Does Milo really need castrating?

Hi everyone,

I'd really appreciate a bit of advice on this;

We have two cats at home, a 2 year old female neutered cat called Millie, and Milo, a 7 month old male. They both get on pretty well (except for the usual mini-cat fights and chasing each other around the house), so I'm a bit reluctant to upset the status quo.

Milo hasn't been castrated, mainly because he isn't aggressive, has never sprayed (as far as we can tell) and never seems to wander to far from home. Several friends have suggested we should get him fixed, but is it really necessary and have we left it too long? Is it unusual for a cat not to spray?

I don't know if we should just leave him as he is (quite content and happy) or have him sorted, what do you suggest?

Many thanks

Iain

PLEASE neuter him. At 7 months old, he's still a baby, and just because he hasn't yet started spraying does NOT mean that he won't. In fact, once he DOES start, it's a much harder habit to break.

Please don't see it as being mean: What if he smells a stray female in heat and somehow escapes from your home to join her? That is something that may not be preventable, as once he is fully mature, he is driven by instincts.

Please do him a favor and get him neutered ASAP. In the long run, he'll be a happier boy and a better pet.

Definitely get him neutered. Its also healthier for him. Also, if he is an indoor/outdoor cat he will meet up with a female that is not spayed and there will then be a litter of unwanted kittens. I have 5 males and they are all neutered and very happy.

You'll find very few folks on this site that won't agree neutering Milo is the best thing to do. He is still a baby, but he won't be a baby forever, and even if he never starts spraying, he will try to get out and mate (leading to unwanted kittens somewhere) and he may change his attitude to your other cat(s).

Ask a breeder the lengths they go to to make their intact toms happy while keeping peace (and freshness!) in their homes...

If he gets out and breeds, not only will an unwanted litter occur, but he is very likely to contract diseases (some fatal) through mating, or fighting with other toms over a mate, not to mention the risk of testicular cancer and other illnesses related to being left intact.

Yes, Milo really needs castrating.

He may not have come into sexual maturity yet, thus he is not yet displaying problems usually associated with intact males. But if not neutered, he will, and he will mate, and he will be responsible for homeless kittens. Further, it's best for both his personality and his health in the long run.

An unneutered cat cannot control its mating instincts. Given freedom to wander, such an animal may become hurt or lost, and is almost certain to be responsible for unwanted litters. Humane societies cannot place all unwanted animals; millions must be put to sleep. Countless others are abandoned. - Cat Fancier's Association, "Neuter and Spay, It's the Humane Way" http://www.cfainc.org/articles/neuter-spay.html

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I know you're in the UK, and the numbers here are for the US, but proportionally, the numbers would be similar: http://www.sniksnak.com/stop_s-n.html

Please do not let Milo be responsible for fathering unwanted kittens. And don't risk his health by allowing him to come into sexual maturity. I doubt very much you want him coming home after having been in a fight for a female with bites, scratches, or missing a piece of ear or tail.

Just FYI, this is Rule #2 of The Cat Site forums rules: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15184

2. Please make sure to spay and neuter your cat. Unless you are a professional breeder and your cat is part of a professional breeding program, please educate yourself to the importance of spaying and neutering by the time your cat is 4-6 months old. By spaying and neutering you enhance your cat's quality of life and improve his or her health. You are also proving your love for cats because in acting as a responsible pet owner you are minimizing the problem of cat overpopulation.

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Laurie

Once he matures, he WILL spray. Its just what they do. Once he starts, he may not stop even if you neuter him at a later date.

He is also at risk from cancer and other diseases.

Please neuter him ASAP!

If he goes outside neuter him.
If you don't want to hear him howling to get outside, neuter him.
If you want him to live a happy healthy life, neuter him.
It's a cost now, but by neutering and spaying pets, it's preventing new costs down the road and preventing more kittens.
Every time he mates, there's a kitten waiting in a shelter who just lost their chance for a new home because of a "free kittens" sign.
If you love him, neuter him.

It may not even cost you too much. I am in Ohio and there are low cost clinics EVERYWHERE to get this done cheaply. Some places as low as $15-35.

Add my vote to the others in favor of neutering Milo.

I am a breeder who keeps an intact male in my home. Let me repeat that for clarity ... In My Home (a lot of breeders either do not keep an intact boy or if they do, many keep them in an outside enclosure). Tonka is a lovely boy who is affectionate and sweet, loving and just the best boy I could ever hope to share my home with. He isn't aggressive (unless he is with a female for breeding and then we ALL know better than to get between him and his girl) nor does he display any of the other undesirable male cat behaviors ... except one. He sprays prolifically - this cat will hose this house down like it is on fire. And it stinks. Intact male cat urine has very strongly scented phermones in it to attract willing females ... and if there is one anywhere in the vacinity, Milo will smell her and start to spray to attract her to him. If he sprays on anything IN your home, there is no cleaning it and continuing to use it. It will have to be tossed out. You cannot, no matter what you use, effectively clean stud spray out of anything, including walls, flooring, carpets, fabrics, upholstery, appliances - I am not kidding you when I tell you that I had to replace nearly $3500 worth of kitchen appliances because Tonka sprayed into the computer boards on them.

Additionally, once he detects a willing female nearby, no matter what his temperment may be like now as a kitten, he WILL become aggressive in his efforts to get to her. Tonka, who as I mentioned, is not at all aggressive otherwise, bit me badly when I got between him and my girl Lexus once. I still wear THAT scar.

As the others have rightfully mentioned, he will be happier and healthier, you will be happier.

For his health and safety - get him neutered NOW. Unless you want to be responsible for every kitten he produces. While he may not be wondering far now, in a few more months, he will be gone for longer periods of time mating with females and getting into fights with other tom cats. Then you are looking at more vet bills and putting him at serious risks for infections, FELV, FIP or worse.

Plus an unneutered male is more prone to cancers. If you want to keep your boy as nice as he is now - make the vet appointment and get him done before the end of this month

Please do neuter him. At 7 months old, he most likely isn't displaying the behaviors he will when he's fully mature. He will start spraying and will certainly find a female to breed with while outside, which only contributes to the fact that there are too many cats and not enough homes.
He'll be so much happier and more content.

Thanks for the advice guys; it seems itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a fairly unanimous decision to get Milo neutered. I'll get him booked in with the vet ASAP. I just hope it doesn't affect his personality in the long term, it would be a great shame if his character changed post-op !!!

Thx

Iain

It will affect his personality..........for the better If you don't get him done, his personality will get worse and meaner

In my experience with getting males neutered, (I have 5 males) they never changed one bit. They are as playful and lovable as they always were, more so I think, they're carefree. Nothing to aggrevate them except which one of their brothers or sisters took their catnip toy.

In every experience I've had the cat's personality either hardly changed or changed for the best after neutering.
He'll probably be calmer and won't be concerned about finding a female to breed with.

Ok, so after the useful advice, Milo is checked-in for his operation tomorrow. He's being dropped off in the morning and staying with the vets all day, I'll pick him up after work.

Does anyone have any advice on 'post op care', how long does he need to stay indoors for after the operation and do I need to keep him seperated from Millie? Roughly how long should it take him to recover and is there anything specifically I should do? Last time when Millie was sorted we only had the one cat, so things are a little more complicated now!

Thanks

Flinni

Take your list of post-op questions to the vet when you pick Milo up. A lot of it depends on if he'll still be slightly sedated when you pick him up or not. Coming from a regular vet he should be fuly awake when you get him back. His incision will be very small so I'd say try to keep him calm for the first day and after that he should be fine to run, play and jump.

Your cat will be probably still be loopy when you pick him up. Expect him to walk poorly (when he decides to walk, that is) and have poor balance. He will need a nice quiet place away from other kitties while he recuperates, as the sedative will effect his balance and vision, which could make him hyper-defensive until it wears off.

Also, expect any other kitties to be suspicious of him, as he will smell funny to them, like the vet's office and like medication.

He should feel better by the second day, though probably still a little off. In 2-3 days he should be almost fully recovered. If you have any concerns while he is recovering, call your vet and ask questions. Describe exactly what is causing you to be concerned, and they will let you know if it falls within the perimeter of "normal" post-op behavior.

Agree to ask the vet some of your questions, but IMO I'd keep him inside for a few weeks till he's completely healed. The main thing is to check him once a day to be sure no litter is sticking to the area to cause irritation. Shorthairs usually don't have any problems - but longhairs might.