On neutering

My baby Eric is not neutered and to be honest I do not intend to neuter him either. Is it too bad? I mean I really need help on this because if all neutering does is to do away with spraying and things I still think I'm not going to do it. All your opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Personally, I can't imagine not neutering a male cat. If he's going to be in the house, the spraying will get to you eventually. Plus, intact males have one thing on their mind, and they'll roam and fight to get it. Fighting puts your cat at risk for lots of really nasty dieses.

Neutered males on the other hand, are less likely to fight, be aggressive, roam the neighborhood, spray, have litter box problems, etc. Neutered male cats are generally more affectionate and make great pets.

My opinion, I'd neuter him. It's a quick, easy surgery that doesn't even cost much money.

Dawn

I have two boys (brothers) who were neutered at around 6 mos. We have had NO problems. They are sweet, loving and gentle boys. On the other hand, a friend has neglected to have her boy neutered and is now experiencing all the bad behaviors: spraying, etc. Plus, don't forget there are so many unwanted kittens out there already! It is the best thing to do for him and it will help reduce the population in ferals/strays. The surgery is minor, and your boy will still have a playful personality. I was a little concerned that Hardy and Homer would get fat and lazy, but that was definitely not the case! I hope you'll reconsider your decision.

A whole male unless used for breeding is a loaded gun. Male cats once they hit puberty will spray their territory. The smell is next to impossible to get out. Also, they become tom cats. He will do whatever it takes to escape and get to a female. Once out, he may impregnate many females and add to the already thousands of kittens euthanized and tortured every day. Also, he will fight to the death to win over a female adding serious medical cost or death. Please consider the alternative.

I'm curious to know why you don't want to, what are your reasons? Both of my boys are neutered and I wouldn't have it any other way. I will admit, I was scared to death when I had them done, I posted about this a few weeks ago when my baby, Oliver, was done. They wanted to keep him overnight at the vet and I protested because he would be alone from 6PM to 7AM. And they said it was to keep him there for observation! I did win and brought him home that same day
The spraying CAN be a problem. You might not notice the smell living in it, but visitiors to your home will! And trust me.. they will comment on it! Every once and awhile a person can get lucky and own a boy who doesnt spray except maybe in the litter box, but kitties like that are few & far between.
I think your boy would be happier in the long run if you had him done... he could spend more of his time loving you & playing instead of spending his time crying because he can smell that female in heat 1/2 mile away! My oldest male still "gets a little" when my female goes into heat (she is being spayed soon), even though he is fixed, he still figured out what to do..well sorta. He just lays on her, but she is content with that. But I think he does it just to get her to shut up...lol. He never goes to her, she always goes to him!
My vote is to neuter, if you are taking a poll! It's the best thing you can do for your little man!

THanks all for the understanding but I still need some more things to figure out. I live in a block of flats (is that correct ) and Eric is a strictly indoor cat. So that rules increasing teh number of feral cats out. he's very particular about his litter box and always uses it (well, apart from a few days in every couple of months :tounge2: but I think I can hadle this).
What's more I do not trust the local vets. I never seem to have the luck to find a good one and I always tend to misjudge them. As I 've recently moved house I started looking around for good vets in the neighbourhood but the mission is next to impossible and as you all know I'm reluctant to trust my baby in the hands of strangers.
Well, I don't want to sound as if I am complaining but here in BUlgaria things are pretty difficult. Since I've started visiting the CAt Site I am at a loss for I seem to give my baby one tenth of the things you people are able to give your cats. Well, of course he has my unconditional love (and so has The CAt Site and all of you because I feel like I've finally met the likes of me, my new big family ).
OK I believe I'm kind of getting boring but still any advice on taking care of my baby will be greatly appreciated.
I will definitely look forward to your replies and thank you once again for beeing so considerate and kind

Do you have any friends that own cats that have had them fixed? Maybe they could refer you to a trustworthy vet? I totally understand the trust issue... I had gone through 3 different vets in the past 2 years! I have a vet clinic 1/4 mile away from my house, but I drive 15 miles instead to one that I have found that I like (so far)! That is the main reason my girl, Serena, is not fixed yet. She's pushing 3 years old and I know how she is... she is going to stress herself out 100% when I finally get around to doing it. She doesnt like anything outside of her comfort zone and she does not take well to changes. I can turn that around and understand your feelings even more... if you can't find a comfort zone within your area, it's hard to put your baby in the hands of it!
It is your decision and whatever you decide, I will stand behind you! I still feel the best is to have the procedure done, but that is just my opinion.

I understand your hesitation. One thing to keep in mind is that spraying is very different from urination. Spraying is how the male cat marks his territory. Therefore, once he reaches maturity, he will spray foul smelling urine on every corner, window ledge, door frame, etc in your house because he is "programmed" to mark what is his! So, even though he uses his litter box as he should, he will spray...not to empty his bladder, but to mark his territory. And...for some reason, spray smells much worse than regular urine, so the smell will chase you and your friends out of your flat!

I understand your concern, I would feel the same way. I am not a cat expert but what everyone tells me and what I have read I would neuter my cat. But like you said you need to find a trust worthy vet so your kitty is in good hands.

Robin

I've had my babe for three years now and he never created any problems with spraying. I'm not saying that he does not do it but he seems to be content of doing it as I said once in a couple of months and mostly in the bathroom which is OK with me as it's easy to clean and does not smell. Still I do not really grasp the meaning of neutering
And Berlene,
I don't know if I can give a straightforward explanation of why I don't want him neutered. Well first of all, it's perhaps because in Bulgaria few people neuter thier cats. But then I can't imagine my little gentleman being neutered it's just something I don't want to do to him and will only do it if I am sure that it is in his own good.
I know I am funny but since I met all of you guys I've started thinking a lot about these issues and you see I've progressed . I've even started considering neutering.
But above all I've started realising that our lovely babes need a lot more than just love, attention and affection (although this is undoubtedly the top priority).
You've all been terribly kind to share your opinions with me and any further advice is welcome

Well, if you can handle the smelly male urine in your home and the increased prostate and colon cancer risks affecting him, as well as other health considerations, it is your choice of course, whether to neuter or not. However, nuetering a cat is a five minute operation, a simple vascectomy - they don't even stay overnight at the vet. There has to be some decent vets in Bulgaria, and if there really aren't, then I as a rescue person, would not take my cat to be neutered to someone I did not trust. And I don't think anyone here would try to convince you to take your cat to an irresponsible vet - because if anything happened to your baby, we would feel very guilty. Because he is an only cat, he may not feel the need to spray, but please do not get another cat, male or female because you don't want to upset your harmony. We here in the US are very quick to offer advice because on every corner there is a vet who can quickly and efficiently perform a nueter. We do not understand that there are countries where good vet care may not exist. Tell us more about your country and why there are no good vets to care for the animals? I would think spaying and neutering would be foremost in vet care anywhere because we have too many cats and not enough homes, but tell us why it is different in Bulgaria.

Hi Billie,
I just finished reading over your thread.
I just wanted to share briefly what I experienced before my kitty, Nomar was neutered.
I was lucky to get any sleep at night. A good night for me was two hours..then have to be to work...
Nomar would constantly pace the apt.and meow non-stop...I felt so bad because he looked miserable..I live in an apt so for me neutering him was the right thing to do. As well as the other reasons that people have listed...
Now Nomar is neutered and it is so nice to see him enjoy a peaceful nap and he is calmer too!! I am thankful he didn't start spraying!! Your kitty might be spraying only in the bathroom now but who's to say he won't find other places??
Good luck and I hope you find a caring vet.

Hello Billie,
You have certainly opened a can of worms with this thread!! VBG You need to remember if you ask for opinions you are going to get them and an issue such as this, with the many members involved in rescue, is a hot potato. (they deal daily with the neglected, abused and abandoned) That being said, the ultimate decision must be yours after adding the pros and cons of the situation. Naturally, emotion will play a big part, as will horror stories you may have heard whether they are true or not. I think you will find that all the reasons to have your male neutered involve his health and well-being, while all (or most) of the reasons not to neuter are emotional. Naturally, you will want a Vet you can trust, but this is a relatively simple procedure for them. Maybe you will get lucky and he won't spray, but to be honest having him neutered is no guarantee he won't spray, either. Having no other male cats would be a help, but again this is no guarantee. You need to remove the emotions from the issue, yours and everyone else's, and do what you feel is best for you and your cat. I repeat, your cat!

Pete

Wow, thank you all!
You might persuade me after all but still I need to find a good vet and I need to be sure that neutering will prevent possible health problems. Is this so??
I'll try and explain a little about vets. Well, first of all, vets here do not have the necessary equipment at all. I'm not an expert indeed but I'm more than positive that a table and a chair are not exactly all that it takes to examine a pet. And this, I should say, is what I've seen in 80 percent of the vets I've visited. You see, I don't want it to sound as if I'm living in hell here, but nobody seems to really care about your pet. They just want your money and tell you it's all okay. Once I took Eric to the vet because he had some sort of skin irritation and do you know what the guy did - he looked at his teeth, ears and well, you know where and said that "the cat seemed to be OK." Well he even gave me a medicine and when I went back home I found out that it was way past its expiry date. Can you imagine how I felt??? Oh I guess you can. And a previous cat I had simply died due to the doctors' neglect.
OK I don't want to sound as if I am anti-vet it's just on the contrary. I swear that once I manage to find a good one we'll become regular visitors. But I think none of you will advise me to do anything before finding a decent doctor.
So, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m almost convinced that Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d better neuter my baby but just to make sure – what kind of health problems does this prevent?
And, does anyone of you own an unneutered tom so that they can share their experience with me?

Originally posted by Billie
Wow, thank you all!
You might persuade me after all but still I need to find a good vet and I need to be sure that neutering will prevent possible health problems. Is this so??
I'll try and explain a little about vets. Well, first of all, vets here do not have the necessary equipment at all. I'm not an expert indeed but I'm more than positive that a table and a chair are not exactly all that it takes to examine a pet. And this, I should say, is what I've seen in 80 percent of the vets I've visited. You see, I don't want it to sound as if I'm living in hell here, but nobody seems to really care about your pet. They just want your money and tell you it's all okay. Once I took Eric to the vet because he had some sort of skin irritation and do you know what the guy did - he looked at his teeth, ears and well, you know where

and said that "the cat seemed to be OK." Well he even gave me a medicine and when I went back home I found out that it was way past its expiry date. Can you imagine how I felt??? Oh I guess you can. And a previous cat I had simply died due to the doctors' neglect.
OK I don't want to sound as if I am anti-vet it's just on the contrary. I swear that once I manage to find a good one we'll become regular visitors. But I think none of you will advise me to do anything before finding a decent doctor.
So, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m almost convinced that Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d better neuter my baby but just to make sure – what kind of health problems does this prevent?
And, does anyone of you own an unneutered tom so that they can share their experience with me?

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Billie,
I think you are right to hold off until you find a Vet you are comfortable with. We take lots of things for granted here in the USA without a thought that things might be completely opposite what we are accustomed to here. Your primary concern should be, and obviously is, your pet. I have 5 whole males, 4 of which must be confined to a cage as they mark everything and anything. Mind you, these cages are six feet high, eight feet wide and four feet deep but they are still a cage and I hate that I have to do that. As soon as their breeding days are done they will be neutered and allowed to roam free, unless they continue to spray (and some neutered cats will!). The only whole male not caged is a 9 month old who has not sprayed yet and as long as he doesn't spray I will not cage him. Follow your heart and your head in your decisions and you will do fine, but listen to both.

Pete

Thank you all for your support. I'm so glad that I've found so much understanding on this issue. I'll keep you updated on my search for a decent vet (hey, by the way several people recommended one and I'm going to visit these days). Your opinions are always welcome.

I just want to comment on those of you who don't want to spay or neuter you pet. Sure, puppies and kittens are cute. There is nothing more beautiful than the miracle of life and birth. But what happens after that? Can you afford to feed all those babies? Go to the shelters and see how many cats and dogs are there looking for homes.
I am from Mexico. In mexico, most people do not like cats and dogs and considered a nuisance.
And those that do have pets do not neuter them or vaccinate them, mostly because most cannot afford it. Usually the pets are given table scraps. The cats are all outdoor and the people would give them milk. Most dogs and cats are strays. The cats usually catch rodents and birds, but they are infested with alot of diseases. The dogs are often
hanging around food joints in hopes of scraps. many of this dogs are chased of by the owners of the joints. I've seen many dogs with injured legs, wounds, with fleas, and with ribs showing. I once commented to my father that I would like to rescue these animals and try to cure them. He just laughted at me. So please, neuter your pets and you will save many lives.
Alicia


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nena

Billie, I do hope you find a vet you can trust. Make sure you can ask him or her lots of questions without them getting short with you. That is always very important to me.