Half-Eared Cats
Picture this: you’re walking through town, and a stray cat runs across your path. You only get a glimpse, but you notice that it’s missing half of its ear. You probably think it got into a fight and lost, or suffered some other kind of injury. A few days later, you end up going to your local animal shelter to adopt a kitty of your own. As you’re looking around, you see that quite a few of the adoptable cats are also missing the top section of their ear.
The truth is, missing the top corner of one ear is not a battle scar or a sign of mistreatment, but rather a proud display of a cat who has been on a special journey. That is, the journey from life as a stray to life as an indoor house companion!
Ear-tipping, the surgical removal of the top ¼ of the left ear, is standard practice during TNR. TNR stands for trap-neuter-return, and it refers to the management of community cat colonies. When organizations or good Samaritans bring colony cats to vet clinics, they receive spay/neuter surgery, a rabies vaccine, and an ear tip! Why? Well, these cats are often not the easiest to capture. They’ve spent the majority of their lives outside and have varying degrees of socialization with people. Ear-tipping lets the people who monitor and help manage the colonies know which cats have already been through the TNR process.
Some of these kitties are not feral, and many enjoy human company, so the veterinarian or shelter may decide to put them up for adoption rather than return them to the colony. That way, the cat can have a safer, comfier life, and the number of loose community cats is reduced. We have several cats like these who are waiting to find homes at our shelter!
Enjay, Ninja, and Olive are young, social girls who adore people and get along well with other cats. All three are beautiful brown tabbies. Enjay and Ninja have short coats, while Olive has soft, medium-length fur.
BK is a quiet, gentle, and affectionate guy. He is one of our longest-term cats and was transferred to us from another shelter. He has come so far in his time with us and is the last from his group to be adopted, despite being so sweet.
Gromit, at 10 years old, is a true testament to resilience. After spending much of her life hidden away with little human interaction, she came to us with a serious eye condition that required surgery. Today, she’s healed, blossoming, and showing off her calm, loving personality.
Any of our half-eared kitties would make amazing companions. That little missing ear tip tells a powerful story. It says that these cats have been protected, cared for, and given a second chance. They are ready to move on from street life and into sofa life. If you want a cat with unique looks and a story to go along with it, consider adopting one of our half-eared friends. They’ve already proved that they are strong; now they want to prove how much love they have to give.
Since 1994, the Animal Resource Center and the Shops of Second Chance Humane Society have been dedicated to serving animals in Southwestern Colorado. Our adoption hours are every day from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We are located at 177 County Rd 10, Ridgway, CO. You can view our shelter pets and services online at secondchancehumane.org.