Pinnectomy

The most common reason for pinnectomy in cats is squamous cell carcinoma of the ear tip — a sun-related cancer strongly associated with white or lightly pigmented ears. This cancer begins as crusting or ulceration and, if left untreated, progressively invades deeper into the cartilage and surrounding tissues. Unlike some other cancers, SCC on the pinna responds well to complete surgical removal when caught before deep invasion: clean surgical margins at the time of excision correlate with excellent local control. Waiting — hoping the lesion will stabilize or respond to topical treatment alone — usually allows the cancer to advance and makes clean-margin excision harder to achieve. Pinnectomy is also chosen for traumatic injuries where the pinna tissue is non-viable and cannot be saved.

Surgery is performed under general anesthesia and is typically straightforward in terms of operating time. The procedure involves:

• Planning the excision margins — for cancer, at least several millimeters of clinically normal tissue beyond the visible lesion is included to maximize the chance of clean margins on histopathology (laboratory analysis of the removed tissue)
• Sharply excising the pinna tissue with a scalpel or scissors following the cartilage contour
• Careful closure of the skin edges over the cut cartilage edge, or leaving the margin open to heal by second intention (on its own) in some cases
• Tissue submission to a veterinary pathologist to confirm the diagnosis and evaluate margins

Partial pinnectomy removes only the diseased portion (most often the ear tip). Total pinnectomy is reserved for cases where disease involves the full pinna. The ear canal is untouched in either case.

Pre-operative steps depend on the reason for surgery:

• For suspected cancer: fine-needle aspirate or small biopsy of the lesion to confirm the tumor type before planning the extent of excision; chest radiographs to screen for metastasis (spread)
• Pre-anesthetic bloodwork for all patients
• In cats with prolonged sun exposure history, a thorough examination of both ears and the nose, as SCC commonly affects multiple sun-exposed sites
• Food withheld the night before; water per the surgical team's instructions

Pinnectomy recovery is generally straightforward:

• E-collar worn until sutures are removed or the wound has fully closed, typically 10 to 14 days
• Head shaking should be minimized in the first week — the team can advise if this is difficult to manage
• The incision is checked at a recheck visit seven to fourteen days post-operatively
• Histopathology results, including margin assessment, are reviewed at the recheck or communicated sooner if needed
• For SCC cases, ongoing monitoring of the remaining ear tissue and sun-exposed skin is important, and sun-avoidance strategies (keeping the cat indoors during peak sun hours) are strongly advised

Pinnectomy is a low-complexity surgery with a low complication rate. Possible concerns include:

• Incomplete margins: if the pathology report indicates cancer cells reach the edge of the removed tissue, additional surgery or adjuvant therapy may be recommended
• Wound dehiscence: uncommon; usually manageable with conservative wound care
• Hematoma: blood accumulation under the skin edge, more common in cases with a lot of head shaking
• Cosmetic change: partial pinnectomy removes the ear tip and results in a rounded ear contour — owners generally adapt to this change quickly, and the pet is entirely unaware

For squamous cell carcinoma, pinnectomy performed with clean margins offers an excellent local control rate. Recurrence at the surgical site is possible if margins are narrow, and periodic monitoring of the remaining tissue is important for the life of the pet.