Neutering My Cat

tracie holladay

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OK I have an appointment on Thursday to have my 8 year old cat neutered. I hadn't had it done before now because he was the only cat in the house. 

Not any more!

But here's the thing: for some reason I'm beside myself with fear. I don't want to put him through this. I'm so scared it will make him hate me for life. 

He's already very independent and I think he's upset with me because my husband adopted a kitten. 

Is neutering going to change him and make him even more standoffish and aloof? 

I don't know if I can make myself do this to him. Knowing me, I'll panic and cancel the appointment. I have no idea what to expect because this is the first time in 30 years I've had a male cat. 

This is scaring the crap out of me. 
 

LTS3

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Neutering does not change a cat's personality. If anything, it calms a male down and the cat may become more affectionate.

Adding a new cat to a house will make any cat upset. Keep the kitten confined in a safe room for now to settle in and go slow with introductions between  the two. Neutering the male and giving him a few days to recover before he actually meets the kitten will keep him from being too aggressive to the kitten.
 

catlover73

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I agree with LTS3 that neutering will not make your baby more standoffish or aloof. He will not hate you for getting him fixed. If there are any changes he could become calmer and more affectionate. I also agree about giving him a few days to recover before doing any introductions. It is perfectly normal for any cat to be upset at first when you bring in a new kittty. I do think that having your male fixed will help make things work better with the intriductions.
 

Willowy

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It's very unusual to find someone who has lived with an unneutered male cat indoors for 8 years! Usually they spray and get obnoxious and end up either dumped or neutered. So I don't know what kind of changes you might see. Testosterone does make a difference, but he's also at the age where his testosterone levels will start to fall naturally, so there may not be much change. He's had 8 years of himself, that doesn't just go away. He will probably need less food, though. Testosterone burns calories.

FWIW, I had my last dog neutered around age 4, and I didn't see any difference in him except he stopped humping every dang thing (but neutering doesn't always stop humping) and he needed less food. Dogs are cats are very different but still.

He won't hate you or be standoffish, for long anyway. It's no different than having a small tumor removed, or a tooth pulled, which are surgeries many cats his age go through. Cats don't have an emotional attachment to their testicles :D. So he will only know that he feels a little crummy for a few days, after that he won't hold it against you.
 
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gene traylor

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You will be glad you had it done. He will be a calmer and more affectionate cat.
 
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tracie holladay

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Well, for the time being, I cannot get the time off to take him in for neutering but when I go on vacation in December I can do it. 

It's hard, because I can't find someone to cover my duties right now. 

It's good to know he will still be himself even after neutering. 
 
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