Need help with cat

lisa1816 · Jul 3, 2005

Help, I really want to ask a question, not sure if I'm posting in the right area or not.

I have an unneutered male cat, Frankie. He was a stray with an injured leg, appeared to be 4 puncture wounds to the leg. I brought him in my house six weeks ago, and since that time I have kept him in a room separate from my other three cats, two neutered males, and one spayed female.

I have had Frankie's leg wounds lanced and drained, and he's had antibiotics for four weeks. He is no longer limping on the leg, it appears the infection is gone, and he is really using the leg more and more. He has seen a very good vet three times in the last six weeks and is getting excellent care.

I have had him checked for feline leukemia, felv, and he about three weeks ago got his first rabies shot, and his first distemper. He is due to get his distemper booster in about one week.

He is being treated for worms. He has no ear mites, no fleas.

I am going crazy. He has marked four times in the house. I want to get him neutered right away. My vet has indicated that he cannot be neutered until at least two weeks after he gets his second distemper. Is is really necessary to wait this long?

I have found someone who will take Frankie into her home. However, I have heard that even after a cat is neutered, that the marking behavior may not stop right away. Frankie is about two years old. He has marked about four times in the last two weeks, always at night, always when I'm in the room with him.

Does anyone know, once he's neutered, what can I expect with regard to his marking, and his howling at night. Will it stop? Will it stop right away? I don't want to promise to his new family that he will no longer be marking and howling at night, but I'm really not sure what to expect.

In the meantime, I have to keep him in my garage because he has been marking and howling at night, and I can't sleep. Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

hissy · Jul 3, 2005

He will stop howling, he may not stop marking. If he has been allowed to mate- he may very well keep spraying,

tnr1 · Jul 3, 2005

Originally Posted by lisa1816

Help, I really want to ask a question, not sure if I'm posting in the right area or not.

I have an unneutered male cat, Frankie. He was a stray with an injured leg, appeared to be 4 puncture wounds to the leg. I brought him in my house six weeks ago, and since that time I have kept him in a room separate from my other three cats, two neutered males, and one spayed female.

I have had Frankie's leg wounds lanced and drained, and he's had antibiotics for four weeks. He is no longer limping on the leg, it appears the infection is gone, and he is really using the leg more and more. He has seen a very good vet three times in the last six weeks and is getting excellent care.

I have had him checked for feline leukemia, felv, and he about three weeks ago got his first rabies shot, and his first distemper. He is due to get his distemper booster in about one week.

He is being treated for worms. He has no ear mites, no fleas.

I am going crazy. He has marked four times in the house. I want to get him neutered right away. My vet has indicated that he cannot be neutered until at least two weeks after he gets his second distemper. Is is really necessary to wait this long?

I have found someone who will take Frankie into her home. However, I have heard that even after a cat is neutered, that the marking behavior may not stop right away. Frankie is about two years old. He has marked about four times in the last two weeks, always at night, always when I'm in the room with him.

Does anyone know, once he's neutered, what can I expect with regard to his marking, and his howling at night. Will it stop? Will it stop right away? I don't want to promise to his new family that he will no longer be marking and howling at night, but I'm really not sure what to expect.

In the meantime, I have to keep him in my garage because he has been marking and howling at night, and I can't sleep. Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

Here is information regarding neutering:

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/neutering.html

Katie

beckiboo · Jul 3, 2005

When we neuter feral cats at clinics, they get their first (and probably only) shots the same day they are neutered. Maybe if you let the vet know the problem, he will be willing to do the neuter sooner?

lisa1816 · Jul 4, 2005

Help me please! I took in a stray, unneutered male, that was injured. Have been getting him all of his shots, got the leg fixed, he's done with his antibiotics, and his leg is healing well. However, because this kitty, Frankie, had a bite of unknown origin, my vet has been treating him as if he has rabies, and have explained to me all of the precautions and protocol that are necessary when treating a rabid cat. Which I totally understand. However, it's been months since he was bitten, and he shows no signs of rabies. We live in Michigan.

Bottom line is, they wouldn't vaccinate him at first, until I had quarantined him for at least six months, to be sure there was no sign of rabies. And, he gets his destemper booster next week, and then my vet says, two weeks after getting his distemper booster, THEN they can neuter him.

I can't wait that long, his howling at night is driving me crazy, I can't sleep through it, and he is marking almost every night. I have him in my house, separate from my other three cats.

My questions are: Does anyone know of any reason he can't be neutered right now? Why this waiting period of six weeks after original distemper shot?

And my other burning question, since Frankie is about two years old, and part Siamese, what can I expect from him, behaviorally, after the he is neutered? I have read that there will still be some mating desire, and his marking may not stop completely?

And, how soon after he is neutered will it be before I notice a change in his desire to mark and roam and howl?

Thanks for any advice anyone can give me. I am new to the site and love it already.

babybee · Jul 4, 2005

I don't know why you would have to wait 6 weeks after the initial distemper shot to get him neutered. I adopted Maya from the humane society she is 1 1/2 years old, she got her shot at the shelter and I got a spay/neuter certificate that expired in 6 weeks. But my vet never told me to wait that long, we waited because we didn't know if she was spayed or not so we waited for behavioral changes. (My vet thought it would be silly to operate on a cat because she might be spayed already). Well she wasn't, but we didn't wait 6 weeks after the inital shot, it was more like 4.

Before getting spayed she turned really agressive when she was in heat, whereas she was cuddly and nice before. You can expect the same behaviour after the neutering as before the marking/howling, and I was told it takes about a month to see the changes.

I wish I could give you more advice or say something that is more scientific but unfortunately I can only speak from my experience, and repeat what my vet has told me.
Hope this helped a bit.

tnr1 · Jul 4, 2005

At our feral cat clinic....the cats receive their distemper at the same time they are neutered. Of course, these cats are ones that will be returned outdoors...but it is curious that your vet would want to wait.

Katie

lisa1816 · Jul 4, 2005

Originally Posted by BabyBee

I don't know why you would have to wait 6 weeks after the initial distemper shot to get him neutered. I adopted Maya from the humane society she is 1 1/2 years old, she got her shot at the shelter and I got a spay/neuter certificate that expired in 6 weeks. But my vet never told me to wait that long, we waited because we didn't know if she was spayed or not so we waited for behavioral changes. (My vet thought it would be silly to operate on a cat because she might be spayed already). Well she wasn't, but we didn't wait 6 weeks after the inital shot, it was more like 4.

Before getting spayed she turned really agressive when she was in heat, whereas she was cuddly and nice before. You can expect the same behaviour after the neutering as before the marking/howling, and I was told it takes about a month to see the changes.

I wish I could give you more advice or say something that is more scientific but unfortunately I can only speak from my experience, and repeat what my vet has told me.
Hope this helped a bit.

Thanks, this did help, you have confirmed what several other people have told me. I think my vet clinic is being extra cautious about everything and they follow really strict protocol because they a vet clinic teaching hospital. But, I'm going to get him neutered as soon as possible, I am convinced that it will not at all interfere with the distemper booster. Love this site. Thanks!!

lisa1816 · Jul 4, 2005

Hi, my vet comes from a veterinary teaching hospital, and they follow really strict protocol, so I think she is being extra cautious. However, you and several others told me the same thing, that their cat was spayed or neutered at the same time or shortly after getting vaccinated, so I feel more comfortable that I wouldn't be doing anything wrong. I am going to get him in as soon as possible, I think we will both be a lot happier. Thanks for your help. >^..^<

lotsocats · Jul 4, 2005

Lisa, I merged your two threads together because they were asking for advice about the same problem. It will be much less confusing that way!

lisa1816 · Jul 4, 2005

thanks, I'm new to this so I appreciate your help.

Need help with cat

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