Cat neuter?

Paige

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#1
When can I get my little tyrant fixed? I think he's about 5 months now. He's strictly indoors and has never stepped a little foot outdoors nor will he but I still would rather get it done sooner rather than later.
 

NicoleLJ

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#3
Zen got done at 7 months and Pax will be spayed at 6 months. For the males I try and get it done before they learn to spray. For the females before their first heat cycle so that I don't have to listen to the screaming.
 
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#4
Yep, which usually seems to happen quite early. It's probably safe to say you can get him neutered now. On my Siamese, it was very obvious that his balls were ready to go (big brown balls on white short haired cat, lol!)
 
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#5
Since I'm never a fan of early altering in pretty much any animal, I castrated our only male cat that didn't come already altered at about a year which was because I stopped being able to guarantee 100% he wouldn't get out.

Personally? If I can guarantee they won't get out and there isn't a behavioral issue such as spraying I don't alter. But that's me! A lot of cat people would do it in the womb if they could. I think the thing they always say (no matter how much it makes me cringe) is 4lbs or 4 months
 
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#6
Personally? If I can guarantee they won't get out and there isn't a behavioral issue such as spraying I don't alter. But that's me!
Do you, or have you lived with any intact male cats? I was really tempted not to neuter my most recent cat, but did due to all of the horror stories you hear about intact male cats (once they start spraying they'll never stop, etc...).

I haven't personally met anyone who kept cats intact responsibly. As you say, it seems much more rare in the cat world opposed to the dog world.

I would be totally willing to (my cats are indoor only as well), but would love to hear some positive first hand experiences!
 
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#7
Do you, or have you lived with any intact male cats? I was really tempted not to neuter my most recent cat, but did due to all of the horror stories you hear about intact male cats (once they start spraying they'll never stop, etc...).
Yeah, my last cat Hamish was intact until about a year but I stopped being able to guarantee he wouldn't get out and he started spraying (not bad but sneaky) so he got castrated. He did stop spraying immediately. (I know of a good number of cats that never sprayed)

I've never really bought the horror stories, though I know exactly what you're talking about. Cat people can be vicious in their ideas of what cats will do if not altered and I personally think they exaggerate (if not outright lie) about a lot of what they say.

My parents kept most of their cats intact longer than most and never had an issue with then continuing to spray (if they were sprayers before) after altering.

ETA: My friend keeps her male cats intact with no issue! She altered (kitten that she found) one because she was hoping to find him a home but never did.
 

NicoleLJ

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#8
WHen I was fostering I had to deal with many a male cat that got neutered late and still would spray. For many males once they learn to do it if there are any females or other males around (intact or not) they will spray. All they have to do is hear them or see them through a window and they can spray a window or other enterances. I have also had a few that got neutered late also that did not spray but they were not as common.

For the females my issue is the screaming when in heat. Every hour all day and night. I can't handle that. I get migraines easily and hearing that with a migraine is no fun at all. So to keep my sanity they get spayed.
 
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#9
WHen I was fostering I had to deal with many a male cat that got neutered late and still would spray. For many males once they learn to do it if there are any females or other males around (intact or not) they will spray. All they have to do is hear them or see them through a window and they can spray a window or other enterances. I have also had a few that got neutered late also that did not spray but they were not as common.
I think that's interesting because I have yet to know a cat who sprayed before altering (and I know of quite a few that never sprayed) that continued on after castration. But, none of those cats were in foster care or shuffled around. All where one home for life kinda cats.

Our family doesn't do female cats so can't give any insight on that.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#10
Most every cat we've had sprayed after castration if they weren't neutered young. It's pretty gross. We've had a lot of cats in my life, my mom is a crazy cat lady.
 

NicoleLJ

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#11
I think that's interesting because I have yet to know a cat who sprayed before altering (and I know of quite a few that never sprayed) that continued on after castration. But, none of those cats were in foster care or shuffled around. All where one home for life kinda cats.

Our family doesn't do female cats so can't give any insight on that.
The stress of that could very well instigate it. Plus going into homes where there are smells of the past fosters before them could cause them to want to mark and spray as well. So that could be part of why I have seen it more.
 

Paige

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#12
I'm not willing to leave him intact as we have a lot of stray momma cats on my street with litters in tow. Don't want to be apart of that problem if my little rugrat decides to go off on a jaunt one of these days.

He's big for his age and his balls do look to have dropped. End of the month our boy gets the chop. Ahh I'm so nervous. I hate sending them in to get desexed. I feel so mean,
 

ravennr

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#13
i'm wondering when my roommates are going to neuter theirs as well. he is around 5 or 6 months now and hasn't even had his first shots or wormer or anything. he's never set paw in a vet's office. we don't worry about him getting out, unless he happens to decide it's safe to sail off the balcony (we ARE only on the second floor, and there is a female cat living behind us that has at one point been very pregnant).

i had one intact male that began spraying, when i was younger. my mom took him in to get neutered after he went to town on one of her leather jackets one day. he did stop after that, but that's all he stopped.

i don't know if it can help anything else? i never really paid much attention to those things in cats. my cats almost always came in already altered. i have noticed distinct changes in the kitten here though, since his little dudes have dropped. i don't know if that's coincidence, just part of growing up, or directly related to said little dudes. i've also never met a cat so immune to training of any kind. it's starting to feel like i should just stop trying.
 

Paige

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#14
Mine hasn't gone for his shots either... but I am weird like that. I have delayed my child's shots too. :p
 

ravennr

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#15
if my roommates didn't take their kitten around with them everywhere, it wouldn't bother me. Rock hasn't been taken for his shots either, because i don't feel the need to do it every year.
unfortunately, they take Ron out of town with them, and he's exposed to a lot of other animals and things. with how much he goes around, and how much he's exposed to, i feel like he should get the necessary vaccines at least. especially with them taking him to a house that's situation in woods.
 

elegy

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#16
I've done mine around six month (males and females), and that's what I'll likely continue to do in the future if I have any more cats.
 

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