I would guess the same MJM. These types of "studies" done by wanabe biologists, that serve no real purpose, should be graded with an F.

It mite be a tag form someone that has a game farm license , and the cat escaped from the pen.

Thanks 160user! I really appreciate the information! I'll check it out and update if I find something out.

Tracking down a tag can be fun and interesting. My boys sling shot killed some pigeon in the newborn barn that were pooping all over their hay. one had 2 or 3 bands. looked up how to read them and found out one was banded in Oklahoma city about 750 miles away. it was someone's racing Homer. Told them it was up here and dead. Boys grilled them wrapped in bacon.

I thought Wisconsin ear tags some cats in the past but I thought it was a part of their collaring study. Trying to figure out if the collar caused folks not to harvest the cats. Their is a researcher on this forum that lead those efforts so maybe he will chime in if he see this.

This article noted that they ear tagged some kittens as part of that study I mentioned earlier.

https://www.fox6now.com/news/dnr-finds-den-of-bobcat-kittens-in-southwest-wisconsin.amp