Thank you for your cooperation. Craig and I maintain which we've moved to our own property. She sent the photo of an ear tipped cat to accompany her article. I thank Dr. Levy for granting Pawprints and Purrs expressed written permission to reprint this excellent article.
Ear tipping is the only reliable choice for identifying sterilized feral cats.
I have been working with feral cats for 15 years now in California, North Carolina, and Florida in programs that have sterilized and ear tipped more than 7,000 feral cats. One thing that is very important is that all groups working with feral cats agree on a universal method of identifying sterilized animals. Feral cats may interact with a variety of caretakers, vets, and animal control people during their lives. If every group has a different method of identifying the animals, there is no way to interpret what the marks mean. It is very traumatic for a feral cat to be retrapped and transported unnecessarily because of unclear markings.