👂 Cat ear types

Most cats share one ear shape — a few breeds (and some street cats) do not. The real photo is on top; the pixel icon is the same ear in game style.

Upright ears

The pointed triangle that stands up from the head — the shape most cats have, and the base of our pixel cats.

Mood: Ear position is a mood sign: forward and relaxed means happy, forward and pointy means curious, to the side or back means unhappy, flat means stressed. 📎 Cats Protection · cat body language
Kittens: Curl-eared kittens are all born with straight ears — the special shapes come days to weeks later. 📎 CFA · American Curl

One ear has its tip cut off straight — the mark of a stray or community cat that has already been neutered and vaccinated.

How: The tip is removed during the neuter surgery, while the cat is under anaesthetic (Alley Cat Allies: safe and painless). 📎 Alley Cat Allies · why the eartip · International Cat Care · TNVR
Which ear: Usually the left ear (iCatCare); some US programmes tip the right ear instead (Alley Cat Allies). 📎 International Cat Care · TNVR · Alley Cat Allies · why the eartip
Why: It can be seen from a distance, so the cat is not trapped and operated on a second time. 📎 International Cat Care · TNVR
In the game: A street cat caught in a neuter scheme in many of the game's countries comes back with this notch — a mark of care, not of injury.

The ear tips curve back, away from the face — best known from the American Curl.

Looks: The CFA standard asks for an arc of at least 90° and no more than 180°, with firm cartilage from the base up to at least a third of the ear. 📎 CFA · American Curl
Kittens: Kittens are born with straight ears; the curl starts within days and is set for good at about 16 weeks. 📎 CFA · American Curl
Health: The CFA says the curl itself brings no genetic problems in this breed (a statement from the breed's own registry). 📎 CFA · The Ears Have It

Small ears with rounded tips, set far apart and low on a round head — half-hidden in the thick coat.

Looks: CFA Persian standard: ears "small, round tipped, tilted forward", "set far apart, and low on the head" — the smaller the better. 📎 CFA · Persian
Did you know: The ears are so small and round they are nearly hidden under the thick coat. 📎 CFA · The Ears Have It

Seen in: Persian

Tufts of hair at the ear tips (lynx tips) and long hair growing in and around the ear (furnishings) — seen in some long-haired breeds.

Looks: Maine Coon: ears "dramatically large, typically with prominent tufts", wide at the base, tapering to a point. 📎 CFA · Maine Coon
Did you know: Maine Coon ear tufts can be an inch or more long. 📎 CFA · The Ears Have It

Made with AI · data from the sources shown · Zilo Game