Aggressive cat, want to keep him but afraid of him

hbunny said:

This may sound awful, but unless you are a professional breeder you really don't need to be bringing more cats into the world.  There are too many homeless and uncared for as it is.  The cats aren't missing out on a "life experience" in any way by not mating and having kittens, it is a miserable experience all around for them (and for you) if  you aren't experienced and have the funds ready to dish out.  Much more if there is an emergency during labor and delivery, or ill or malformed kitten you must take to an emergency vet off-hours.  And if you are unable to afford the $300, breeding and caring for a litter of kittens would be impossible.  And it's just wrong to bring them into the world with no ability to provide healthcare or guaranteed good homes.  Most people are not going to pay for a kitten unless it is registered from a good line and comes from a respected, reputable breeder.  I wouldn't bet on making money off of them.
Please neuter, don't breed.  I don't mean to sound harsh, but it is the absolute truth.

And...if he hasn't already, he is going to start spraying in your house, your clothes, furniture...if you've never experienced the spray smell from a tomcat, get ready!

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Not offending me in anyway! In fact, I agree. Caring for spooky is expensive in itself, I'm trying to find a way around going through my vet to get him neutered, a whopping 300 dollars is too much for me right now!

He's being such a good kitty right now, I haven't found any poop or smells anywhere as of yet and his bratty behavior has calmed down, but I will definitely be looking into getting him fixed ASAP.

Now my bf was also hinting at getting me another kitten, will apply not being fixed be a problem in that aspect? We've talked about a lot of things regarding this matter. He originally wanted to grt me a baby kitten and settled on spooky which my vet said looks much older than 7 months

Sorry if I'm asking so many questions! Lol

spookysmom234 said:

Not offending me in anyway! In fact, I agree. Caring for spooky is expensive in itself, I'm trying to find a way around going through my vet to get him neutered, a whopping 300 dollars is too much for me right now!

He's being such a good kitty right now, I haven't found any poop or smells anywhere as of yet and his bratty behavior has calmed down, but I will definitely be looking into getting him fixed ASAP.

Now my bf was also hinting at getting me another kitten, will apply not being fixed be a problem in that aspect? We've talked about a lot of things regarding this matter. He originally wanted to grt me a baby kitten and settled on spooky which my vet said looks much older than 7 months

Sorry if I'm asking so many questions! Lol

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• spookysmom234
• Jan 6, 2017

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I would definitely get him neutered and settled before getting another kitten. I would also put aside a vet emergency fund before adopting another. You want to make sure you can take care of anything that comes up for Spooky in addition to a new cat.

talkingpeanut said:

I would definitely get him neutered and settled before getting another kitten. I would also put aside a vet emergency fund before adopting another. You want to make sure you can take care of anything that comes up for Spooky in addition to a new cat.

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Okay! Thanks for all your help

spookysmom234 said:

Not sure if I can

the vet I went to said it would cost about 300 dollars which I'm not sure I can afford right now. I understand it's an urgent matter so I'm gonna see if i can work something out with my parents

Also, does getting him neutered mean he won't be able to mate with another cat and make kittens?

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You can apply for a Care Credit card. Anything over $200 they allow, I believe, up to 6 months to pay off, interest free.

I really didn't mean to possibly offend, but it is just all  so common and so true.....so many people breed their kitty babies and don't realize what they are getting themselves all into.

I hope he doesn't spray inside your house...it is an unforgettable odor.  It's not really a poop smell, yet not really a pee smell either--it is just horrifically stinky!

Try the Care credit....you can Google Care Credit Vet and it will pull it up

And Spooky is adorable!  What a pretty boy!!

While Maryland is a bit more expensive than St Louis, 300 is REALLY HIGH for neutering. I paid around 250 for a spay (a more involved and expensive surgery) from a vet, and that was on the high end (I paid a bit extra for an AAHA certified practice that doesn't perform routine declawing.)

Even if you can't get a discounted neuter, you can still call around, you can probably find a vet to neuter your boy for closer to 150 ( maybe less).

spookysmom234 said:

Not sure if I can

the vet I went to said it would cost about 300 dollars which I'm not sure I can afford right now. I understand it's an urgent matter so I'm gonna see if i can work something out with my parents

 

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Look into low cost spay and neuter clinics in your area. They cost much less than a regular vet office. Some places may have income imits so be sure to check the web site or call for more info. Here are some in the MD area:

http://mda.maryland.gov/spay_neuter_program/Pages/Free-Spay-and-Neuter-Services.aspx

http://www.marylandpet.com/low_cost_spay_neuter_clinics_maryland.htm

http://www.pgspca.org/clinic/fees/

http://www.paw-rescue.org/sn.php

http://www.spay.org/ (if you live close to VA)

http://www.humanerescuealliance.org/spay-neuter

Sargon said:

While Maryland is a bit more expensive than St Louis, 300 is REALLY HIGH for neutering. I paid around 250 for a spay (a more involved and expensive surgery) from a vet, and that was on the high end (I paid a bit extra for an AAHA certified practice that doesn't perform routine declawing.)

Even if you can't get a discounted neuter, you can still call around, you can probably find a vet to neuter your boy for closer to 150 ( maybe less).

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We pay $85 for a spay/neuter.

Primula said:

We pay $85 for a spay/neuter.

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Where are you located?

spookysmom234 said:

Where are you located?

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Connecticut. It's a mobile team that no longer comes to our town, but one of the neighboring towns that we can drive to. We've used them for years.

You've gotten great advice here. Please, please neuter your boy, ASAP, before his tom cat behavior get's out of hand. The limited kill humane society I volunteer at has many community programs available including low or no cost spay/neuter and shots clinics. Please look in your county for something similar. I am a huge advocate for spay/neuter because at our county shelter, (not the one I volunteer at,) for every 1 dog that is put to sleep, 32 cats & kittens are also put to sleep. Overall, total euthanasia rate is 82% of all animals that come into this shelter and this is with a committed staff that does everything they can to get other rescues to take both the dogs and cats. Please, don't add to the pet population.

Also, it is in your best interest to set up an emergency fund, something you add to weekly. One late nite trip to the Evet can break your wallet for a year. If realistic finances at this time in your life makes this impossible, please reconsider if having any pet at this time in your life is the right thing.

And please, do not add another cat to your home until your boy is neutered, make sure the new addition is also spayed/neutered" before it comes in the house" and have the funds available to properly care for them in terms of feeding/litter/medical issues/shots and so forth.

Good luck and thank you for coming here to ask questions. While the answers may not always be what we want to hear, the folks here have both yours and your kitty's best interests at heart.

I thank you all for your advice. None of you are upsetting me, you're being blunt which is good. I'm pretty naive when it comes to cats. Loving them and being around people who have them is extremely different than having one of your own. I have one last question. I hope I don't seem like I'm beating a dead horse, but this is my first pet ever and I'm just trying to be very cautious. Spooky is a lot more complicated than I thought and I'm constantly worrying if everything's ok because I don't know how to characterize certain behavior

How can I tell the difference between a yowl because of pain and a howl for attention? I think that he's taking a bit hard that I work at night, as he's been acting out a lot. Last night, around the time I was getting ready to leave (I think he's figured out the time frame because he starts acting out severely around the same time every night ) he started meowing excessively and yowling. I try to stay up with him during the day but it's extremely hard because I'm so tired, but he seems to be ok during the day, he sleeps a lot and plays often. At night though, After he meows a lot he circles around and me and just meows and meows. He follows me around everywhere. I keep his litter box clean and food in his bowl so I know it's not that. So I'll be sitting somewhere and he will run to me and snuggle with me and I'll pet him but not continuously and he'll start getting extra playful and bite me and chase my feet under the covers when he dosent get his way. But he will also yowl even when I give him excessive attention or follow him around and talk to him. So I'm guessing it's a mate call?

He does this thing after he eats where he will keep making this motion this he's going to throw up, he will rub his face with his paw and then lick his paw excessively. I find it odd, but he's eating and going to the bathroom regularly so I'm not sure :/

We caught a cat watching him in the window the other way so I'm not sure if that's the cause, but he's just been yowling so much. We just went to the vet and she checked him out and didn't find anything out of the ordinary. I'm starting to get nervous now lol I know it's a lot

Thank you all for sharing with me I really appreciate it

What you are describing is IMO, typical tom cat behavior and this will continue to escalate unless you neuter him.

spookysmom234 said:

I thank you all for your advice. None of you are upsetting me, you're being blunt which is good. I'm pretty naive when it comes to cats. Loving them and being around people who have them is extremely different than having one of your own. I have one last question. I hope I don't seem like I'm beating a dead horse, but this is my first pet ever and I'm just trying to be very cautious. Spooky is a lot more complicated than I thought and I'm constantly worrying if everything's ok because I don't know how to characterize certain behavior

How can I tell the difference between a yowl because of pain and a howl for attention? I think that he's taking a bit hard that I work at night, as he's been acting out a lot. Last night, around the time I was getting ready to leave (I think he's figured out the time frame because he starts acting out severely around the same time every night ) he started meowing excessively and yowling. I try to stay up with him during the day but it's extremely hard because I'm so tired, but he seems to be ok during the day, he sleeps a lot and plays often. At night though, After he meows a lot he circles around and me and just meows and meows. He follows me around everywhere. I keep his litter box clean and food in his bowl so I know it's not that. So I'll be sitting somewhere and he will run to me and snuggle with me and I'll pet him but not continuously and he'll start getting extra playful and bite me and chase my feet under the covers when he dosent get his way. But he will also yowl even when I give him excessive attention or follow him around and talk to him. So I'm guessing it's a mate call?

He does this thing after he eats where he will keep making this motion this he's going to throw up, he will rub his face with his paw and then lick his paw excessively. I find it odd, but he's eating and going to the bathroom regularly so I'm not sure :/

We caught a cat watching him in the window the other way so I'm not sure if that's the cause, but he's just been yowling so much. We just went to the vet and she checked him out and didn't find anything out of the ordinary. I'm starting to get nervous now lol I know it's a lot

Thank you all for sharing with me I really appreciate it

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Same time of day sounds like he is calling out to a female in heat. 

I'm glad to hear you're open to the probability that he needs to be neutered in order to stop the behaviors which are concerning you.  Again, we all can assure you that he will become a much better behaved cat once this is done.  

spookysmom234 said:

We caught a cat watching him in the window the other way so I'm not sure if that's the cause, but he's just been yowling so much.

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There you go! That's one of the reasons he's bothered so much. Draw the curtains in that window. Everyone has said get him fixed stat so no point in saying it again.