You can’t tell if a cat is neutered by looking at it. Not usually. So street cat programmes around the world mark the cats they’ve neutered in a way you can see from across the road: they take the very tip off one ear.
Once you know what to look for, you’ll start seeing them everywhere.
Ear tip, or something else?
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Ear tip
A short, straight, flat edge where the point should be. The cat has been neutered.
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Nick or tear
A ragged notch or a bite out of the side. Usually a fight wound, and not a sign of neutering.
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Two pointed ears
Could be neutered, could be not. Pets neutered at a vet don’t usually get a tip.
What an ear tip is
When a street cat is neutered through a trap, neuter and return programme, the vet removes a small piece from the top of one ear while the cat is still under anaesthetic. It’s cut straight across, so it looks flat rather than pointed, and it heals quickly.
How much is taken varies. In a 2022 survey of US programmes, the most common answer was about 1 cm, and almost all of them said a straight cut was the ideal shape. The same paper calls ear tipping the internationally accepted way to mark a neutered community cat.
Why it’s worth it
A neutered cat looks exactly like one that isn’t. Without a mark, the same cat can be trapped again and again, and put through a second anaesthetic and an operation it doesn’t need. The tip lets caretakers, vets and neighbours see at a glance which cats are done, and which still need doing.
It also tells you that someone is probably looking after that cat.
Which ear?
Usually the left. In that US survey, 81% of programmes tipped the left ear only. In Ireland, it’s always the left, and International Cat Care describes a missing left ear tip as the sign of a neutered street cat. But some groups use the right, so check both.
Remember the cat is facing you. Its left ear is on your right.
Tip or fight wound?
Street cats, unneutered toms especially, get their ears torn in fights. A fight wound is ragged, uneven, or a notch out of the side. An ear tip is a neat, straight line across the top. A few programmes cut a V-shaped notch instead, but it’s seen as the poorer choice, because it’s so easy to confuse with an injury.
No tip doesn’t always mean not neutered
Pet cats neutered at a vet normally keep both ears whole. So a friendly cat with a collar and pointed ears may well be neutered. Only a vet can tell for sure.
A street cat with no tip, though, probably isn’t. Unneutered males often have big round cheeks and plenty of scars. Unneutered females are often pregnant, or followed by kittens.
If you see a cat without one
Tell a local cat group, a rescue, or your council. Many run neutering programmes and will know who covers your area. If you can, offer to help: with spotting the cat, with the trap, or with the lift to the vet. There’s more on why it matters in our World Spay Day story.
Snap the cats on your street, tipped or not. Knowing where they are is where helping them starts.
