tomcats..?

[red scathach]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I'm surprised no one has commented on this yet!

As I'm sure many other people on this forum can back up, this is a myth.
Breeding, nutrition while growing, and just general care can ensure that a cat gets as big as is genetics intend it to be. Aside from a cat that belongs to one of the neighbors - my Sho is larger then any of the intact males living around this area (note - male cats belong to several neighbors and are not ferals or strays), all the neutered male cats I grew up with were normal sized or larger as well.

Oh really I didn't know that, funny my vet said that when we neutered him she warned us that he may not grow as big as he normally would... sheesh seems like I have a really sucky vet! Thanks for letting me know

 

[therandomspaz]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

IMO neutering IS necessary to: (1) eliminate cancers in the male (2) stop unwanted kittens (3) stop spraying and (4) deminish fighting.

However, neutered males will STILL fight if necessary - just that they usually do not seek out fights like an unneutered male over territory. I've known some pretty big boys (neutered) that would win in a fight against an unneutered tom

what is spraying?

and don't female cats only do that?

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by TheRandomSpaz

what is spraying?

and don't female cats only do that?

Spraying is when a cat backs up to an object - be it a tree outside or a wall inside, and sprays urine back across the object. Used for scent marking. Both male and female cats can and do spray but neuter/spaying before the cat matures (and wants to establish territory for breeding) usually prevents the behavior.
Neutering after the cat has already made this a habit doesn't always stop it. Some cats just like to pee that way once used to it. People that have cats that spray in the litter box use covered boxes or ones with very high sides.
Others have indoor/outdoor cats that will only spray when outside (many of cats I grew up with were like this).

 

[jen]

Are the neighbors cats who are threatening yours neutered? They should not be outdoors if they aren't, that is a dangerous thing risking not only disease being spread but also reproduction if any females come around and fighting amongst themselves.

 

[goldenkitty45]

Males will spray more then females. Its to mark territory mainly.

 

[therandomspaz]

Originally Posted by Jen

Are the neighbors cats who are threatening yours neutered? They should not be outdoors if they aren't, that is a dangerous thing risking not only disease being spread but also reproduction if any females come around and fighting amongst themselves.

i know for sure that one of them is but the others i am not sure about. there's one cat who is a very frequent visitor but that cat is very weird. he makes coughing noises alot and if you come near him or scare him off he kind of makes a loud screaming noise and he always looks as if he's going to throw up or something anyone know what the problem is or what's happening ?

 

[goldenkitty45]

It could be a number of things - from hairball problems to something more contagious. I'd keep my cat well away from the sick one.