I can't look at my cat :(

[catburglar]

My pet cat disappeared on Thursday. I've a microchip catflap for him and his sister so they're always coming and going. He arrived back on Saturday and he'd been neutered and ear tipped. I'm really upset. I don't know how I can cope with seeing him looking like that for the next 20 years. I don't know who did it or why. I feel like I'm being really shallow but I feel like he's been mutilated. He's perfectly happy himself at least.

I don't think anyone should be neutering a microchipped cat. Fair enough if the cat can't be traced but you can't reasonably go around tampering with other people's property, which technically a cat is.

@Cassandrainthenight hand on heart I didn't neuter the op's cat but well done whoever it was

@Aderyn19 I have a microchip scanner and would always check. I have honestly never picked up a microchipped cat - it's very, very unusual here, where cats are treated appallingly.

Oh dear, OP, sorry you have had such a kicking on here. You are doing a good thing in taking other strays to be neutered though, and hope you will soon forget your lovely boy's 'disfigurement'.

five sorry, I wasn't implying that you didn't check. I meant the people who have neutered OPs cat. Apologies if it read otherwise.

@Cassandrainthenight
I’m guessing from an advanced search of the OPs previous posts.

When our (neutered) girl was alive, a tom would come into our garden from time to time and start a terrible fight with her, but she was very territorial and good at fighting herself (former rescue,) and always saw him off. I do wonder now if he was not neutered, he looked pedigree or semi pedigree, but it never occurred to me to try to catch him and check, how do people manage to catch them, do they set up special traps?
Anyway, I can't imagine even if he wasn't neutered and I took him to do it that the vet wouldn't scan for a chip and not question me at all if the details on the chip were not mine. 🤔
Unless the catcher were a vet or someone with free easy access to neutering services themselves I can't see anyone being able to legally proceed with neutering someone else's cat. I have heard of a chip not being picked up before, so that must be the only explanation.

I will get used to it but I think I'm entitled to be pissed off
Actually, you’re not. You were (are) an irresponsible pet owner and someone else stepped in when you didn’t.

Tough.

*I’d find it strange if my cat came home and he’d be nurtured by a random

Even if you go out, catch and neuter random cats?*

Well no but I find that weird too? @Scarsthelot

How does everyone know when OP's other cat, the tom's sister, was neutered? I can't see OP giving the details.

OP posted when that one went missing last year.

I have a microchip scanner and would always check. I have honestly never picked up a microchipped cat - it's very, very unusual here, where cats are treated appallingly.

In all likelihood it was checked and for whatever reason, was missed.

Well no but I find that weird too?@Scarsthelot

Well yes, it is weird. Though its encouraged, going by this thread.

It's weird to do that, but let your own cat go out shagging the local strays.

You’re not entitled to feel pissed off if you let an unneutered cat out, male or female, at any time of the year.

Thank god someone in your vicinity was more responsible than you are.

It’s possible they are known to you and knew that you were letting your Tom out unneutered, if he was returned to the same spot so quickly.

My sister rounds up the cats (even if they are somebodies pet) where she lives and gets them all spayed/neutered and pays for it herself. Shes not in the UK and where she is most people dont care about cats or wildlife .She often gets them dumped in boxes on her driveway and at the moment has 23, she will rehome when possible but has a lot of land and out buildings so most stay with her. One morning she woke up to find 2 horses tied to her gate, she kept them as well

My sister rounds up the cats (even if they are somebodies pet) where she lives and gets them all spayed/neutered and pays for it herself. Shes not in the UK and where she is most people dont care about cats or wildlife .She often gets them dumped in boxes on her driveway and at the moment has 23, she will rehome when possible but has a lot of land and out buildings so most stay with her. One morning she woke up to find 2 horses tied to her gate, she kept them as well.

Lovely lady. I’m glad she has a lot of land so the animals can stay with her.

FattyCutty, what your sister is doing is wonderful

fivedogstofeed, that little kitten is definitely cute enough to be related to mine

Just to follow up, I brought my cat in for a checkup today. The scanner picked up his chip immediately so he clearly wasn't scanned by the other vet. He has very definitely been castrated and his ear is cut. Otherwise he's in perfect health. He got wormed and fleaed and a vaccine top up.

Also, after a good deal of detective work, I had a long chat this evening with the woman who trapped him. She's from the rescue in the next town along. She was contacted by an old man who had been feeding stray cats but now considered them a tripping hazard. He lives less than 500m from here. She spent Thursday and Friday catching and neutering the cats he'd been feeding. They are not the same colony that I've been dealing with. That surprised me.

She said she must have caught my boy with the others. They were desexed by a different vet. She apologised for taking him without checking for an owner or a chip and she's sorry his ear is tipped now. I said that's fine and thanked her for the work she's doing.

My cat is in great form and is even more affectionate than before. I'll attach an image so you can see how he was damaged. I'm already getting used to it. I don't think many cats could carry it off as well as my boy.

OP this is an awful lot of ear off!! I used to work as a vet nurse and we neutered for Cats protection. We would only do a little V in the top of the ear! Certainly not chop half of it off!

Yes, I got a shock when I saw it first. I hope there's no functional impairment.

I blame myself now and I would do things differently if I had another chance. I'll snuggle him and compliment him and protect him better in future

Okay OP initially I thought that you should have dealt with the situation yourself.
But the vet should have scanned for a micro chip and that is a lot of ear to have lost.

That's a lot of ear taken off, but he suits it anyway.

When cats are tnr no one handles them because they are feral cats and therefore likely to have your arm off if you try. These cats will be given a sedative/ anaesthetic through the trap cage so no one handles them and gets injured. They have the 2 min op one out cold inc ear tip to identify which cats have been fine, then recovered in the trap. Then returned to the place where the was initially set.

Incidentally, cats are induced ovulators. I suggest you educate yourself!

Woah!!!

That isn’t an ear tip that’s an ear hack!!!

No wonder you’re upset

Ah the mythical Scottish magic cat 😻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 known to journey over the water to Ireland 🇮🇪 in its wee magic canoe 🛶

Or possibly a Welsh cat in a coracle?

You're all wrong. Cats go to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat, each accompanied by an owl. They take some honey and plenty of money, wrapped up in a fiver. Also a guitar and a runcible spoon.

This is a proper bonkers thread!

My favourite bit of bonkers wasn't the bit where the loving owner of a cat can't bear to look at him ever again, or the special Irish kitties who have evolved a different breeding cycle than the rest of the world. It's the bit where her two cats were from a litter of strays and she gets all but hers neutered! With a close second place going to the no good deed goes unpunished line!

Ok, having seen your picture that looks nothing like the ear tipping pictures on Google. That's such a lot of ear!

The old man and the colony you were unaware of, it’s probably been created by your boy out populating for the past year!!