# Can "fixed" male cats still spray? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 6, 2001, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167 "2001-08-06T20:00:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/1 "2001-08-06T20:00:33Z")
I just adopted a 4 month old male kitten from my local animals shelter. I have had cats in the past… but all have been spayed females for some reason. Anwyay, I asked the attendant if the fact that he was neutered already mean I should never have a problem with him spraying… and I couldn’t get a straight answer from her. She said that “usally there isn’t a problem” and “normally he won’t spray” but she wouldn’t rule out the possiblilty. So do I have worry about him marking his territory all of over my living room furniture? I was hoping not to have to deal with that particular issue. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/2 "2001-08-06T20:32:41Z")
You’re probably safe, but mistakes do happen. Judging by my own experience, they can spray, but only if the neutering job wasn’t fully done. We have a neutered male who did spray after being neutered. But in this case it turned out that one of his testes had never descended, and therefore didn’t get removed. They did an exploratory on him and found it lurking behind a kidney. It kind of sounds like looking for the paprika in the cupboard…“There it is!! Right behind the oregano.” ---
**Author:** ![caircair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@caircair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caircair)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/3 "2001-08-06T20:37:22Z")
CAN they spray? Yes, of course. How else do you end up needing to change a litter box? DO they spray? Depends on the cat. I had a cat (well, actually, my parents had custody) for a number of years, who was neutered early – WAY too early. Turned out the six month old cat I’d gotten from the humane society was only six WEEKS old. Poor thing was never quite “right” after that. And he sprayed. Constantly. We tried the old squirt bottle trick, we tried making him an outdoor cat, we tried everything. Finally (after 15 years) when he decided to spray the clean laundry, my parents had had enough. The vet had never found a reason for the spraying, at least physically, so they figured he was probably better off being put down. (Note: I had nothing to say about the matter.) I understood their frustration, but would have preferred a more thorough physical examination of him before the deed was done. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/4 "2001-08-06T20:39:09Z")
From the Master: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_011.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_011.html) ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/5 "2001-08-06T21:01:04Z")
I had a male cat netuered at an appropriately young age who started to spray years later. Threatened my marriage. Tried everything, the vet even prescribed medicine normally prescribed as an antidepressant for people; can’t remember the name but it wasn’t anything famous like Prozac. One day the cat was lounging on the back deck as was his wont, and just never showed up again. I don’t know if he just left or was catnapped. As for the odor there are some good enzyme-based products that “digest” the stuff, but it’s just not practical to do that every day. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/6 "2001-08-06T23:41:55Z")
We had a neutered male and we had no trouble with spraying until another male (also neutered) cat was introduced into the house. For some reason the original cat felt the need to mark his territory. ---
**Author:** ![ellen97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ellen97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ellen97)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/7 "2001-08-06T23:49:34Z")
I adopted a female cat who was pretty wild and had her spayed. She will get in the litter box and spray on the wall behind it. Ellen ---
**Author:** ![domina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/96bed5/32.png) [@domina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/domina)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/8 "2001-08-07T01:15:32Z")
Ditto what **jseigle** said. We had two neutered tomcats and they sprayed a lot when the lived in the same house, but rarely when they lived separately. The moral of the story is not to crowd too many cats into one house. They need their space. ---
**Author:** ![dragonlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@dragonlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragonlady)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/9 "2001-08-07T04:14:07Z")
The difference is in the smell. Unneutered cats spray a scent that is unmistakeable, once you’ve been initiated. Neutered males and females spray is close to odor-less. At least in small amounts. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2001, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/10 "2001-08-07T06:54:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TV time \* > \*\* > We had a neutered male and we had no trouble with spraying until another male (also neutered) cat was introduced into the house. For some reason the original cat felt the need to mark his territory. \*\* I will second that comment. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-fixed-male-cats-still-spray/75167/11 "2001-08-07T14:32:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by domina \* > \*\*Ditto what **jseigle** said. We had two neutered tomcats and they sprayed a lot when the lived in the same house, but rarely when they lived separately. The moral of the story is not to crowd too many cats into one house. They need their space. \*\* We have four neutered tomcats in an (admittedly large) apartment, and they dont’ spray. They pee, like most land animals, and for that reason, we have to clean out the litter boxes conscientiously. But I don’t think it smells any worse or different from female-cat pee. You’re right about the territory issues, though in our case such squabbles usually revolve around who gets to play with my pocket watch.