get his ear ripped off in a fight. We once trapped a tom that looked like he had been in a war zone, he was missing almost half of one of his ears.

Glad you are going to get him snipped. Thank you for being a good cat caretaker.

[Bluey]

I say, very good cat whispering when you have a feral tom that lets you check him so thoroughly without feeling insulted.

I would be worried about vaccinations also.

[Christa_P]

He actually acts like he was tame or at least learned people weren’t a threat at some point. I have 2 former true ferals (now friendly pets) and he is much tamer than either one of them were at this point. I have petted him a few times, but this was the first time I tried to check, I just petted his back and kept my hand going a little further.

[jetsmom]

[QUOTE=Christa P;8440577]
He actually acts like he was tame or at least learned people weren’t a threat at some point. I have 2 former true ferals (now friendly pets) and he is much tamer than either one of them were at this point. I have petted him a few times, but this was the first time I tried to check, I just petted his back and kept my hand going a little further.[/QUOTE]
Well he probably figured out that"Hey! If I let people catch me they grope my fuzzy parts! What a deal!" Lol.

[Chall]

OH Jetsmom, I was thinking along those lines. But more like “if we were politicians, people could cut and paste and take quotes out of context” poor OP would be on a registry database faster than you can blink.

[Christa_P]

[QUOTE=Chall;8441454]
OH Jetsmom, I was thinking along those lines. But more like “if we were politicians, people could cut and paste and take quotes out of context” poor OP would be on a registry database faster than you can blink.[/QUOTE]

:lol: