Ear-tipping is a universally accepted method of identifying community cats who have been fixed (spayed/neutered), vaccinated against rabies, and returned to their outdoor home. This ear tip signifies someone, or some people, are caring for this cat. This also means this cat can no longer reproduce and is not contributing to the overpopulation problem we currently face.

Not at all. Ear-tipping is safely performed by a licensed veterinarian while the cat is anesthetized during their spay/neuter surgery. Only a small portion (3/8in for adult cats or 1/4in for kittens) is removed in sterile conditions and sealed to ensure safe healing. Where the tip of the ear was removed will not need any extra attention after surgery, as there will be little to no bleeding.

If you take care of an outdoor cat, then you should absolutely choose to get them ear-tipped. This prevents the cat from being held indoors, whether it be in a well-meaning finder's home or a stressful shelter environment, and away from their caretaker. Most cats will act fractious if trapped and/or handled by a stranger in a scary place. This could cause the cat to suffer undue stress in a quarantine situation for a fear response, or even worse....euthanized.