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candidate for adoption or is symptomatic and ill and the results would assist theveterinarian in diagnosis and treatment. The issue still comes up from time to time,especially when veterinarians or caretakers are new to TNR and are trying to decide onthe best approach. Because of the importance of the question, a later section of thischapter discusses FIV and FeLV testing and why it is not part of the routine treatment forTNR. Eartippingphoto: Bryan KortisThe universal sign of a neutered feral cat is a¼ inch straight line cut off the tip of the left ear.In a few regions, like the West Coast of theUnited States, the right ear is tipped instead. Findout what the standard practice is in your area andfollow it. It’s important for everyone doing TNRin the same area to be consistent so shelters,animal control staff, caretakers and othersworking with ferals know what to look for.Eartipping is performed when the cat is underanesthesia for the spay/neuter surgery. Theprocedure takes less than a couple of minutes anddoes not cause any lasting discomfort or pain. Seethe end of this section for a detailed protocolauthored by Dr. Laura Gay Senk, DVM, aveterinarian experienced with working with feralcats.Eartipping serves several important functions.It provides a way to quickly determine from adistance, without having to trap the cat, whether he is neutered. This allows colonycaretakers to identify any cats missed during prior trappings or newcomers who need tobe caught and fixed. During a trapping, if an already altered cat is captured, he can bereleased right away after a visual check of his ears. If a neutered colony cat ends up at alocal shelter or in the custody of animal control, the tipped ear will let staff know the catis part of a managed colony. Attempts can then be made to locate the caretaker or the catcan simply be returned to his original location. Eartipping in general lets animal controlofficers know a particular colony is being managed.Sometimes caretakers new to working with feral cats initially take a negative view ofeartipping, regarding it as a kind of mutilation. This attitude is understandable becauseeartipping is a new concept to caretakers just starting out and, ideally, feral cats wouldnot need to have part of their ear removed. The problem is that a permanent markidentifying the cat as neutered is essential and there is no other better way to do it.Without such a mark, cats may be mistakenly recaptured and subjected to needlesssurgery. Shelters and animal control would have no way of knowing anyone was caringfor a cat if he or she came into their facilities. Colony management could be very117