VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2

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Q. How do I know if a cat I catch has been altered or not?

A. This could be a very difficult issue if some form of marking is not used to indicate that a cat has been altered. A number of marking methods have been tried such as ear tipping (cutting approximately a quarter of an inch from the top of the ear), ear notching (a triangular notch on the edge of the ear), and hole punching (punching a circular hole in the upper part of the ear).  Alley Cat Allies, San Diego Feral Cat Coalition, San Francisco SPCA, CVMA, Maddies Fund, and many others recommend a standard of ear tipping,, typically the right ear. Without a standard, other trappers or caregivers will not be able to tell when cats are altered.  I have seen all three

methods used and have tried to determine if cats have been altered months later. Ear tipping was the only reliable means of indicating an altered cat. We have had to re-tip cats that had been marked by the other methods so there would be no confusion in the future.

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Nolo is one of the best decisions we have ever made as a family.  Nolo spends most of his time laying on your lap, kissing you on your nose, talking to you with this look of amazement on his face while awaiting your reply, or waiting at the door for your arrival home from work or school.  I would like to thank my daughter, Erica, for having the insight and instinct that I did not have at the time while I was grieving for Chloe, and I would like to thank Folsom Feline Rescue and Blue Ravine Animal Hospital for being the loving home and voices of encouragement for Nolo until he was adopted into our family.

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Folsom Feline Rescue has had a number of senior rescue cats that have been diagnosed with this disease. In all cases, with proper changes in diet and additional hydration therapy as needed, the cats were able to live a number of years longer than they would have without treatment.

Additional information is available from the Feline Chronic Renal Failure Information Center at www.felinecrf.com.