How to tell if a feral is neutered.

felyne

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A gorgeous, polydactyl white and grey cat showed up on our deck, but he is very skittery. It took a year and a half before he came on the deck. Needless to say, I can't touch him to find out.
I discovered he was a boy when his tail was up. I think he is a senior with health issues, maybe IBD or arthritis. His back is slightly arched. I digress, is there any way to tell by just looking at his backside to see if he is neutered? He doesn't have the thick neck like unfixed males.

 

denice

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Since he is short haired if you see him from the back with his tail up you should be able to tell if his testicles are still there or not.  If he was neutered after maturing there may be a slack pouch left but it is usually pretty obvious if he is still intact or not.
 
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felyne

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The problem I'm having is I've always had male cats and I could see tiny testicles when their tails were up, so I'm not really sure. Were they supposed to totally disappear?
 
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amyscat

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This post has me laughing, funnier still that I'm reading it to learn more.  

I recently picked up a very friendly cat on my friends farm.  I checked to see...He or She and it took me a minute to figure it out lol.  Most likely because I've never payed attention before.  It was a boy and I figured he was fixed because they were so tiny.  He is affectionately named T. Tatt

I suppose you could always google any thing... good luck    I'm glad you have a heart for cats and are paying attention to Mr. Skittles....Have you named him?
 
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felyne

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Hahaha, @Amyscat

You made me laugh, too. I'm glad you took one in. You won't get any mice for sure.

This one is not aggressive and kind of submissive, so I'm thinking he's fixed. He has 6 toes on each foot so we dubbed him PaddleFoot. I'd love to trap him and get him a check up. You can see on the bottom photo he has his 'junk' protected. LOL! Sweet face, though.

 

Norachan

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Does he spray? Un-neutered males will spray to mark their territory, so if you see him spraying around your deck or yard it could mean he's still got all his bits. Neutered male cats sometimes spray too, but there is a big difference in the smell. If it smells strong enough to make your eyes water from 20 paces, he's probably still intact.

 
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felyne

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Hi @norachan, no, i haven't seen him spray. But we had a feral tuxedo hang around for years before I caught him, a real unneutered tom cat, and I never saw him spray. They seem to hide too well for me to catch them spraying.
 

evamilly

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Hahaha, @Amyscat

You made me laugh, too. I'm glad you took one in. You won't get any mice for sure.
This one is not aggressive and kind of submissive, so I'm thinking he's fixed. He has 6 toes on each foot so we dubbed him PaddleFoot. I'd love to trap him and get him a check up. You can see on the bottom photo he has his 'junk' protected. LOL! Sweet face, though.

He is gorgeous, and looks totally relaxed and at home :lol3:
 
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felyne

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He scatters as soon as he hears a noise or sees a person of if you move the wrong way. But he looks sweet.
 

catwoman707

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Yep, no nuts or very small or sagging sac.

Usually an unfixed male adult will have clearly visible round nuts! :)

He seems to calm to be unfixed. Unfixed are normally more "ballsy" too, okay pun intended!

Not that his being skittish will tell you, he was likely once owned and dumped, living life as a feral for some time now so he is turned afraid of people due to lack of regular interactions.

Trap him someday, then hide an acepromazine in his wet food and it will render him basically helpless, then the vet can do a thorough exam.

Handsome guy!
 
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felyne

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@Catwoman, I think that is true about being dumped and fixed. We had a tuxedo feral I finally trapped, would get in a fight everyday. Always scarred. This one is non-confrontal. I will look up the acepromazine.
 

catwoman707

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People assume that since cats hunt and can survive (barely) from rodents, they will be fine, their independent nature, etc.

SO NOT TRUE.

Not that I don't truly feel for the unfortunate ferals who never got the chance to feel that they belong someplace, have safety and shelter, and all the love and comforts of a home, I surely do. My soft spot in rescue.

But at least they have always known life as this, it's a very hard, stressful life, but they learn survival from the beginning.

But that's not how it is for a once owned cat, they live in constant fear, predators, food source, humans, heat/cold/rain/snow, unfixed males fighting/territories, etc.

It does take time for them to lose that fear the acquire, simply from no interactions with people, but it's there, they never lose that. Time and patience.

Often times these guys will end up being the best companions ever.
 
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