Forget about “who?” - how?
This. Sounds like someone ran a TNR program in that area and picked up some people’s pets on accident. It’s possible that even if the pets were already neutered, the vets performing the procedure would not have known until they opened the animal up and found out. (that’s what the notch in the ear (typically the left ear) is for- it signals that the feral cat has already been snipped.)
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I’d be looking for a cat with opposable thumbs and a disposable razor. Some cats are such assholes they’d be totally into such a stunt. No I don’t have any idea how a cat could have opposable thumbs but they’re pretty devious so who knows.
Has a cat ever given permission to be shaved?
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As a vet, this was my exact thought. There’s someone in the area doing a feral spay and neuter program, and is catching these cats. They don’t know (with the females) if they’re spayed until they shave them down and see that suspicious abdominal scar.
What I’m wondering is if any of these cats wasn’t spayed previously, and came home with a fresh (small) glued incision, palpable linea sutures, and less a uterus and couple of ovaries.
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In my area, homeless cats who are fixed, feral or not, are given a small tattoo (a single green line) on the belly. It’s easier to find than an incision scar. This sounds like the logical explanation for the shaving.
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Don’t they nip the ear for that? Or I guess if it was owned by some one they ear wouldn’t be nipped.
I kind of assumed they would be shaving them to send a message of “hey, keep your cat inside”.
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We have foxes around that take care of free range kittys.
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They don’t always clip the ear. If it’s a rescue and they know it’s up for adoption, they’ll often leave the ears alone. Everyone gets the tattoo though.
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Around here, the ones known to be feral (and unadoptable) get the ear snip. The ones theoretically destined to be adopted nope. And I haven’t seen a tattoo on any spay/neuter program animal in decades.
My last dog got the abdominal tat, so it’s still a thing in at least some places.
I’ve seen the inguinal tat in pictures from other parts of the country, but it seems like something that’s not done in So. Cal for some reason (though I’m sure that there are exceptions).
When I first got out of school (decades ago at this point), some places were doing ear tattoos in cats (that way they could be seen through binocs, and you didn’t have to handle a really angry feral cat).
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All 4 of our cats have the green ink, even the 13 month old giant kitten.
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I agree. Most every dog is harmless around children until the one time they bite.
The reason some of us love our anthropomorphized kittiehs is because they seem more free willed than dogs… yeah, that’s going to work 100% of the time over a domestic cat’s lifetime… would probably be a little more cautious if I were an indigenous species in near proximity. Seen too many “oh my Felix is harmless” until a snake is proudly presented on the owners doorstep.
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