Can male cats spray after being neutered?

Tonight I noticed one of my most prized possessions, a polished chrome Ridgid garage vacuum, was a victim of one of the boy cats I'm taking care of.

The spray ate right through the chrome and was on its way through the entire thickness of the metal had I not caught it in time. One of the zinc plated screws looked like it had been under salt water for a year.

If I get this guy neutered, will it stop him from spraying on things?

Hi,
Depending on the age of the cat it may stop it.In the case of an older cat it may not work

My brothers cat was fixed young and he sprays everything.
It depends on the cat.

once a cat has started to spray there is no garentee that says after he is neutered that it will stop if he would have been neutered at 4 to 6 months then he most likely never would have started to spray

Where does the spray come from and what exactly is it anyway? The cat will back up against the fence and do a little wiggle thing; after that, there's liquid stuff running down the fence picket.

Can male cats spray after being neutered?

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Even female cats can spray, and even if they were spayed before they had their first heat cycle. (If I hadn't seen it I would've never believed it.)

Where does the spray come from and what exactly is it anyway?

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It's just pee, used for marking.

When it comes to spraying and other behaviors for basically the same reasons (whether cats are neutered/spayed or intact), it's the circumstances that keep the behaviors going. So changing the circumstances is the first thing to do when one wants a cat to stop spraying.

One more thing: Neutering may or may not help, a lot will depend on the circumstances.

It definitely depends on the cat. While there is no guarantee that neutering will end your cats spraying, it is your best chance to stop it, and I'd say the majority of times it does stop it. I would suggest thoroughly cleaning any "marked" areas with an enzymatic cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle and get him neutered ASAP. Neutering is a relatively inexpensive procedure. I think it cost me $50 at my regular vet, and there may be low cost options in your area.

My future in-laws had a cat that sprayed all over their house and they waited until he was 4 years old to neuter him. [I don't know how they put up with that.] He hasn't sprayed since being neutered.

My Brothers was fixed at 3 months and he is 5 now and he sprays everything even the kitchen sink and my brothers hair.
You may never stop the spraying now.

"Spraying' - means peeing and marking things. Sounds like your boy is an adult. There's no 100% guarentee that he will stop if neutered now; especially if he's been doing that and has bred females.

Most times it does stop. Keep in mind that it can take up to 2 months after being neutered to get all the hormones/sperm out of the system. He still can get unspayed females pregnant.

I would get him done anyway. No reason not to and for his health (cancers) and to prevent more unwanted kittens from being born - do the responsible thing.

I want to thank everyone for contributing to the excellent advice in this thread - thank you.

WOW whiteforest getting a cat fixed at a vet's for $50. that is one special vet!!!!

We spent well over $100. to get just one fixed. You had to update all the shoots. They put them to sleep..... and sent them home drugged!!! Where are the homiopathic vets???

It is not a pleasant event to go through. Then they gain weight. And one of ours is just reasonally startd to mark again. We where told it would take the odor away(atleast), so even if they marked it would not be as strong. Wrong unless they did something wrong???? He is the one who did not have one of his balls drop.

It would be nice for the vets to be more reasonaable in there cost. And they definetly should do something about the weight gain. That is not healthy either and I do not think it should be considered as a trade off.

First off - welcome to TCS!

When a cat urinates inappropriately, I always recommend a urinalysis be done to test the kitty for a UTI (urinary tract infection). While they may appear physically healthy, it's possible they have a UTI, which will cause them to urinate in the wrong places - and can be life threatening (neutered male cats are especially at a high risk to block up & die).

Just because a cat is neutered (or spayed) doesn't make them fat. Most people who fix their cats keep them indoors, where they often lead a more sedentary lifestyle - and being sedentary leads to them being fat. Not many people have altered outdoor cats.

I do encourage you to make a vet appt (yes, pay the vet more money) to discuss the weight gain and how to safely take the weight off - and also discuss the inappropriate urination.

Sugar Ray was over a year old when he was neutered and Kody was 2.5 years old, an ex stud cat for a Bengal breeder. I understand he was a big time sprayer before neutering. But I guess I am lucky, neither one ever sprayed following the op.

I think the weight gain also does have a lot to do with the grains in the food--corn is very fattening. Going to a grain-free, at least corn-free, food could help considerably.

Anne

Once a cat has started spraying, neutering very rarely stops it. We have 2 ex-tomcats that spray everything (thankfully they're outdoor cats!) and its been years since they were altered.

Originally Posted by tlcthis

And one of ours is just reasonally startd to mark again. We where told it would take the odor away(atleast), so even if they marked it would not be as strong. Wrong unless they did something wrong???? He is the one who did not have one of his balls drop.

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If one of his testicles didn't drop, it's possible the vet didn't go after it. This would account for the continuing odor, since neutering usually greatly reduces urine odor. You should ask the vet if he removed the retained testicle.

And they definetly should do something about the weight gain. That is not healthy either and I do not think it should be considered as a trade off.

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Neutering is not a reason for weight gain. Overfeeding, underactivity, and certain health problems are reasons for weight gain.


One of my boys srpays regularly. He was a full tom before being neutered. However, I have known other males neutered late, who sprayed before being neutered and never sprayed after their surgeries. So it depends on the cat. Tomcats have a biological NEED to spray (to attract the ladies), so you can't hope for him to stop if not neutered.

Also, though it's usually obvious where a cat has sprayed, if you want to be doubly sure where they've sprayed so that you can then properly clean the areas with a special "enzymatic cleaner" like Nature's Miracle (sold at stores like Petsmart), from pet supply stores you can buy or rent a "black light." You then go into the particular room with the lights off, turn your black light on and go all around the room....all surfaces............shining the light over these areas. It will 'glow' in the areas where there is urine/spray. Use something to "mark" that area........then go back and clean them.

Sometimes cats begin to spray because they can "smell" outside cats and they do this to mark their territory, even in your home. Neutering can increase the odds that cat will then stop spraying (although not 100%). I used to live in an area that had a zillion strays in the neighborhood. They liked to lounge on my front porch. I had one strictly indoor cat, a male, who was long since neutered (and had never sprayed before) who started spraying because the stupid outside cats started spraying the outside of my front door. My cat would smell this (who couldn't!) and he'd react by spraying the inside of my door. Ugh. It didn't help that i also used to feed some of the outside cats (oops!)

Mine got fixed and still sprayes, problem also is 2 other male cats not fixed. But my oldest been doing it for  long time, the other 2 don't do it at all. I had mine fixed for free at humane ohio and most local shelters do it for as little as 20$ plus they keep the animal overnight for observation. The odor hasn't gotten any better either and litter boxes are kept clean daily, even got 3 of them but it appears 1 has become the " community" box lol

My cat Tom just recently started doing this--he wiggles his tail like he's spraying but nothing comes out (Thank God!)--He's been neutered but I have to wonder what is causing him to start this tail wiggling behavior??

My neutered male didn't start spraying until he was 10 years old, but we had moved and there were strange cats around and he was under stress. He sprayed for about a year in the house, I was at my wits end, and then all of a sudden he now goes outside to spray. As for the 'pretend' spraying, the backing up and moving their tails, every cat I have had does this, even a female! None of them except for Burt, the one at the beginning of this post, has ever started spraying for real though, so I wouldn't worry about it.