Is neutering a must?

Greetings all. This is my first thread here.

I've got a male that I rescued on the highway making a trip from Houston to Atlanta about a year ago and in the past I've mainly had female cats so this is a first for me. Being a male myself, I dread the thought of having him castrated; trying to put myself in his paws of course.

How many here have un-neutered male cats? Are there any health issues to be concerned with by leaving them "normal"? Are there any positive reasons, aside from having all the bits and pieces, for not neutering a male?

In the past I lived with my stepmother for a few months and she had at that time about 15 cats. All of them were neutered and spayed yet the males, and one or two of the females, continued to spray in order to mark their territory. My male, Jackson, is the only animal in my current residence aside from my roommate's dog and they get along splendidly. I suppose since he knows he's the only cat in the abode that he doesn't seem to have any territorial issues whatsoever. He has never sprayed anything so therefore I haven't had any reason to neuter him.

Is it cool to just leave him be or is it just unheard of these days?

It really is advisable to get him neutered, and trust me, he will be out through the entire procedure and be okay at the end of it. I always wonder why it seems to be the males who dig in their heels at the thought of neutering their tomcats. If you don't get him fixed, you will eventually have an aggressive tomcat on your hands, and he will get outside during the breeding season even if he has to tear out a window to do so. It will be his instinct to mate with as many females as he can, thus cdding to the over population so prevalent now. He will also spray your home, and intact male cat urine is very caustic and very smelly.

Thanks for the quick reply hissy and for also moving the question to the appropriate forum.

Just for my education when is the domestic cats' mating season?

Originally Posted by subtle

Greetings all. This is my first thread here.

I've got a male that I rescued on the highway making a trip from Houston to Atlanta about a year ago and in the past I've mainly had female cats so this is a first for me. Being a male myself, I dread the thought of having him castrated; trying to put myself in his paws of course.

How many here have un-neutered male cats? Are there any health issues to be concerned with by leaving them "normal"? Are there any positive reasons, aside from having all the bits and pieces, for not neutering a male?

In the past I lived with my stepmother for a few months and she had at that time about 15 cats. All of them were neutered and spayed yet the males, and one or two of the females, continued to spray in order to mark their territory. My male, Jackson, is the only animal in my current residence aside from my roommate's dog and they get along splendidly. I suppose since he knows he's the only cat in the abode that he doesn't seem to have any territorial issues whatsoever. He has never sprayed anything so therefore I haven't had any reason to neuter him.

Is it cool to just leave him be or is it just unheard of these days?

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I agree with Hissy. My brother neutered Sebastian when he was 10 months old. Not because he wanted to (his excuse was "it's a guy thing"...lol), but because he HAD to. Sebastian was 1 of 2 male cats in the household. There were 2 other females. When mating season came around he went crazy. He got extremely agressive and poked Miko (he was 3 yrs old and neutered) in the eye with his claw, while he slept. As a result Miko was on antibiotics for 6 months, and now has a bad left eye. Moral of my rant is to get your boy neutered as soon as you can or he will drive you and everyone else insane.

P.S. My neighbor couldn't get her cat neutered (for financial reasons) and oh boy, was he evil. He would go around the neighborhood attacking other cats, howling 24/7 and sprayed on anything that moved. Everyone in the neighborhood was paranoid of the cat and it drove me nuts. Finally I got fed up, and offered to pay for her cat to get neutered. Now we can have peacefull days and nights.

It depends on where you are located, as to when the breeding season begins and ends. It generally begins in the Springtime, but if you live in say Israel, kitten season is year round because of the warm climate. I wouldn't wait much longer, I would get him fixed as soon as possible.

The sooner the better for all involved.

Being male myself, I can understand the personal issue, and trust me, it was (and is) hard to get past. But when you look at the benefits there is no reason to not have the procedure done.

The only drawbacks to neutering, is that he will never father a litter. [more a positive than a negative in the over crowded kitty world]. The only other drawback that comes to mind is purely aesthetic, and personally, I don't think that there is that much appearance difference between a neutered male versus an intact one.

Please seriously consider this procedure, it is only for his own good.

Spotz

I strongly advise to get the little one neutered. It's the best/kindest thing to do for him, as well as for you. Unless you are planning on breeding, there is really no reason to keep him unneutered..

Just a side note: Before My Angel Trent was neutered, he would spray.. His favorite thing to do was spray on my clean laundry. In college, I woulde wait till I had almost nothing left to wear , then I would carry all my laundry to the drop off service (I was very lazy). As soon as I would pick it up to bring in the house, Trent would go in the laundry bag, come out, and then I had to carry all of it right back to the laundraumat. Not fun for him, and not fun for me..

My first kitty only sprayed once but that most likely because he was scared... it wasn't even a place he like being. So since I don't have any experience with territorial spraying I can't say which way is better, but I do know that life is better without urine all over the place. I am male myself and I still agree with Hissy on this point, why do people get worked up over fixing the cat? I mean sure cats are smarter than they seem but I don't think they have plans on raising families. They're animals and will mate because that's how a spieces survives. If fixing them is better for your life in the long run and doesn't bother them one bit then just do it. Besides, it is entirely too funny to see them walking around all woozy after them come home from the surgury.

We had an outdoor tom cat when I was a kid that was unnuetered. He was officially the meanest thing! He actually killed another neighborhood cat. Please, I know it makes men squeamish, but you will have a nice, calm docile kitty when it's over instead of a hormone ravaged maniac!

Try and stop thinking like a male , rather think like a human being. First of all if you don't fix your cat the smell it will give off when it uses the litter box is beyond belief. When a cat is fixed it doesn't have so much of a smell. second vets. say a fixed cat has less health problems. third , and most important, If your cat ever got out and was unfixed it might procreate with a female who is unfixed and leave more unwanted kittens in the world. Just go to a shelter and see all the animals that are thrown away, and killed, because no one wants them . I have volunteered in rescue groups so I know what I am talking about. I think it is great that you rescued this cat, now finish the job and have it fixed.

Originally Posted by catlover7731

Try and stop thinking like a male , rather think like a human being. First of all if you don't fix your cat the smell it will give off when it uses the litter box is beyond belief. When a cat is fixed it doesn't have so much of a smell. second vets. say a fixed cat has less health problems. third , and most important, If your cat ever got out and was unfixed it might procreate with a female who is unfixed and leave more unwanted kittens in the world. Just go to a shelter and see all the animals that are thrown away, and killed, because no one wants them . I have volunteered in rescue groups so I know what I am talking about. I think it is great that you rescued this cat, now finish the job and have it fixed.

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Well said!
And might I add- Thank you for rescuing a homless cat! and Welcome to TCS!

Just to address a comment in your original post - cats, both male and female, will sometimes spray as a result of overcrowding stress, which may have been why your stepmother's cats occasionally sprayed. A neutered male kept in uncrowded housing conditions (by himself, or with only a few other cats instead of 15) will rarely spray unless he's ill or stressed, or unless spraying is already a firmly established habit, so it sounds like neutering your cat would most likely prevent spraying issues. Hope this helps

I understand your fears - perhaps this will help:

In my experience, the tales of changing personality are a myth. My boy Mr. Underfoot was neutered at about 10 months of age (I was too broke to do it sooner), after he'd reached maturity. His personality is exactly the same now (he's almost 11 years old) as it was then, except that he has slowed down a bit - but only after the age of 9 years - and he's still quite playful and rambunctious for his age, and very affectionate (hence the name). My husband's cat Oreo was neutered at 6 months, and he still has a wonderful, sweet & playful personality at 9 years of age. We actually had to start keeping him inside recently because he was getting in fights defending his territory from the neighbors' cats. I've had cats all my life, and the only changes in behavior I have ever seen in a neutered male cat is that they stop trying to breed, and, if done early enough, it can prevent spraying, and, in some cases, overly aggressive and temperamental behavior (biting the owner due to sexual excitement and frustration) can be reduced or stopped. It's never made any difference in any of my cats' personalities. Fatness and laziness are caused by overfeeding and an insufficiently stimulating environment.
Click here for info on how to keep an indoor cat healthy & happy.

I have, however, smelled the difference in urine odor between a neutered and an unneutered tom - the smell of urine from an unneutered tom can clear a building! while the smell of urine from a neutered tom is much less strong, making it easier to maintain a pleasant atmosphere in your home, so you don't have to run to open the windows every time your cat uses the litterbox.

And, last but by far most important, is the issue of kittens - cat overpopulation is a major issue, responsible for terrible suffering every day. please take a look at these links, before considering breeding your cat:

Myths and Facts about Spaying and Neutering
Overpopulation Facts
Why neuter your cat?
Why Spay or Neuter?
Pet Overpopulation

If you're still unsure, I suggest you make a few trips - stop by your local animal control and ask to see their strays, then stop by a couple of shelters in your area, and ask them about neutering, and if it would be a good idea for your cat to father a litter of kittens.

My city euthanizes over 50,000 animals a year - the times I've been down to Animal Control downtown, there's always been at least a couple of people in line with kittens or puppies they thought they could find homes for, but couldn't, and they couldn't keep them themselves - off to the gas chamber.

Please don't condemn other cats & kittens to a life on the streets or euthanization in a shelter...even if you're sure you could find homes for all the kittens, every one you give away takes away a home for a shelter or stray kitten or cat.

Please get your sweet boy neutered - the only difference it will make is to prevent spraying, and prevent unnecessary suffering of unwanted kittens. With love, good veterinary care, and high-quality food, he'll still be his same lovable, fun self for years to come.

By the way, I applaud your decision not to declaw your cat - there's a world of difference between declawing (a completely unnecessary mutilation), and neutering.

If you're having trouble with him damaging furniture, please try reading this thread (click here) - it has good info about dealing with scratching issues.

Well said, Tuxedokitties!!!!

PLEASE, SiddyMeowmy, take to heart everything in Tuxedokitties's post. Too many people try to duplicate their wonderful cat - it can't be done, they're all individuals and there will never be another Siddy, so please don't let him breed even if you insist on not neutering him.

I'm not going to harp on all the points already made so eloquently but PLEASE don't even consider bringing another litter of kittens into this already bursting-at-the-seams-with-cats world because you'd "love to give your children that experience". There are far too many people out there saying the same thing. It all adds up to tons more unwanted cats. As a shelter volunteer once told me "People want their kids to see the miracle of life but they never bring them to the shelter on euthanasia day -
they don't want to see how the cycle is completed: healthy cats and kittens being put to death all because they needed to "amuse" their kids".

Neutering to reduce the already astronomical number of cats in this world, is THE single most important reason to have the procedure done, not because cats have habits that inconvenience us. Neutering is what every responsible cat guardian does because they realize it's the only way to stop the killing of millions of healthy, beautiful cats.

undefined have you ever gone to a shelter? have you ever seen all the animals that are killed because of the over population problem? You sound like a very responsible pet owner , but you can not be 100% sure that your cat might get out accidently and impregnate a female. If you are ok with the smell that a non-neutered male makes , that is your problem true. But to compare declawing to neutering is ridiculous , they are two completly different things. Declawing is in humane, and affects animals in the future, but neutering does not hurt the animal and it is to protect the animal. If you want a pet for your kids, go to the shelter they are full with animals, and I am sure there is one that looks like your guy. or at this moment click on this:
www.petfinder.com and go to the site and do a pet search. Look at all the animals that need homes, you don't need to breed your cat just adopt another before it is destroyed. I don't want to come of as a witch, but as I said I have worked in a rescue group and see all the animals that are looking for homes, I am familiar with the kill shelters in my area. Do you know that more than 1 million cats and dogs are killed yearly, because of the overpopulation problem. It doesn't take an albert einstien to figure this out, just read and think.Please consider fixing your cat, be humane. I also suggest you go to this site, and click http://jimwillis0.tripod.com/tiergarten/id21.html
This person rescues animals and deals with the issue of overpopulation. be considerate neuter!!!

My 13 year old male Burmese was neutered too late - after he started spraying - and trust me - you do not want to live 13 years (no matter how much you adore him - & I do) with an animal who you cannot trust on your down comfort, clean clothes, pillows, etc.).

Kristi, I was not attacking you - only trying to share my personal positive experiences with neutering, along with some cold, hard facts about pet overpopulation. You did say you planned to allow Sid to reproduce, after all, saying you wanted to allow your family that experience.

I take your response (in conjunction with your earlier expressed desire to allow Sid to father a litter) to mean that if you choose to allow Sid to father a litter, to share that experience with your children, that you plan to keep all of the kittens yourself?

If so, given your stated feelings about neutering, how do you plan to keep them from interbreeding, producing lots more kittens? Keep in mind the average lifespan for a cat is about 15 years, with some living more than 20, and many cats can produce 2-3 litters of kittens per year for a good portion of their lives. Cats don't care if they breed with their parents or siblings, all they know is to breed, and they're quite successful at it.

Regardless of interbreeding, if you do keep them all yourself, that would make for a houseful of cats, probably nixing any plans to adopt additional cats from a shelter (that means the loving, caring home you planned to provide to shelter cats would be taken up by Sid's litter, leaving the kittens or cats you would have adopted to die in shelters). Not to mention that with a house full of unaltered cats, you will have housesoiling problems.

If you don't plan to keep them all yourself, how do you plan to assure that Sid's kittens don't directly contribute to the pet overpopulation problem? Can you be certain that they'll all be spayed or neutered, or that their families will keep them indoors and unbred throughout their lives? Cats are extremely determined breeders, and can be Houdinis when they feel the call to go outside & breed - I had a cat in heat tear through a screen door once, only to be promptly flattened in the street by a car. And how can you be sure that each one of the kittens' new families won't feel the desire to allow their families to experience the miracle of birth, and the accompanying kittens who would then each need new homes, and create the possibility of even more kittens?

And, of course, each one of Sid's kittens placed in a new home would mean that each of those new families won't be making a trip to the shelter to adopt, because you provided them with a kitten - thus taking away a loving home from a stray kitten or cat already in a shelter.

Please, I'm not attacking you, I'm simply pointing out what will happen if you breed your cat - please don't breed your cat! At the very least, go to the shelter you support, and discuss your breeding plans with the shelter staff before you consider letting Sid father a litter.