Hercules only has one testicle!

Hercules is 5 1/2 months old and only has 1 testicle. I thought the other one would've dropped by now. I was reading somewhere that Siamese males can be born with a condition called Cryptorchidism. It's when one or both of the testicles don't descend until the cat is 7 to 8 months old. The testicle in the abdominal cavity can turn into a tumor aranoid2! Has anyone ever seen this before? And if so did the cats testicle ever drop?

One of my foster cats had an undescended testicle. The vet had to go into his abdominal cavity to retrieve it when he was neutered. It took a little longer to recover from the surgery, but other than that there really wasn't a problem.

It is not a common problem but it does happen. The vet will do a search for it during a neuter and charge you a little bit extra for the exploration.

I was told that here they charge you for a female spay. I am going to get him fixed in a couple of weeks. He just looks so silly when he walks around. His one ball is black ,he's a siamese, and you can totally notice that he only has one :LOL:! Thanks for the advice, I am going to set up an appointment!

I just read the post about the cat Hercules who only has one testicle.This can't be too uncommon, my cat Teddy also only had one.The other never dropped so when Teddy went to be neutered he also had a tiny incision in the groin area for where the veterinarian went to remove the other.He recovered uneventfully BUT!like clockwork every year right around Christmas Teddy went to extremes to escape and came home several days later with abscesses from his cat fights.One year when he stayed overnight for treatment of his fighting wounds the doctor came in the next morning and remarked "Who could stand to keep an un neutered tomcat with that smell!His urine did have a strong smell indeed.To make a long story short Teddy was examined the doctor felt another lump in abdomen that could be a testicle or could be a fatty tissue,sice he presumably was already neutered.When under anesthesia for cleaning/suturing wounds vet explored this lump and it was in fact another testicle.I dont know if the first one wasnt really a testicle or if Teddy had three (my super stud!)after this his second castration Teddy is a new cat he is so docile,wonderful never leaves his yard, rarely even goes out.He is like a mother cat to all my other cats-grooms them,he is a real lover boy now and no more fighting, no more smelly urine that could be smelled 2 rooms away!

Hercules should have been named something different!

Uno
Lone Star

LOL - sorry I couldn't resist....

Hello,
I have a dog that only has one testicle. I've never had him neutered because he never has shown any signs of sexual interest. I have a female with him and she's been fixed. My neighbor's dog came into heat and dogs from all over the neighborhood tried to escape their backyard and get to her. Mine didn't seem to care. Just thought I'd throw this in to the conversation. I also have 3 cats.
Cathy

Any follow up on Hercules? I took my kitten to the vets yesterday for his neuter appointment and they found out he's a cryptorchid. They had to cut open his abdomen to locate his undescended testicle, but to no avail. The vet said it's either he only had one testicle, of which they removed, or that he might another one that they did not locate. Has anyone had this experience with their cats? I'm really worried because I can't stand the thought of him having another one and then having him go through another surgery. Looking forward to hear from you.

Donna LV,

You should discuss this further with your vet. 

It is quite likely that Hercules has another testicle, hidden in the fat of his abdomen.  I am a human doctor, not a vet and any advice that I give you about cats should be checked with your vet.  However many aspects of mammalian development are common to humans and cats and, as it is most unlikely that humans will be born with only one testicle, so it is unlikely that cats will have only one testicle.  It can happen but it is rare, compared with having two testicles but one testicle that hasn't dropped.  If you leave Hercules at this stage without searching for it, it is very possible that, when he reaches the age of puberty, he will start to behave like an un-neutered cat - and that, believe me, you do not want! 

Incidentally undescended testicles in humans are at risk of developing cancer.  I suspect that cats would be similar, but your vet can advise you about this. 

Now is the time when you should search for his other testicle.  An ultrasound is probably the best way to discover whether he has another testicle. Further investigations should be left to your vet. 

If cost is a factor, this is something that you should also discuss with your vet.

With kind regards,

Geoffrey