Articles about cryptorchidism (undescended testicles) and neutering

Abdominal surgery is a much bigger deal than what is commonly involved in neutering a normal dog or cat. Since we can typically access the testicles easily, the procedure takes very little time — one to two minutes in a cat and ten minutes or so in a dog — and patients recover quickly. But when one or both testicles are retained in the abdomen, we have to look inside to find them; and since they are usually abnormal and very small, this can be a challenging affair. However, despite the increased complexity of the procedure, these patients have to be neutered, because leaving the testicles in the abdomen puts them at an extremely high risk bracket for developing testicular cancer and testicular torsion, a very painful condition where the testicle becomes twisted.

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... a testicle which has not dropped into the scrotum does not grow to its regular size, thus making it more difficult to find. One should also consider that if the retained testicle is in the abdominal cavity, it is debatable whether surgical exploration is an option due to the difficulty in locating such testicles. However, with the help of improved imaging using ultrasound, surgical success can be better forecast.

Cryptorchidism also occurs in other animals, including cats. I have come across tomcats that have retained their aggressive and urinating behaviour even though the owners were convinced that the cat was neutered, only to find upon examination that a retained testicle was still present in the inguinal area.

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