Neuter or not to neuter?

[BellasMumma]

My male cat is one year old and we have not neutered him yet. He is an outdoor/indoor cat. Most recently though, he is definitely ONLY indoors because he ran away for two days. I want to neuter him but here is the problem; my husband does not. He is afraid it will change his personality. He is a very friendly and playful cat. I know there are more advantages than disadvantages to neutering him. Can anyone with experience let me know how it is?

 

[stephanietx]

Neutering is always the best option. I have a male cat who was neutered at 5 months and he's never been outside, but I don't want him responsible for making babies if he ever did get out. If your kitty is a sprayer, then neutering usually helps curb that.

 

[LTS3]

TCS is a pro spay and neuter web site so havign the procedure done is recommended

Spaying and neutering does not affect a cat's personality at all. I'm not sure where that myth came from but maybe from (male?) pet owners who think that taking out the parts makes a cat less whole or aggressive or something.

One of my cats did not have any personality change after he was neutered. He's 12 now and still bouncing off the walls My other cat was spayed before I adopted her.

 

[Fourcats4me]

Will your husband be happy when the cat starts urinating all over the house, in the closets, on the furniture, on all your husband's stuff, and on the bed? Will, your husband be a happy camper when the cat acts like a male cat and gets SUPER VOCAL and yowls all the time and specifically in the early morning hours. Wait until he comes home all beat up from fights, is he ready to spend a couple of hundred -thousand dollars in vet bills? You can't blame the cat after he is just doing what nature intended for him to do.

The personality of the cat will not be affected by being neutered. in reality, if he is NOT willing to put up will all of the above as well as assume the responsibility of a bunch of homeless feral kittens I would hope that he would do the responsible thing by the cat and take him to the vet. There are various low-cost spay-neuter clinics still around and I would reach out to the .local shelter for this information if cost is a concern.

 

[game misconduct]

bet your husband changes his mind fast soon as your cat begins spraying around the house

 

[arr]

You’ve got to neuter your cat. As the poster above brought out, you are going to have your hands full of very unpleasant problems if you don’t, and it is irresponsible to have an unfixed cat when there are so many unwanted cats and kittens in shelters.

I have a male cat that we had since he was born. He is a little over two years old now. We got him neutered around four months. It did absolutely nothing to his wonderful personality, and it did not stunt his growth or make him overweight, as some people think it will. He is a beautiful 17 pound boy, good muscular body composition, he loves playing, cuddling, being petted and massaged, where he purrs like an engine, he sleeps with us every night, he’s just the best boy. Your boy will be just fine. In fact he’ll probably be better and more focused on you when his attention isn’t turned towards mating.

 

[Fourcats4me]

Your boy sounds like a treasure. I have Twp boys too. One of my guys jumps oi to my arms when he wants a snuggle. The other joins me in my ZOOM meetings with teh office ( the government is still teleworking from home). My colleagues adore him when he stops in for our meetings.

 

[Fourcats4me]

My male cat is one year old and we have not neutered him yet. He is an outdoor/indoor cat. Most recently though, he is definitely ONLY indoors because he ran away for two days. I want to neuter him but here is the problem; my husband does not. He is afraid it will change his personality. He is a very friendly and playful cat. I know there are more advantages than disadvantages to neutering him. Can anyone with experience let me know how it is?

 

[Fourcats4me]

Hi Bell's Mom.

I guess I forgot to share the best with you for last . Once the male cat sprays or urinates all over the house and on your property, furniture, clothong, bed, you will not and CAN NOT get rid of the odor, it gets into everything and there are NO cleansers or sprays on the market that will get rid of it. Your house will pretty much smell like a "boys room," of a high school. or "men's room," at a Train station." . I hope you get the picture. It is nasty stuff and every tom cat in the neighborhood will smell it and stop by to to see who is in the neighborhoood, and they will be YOWLING at each otrher continuosly (when not fighting). You will also have the female cats in heat stopping by for a visit... pretty much your very own little "cat house!" The ladies in heat are pretty VOCAL too. I don't think that is what you really wan't.

 

[Alldara]

My male cat is one year old and we have not neutered him yet. He is an outdoor/indoor cat. Most recently though, he is definitely ONLY indoors because he ran away for two days. I want to neuter him but here is the problem; my husband does not. He is afraid it will change his personality. He is a very friendly and playful cat. I know there are more advantages than disadvantages to neutering him. Can anyone with experience let me know how it is?

Wow this must be a common misconception! I had this conversation recently with my cousin who had the same concerns as your husband. Cats are not human males, they do not become upset by being neutered. In fact, they usually lead happier healthier lives afterwards.

It should curb some of the running away behaviour to have him neutered as well. Keeping him indoors and only letting him out supervised in a Catio or on leash will help keep him safe too.

1. Marking is the #1 reason most people neuter. It's nasty and does not stop. You're lucky you haven't had it yet! It will begin if any other cats start roaming around. Many cats are rehomed for litter behaviour.

2. He's at risk for running away to find a mate. This puts him at risk for cat fights meaning at risk for: FIV, FeLV, eye infections, skin infections, human cruelties (have a very heartbreaking personal childhood story for this if anyone wants it)...flea and tick related diseases, bite infections..on and on...

3. Post neuter cuddles are the best.

4. He will be calmer, but still hella playful!

5. If you wait, testosterone will change his body shape (big cheeks) and they will become deflated looking later when you neuter.

6. Back to #1 - if you wait and he starts spraying you might never get him to stop.

 

[fionasmom]

My experience with cats is almost entirely with ferals, and all of my indoor only pet cats are former ferals. Infrequently, there has been a male cat who joins the group who remains untrappable, therefore unneutered. They have all either been hit by cars as they wander at night looking for mates, or have gotten into serious fights which ultimately lead to the end of their lives. The fact that your cat has been gone recently for two days puts him into the category of the male who is at high risk for injury.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Maybe, just maybe these articles might help to convince your husband??
Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats – TheCatSite Articles
Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Cat (pethealthnetwork.com)
Reasons to Spay Neuter | The Cat Connection | Cat Rescue

 

[Meowmee]

My male cat is one year old and we have not neutered him yet. He is an outdoor/indoor cat. Most recently though, he is definitely ONLY indoors because he ran away for two days. I want to neuter him but here is the problem; my husband does not. He is afraid it will change his personality. He is a very friendly and playful cat. I know there are more advantages than disadvantages to neutering him. Can anyone with experience let me know how it is?

Letting an uneutered cat outdoors is very irresponsible, he is out there breeding unwanted kittens who are going to suffer terribly. One cat alone can produce thousands of homeless, neglected cats in no time. They will suffer terribly with diseases and starvation, predators etc. So that would be the main reason to neuter.

There are many health reasons also, neuter is healthier for him. It also helps stop territorial urination and spraying, fighting outdoors, and more. Most cats calm down after neuter.