My late boycat still humped a kitty stuffed animal of mine post-snipping, but really never sprayed or gained weight or anything untoward. My hostage-kitty (as in being held, long story) was neutered as soon as it was advisable, and he’s ridiculously active and lovey with absolutely no ill effects.
Right, what I was going to say before my post was rudely snatched out of my typing hands, was that his voice went up about 2 octaves. So now I have a huge (Maine Coon) tabby-cat with a voice like a mouse. He’s also less aggressive to our other cats, but still uses his size to bully them off the best chair.
As for his intellectual capacity, this is perhaps not quite what the vet led us to expect, (he has no opinion on Iraq, or the nature of consciousness) but he’s very beautiful, and can open the fridge door. Also, he’s no more lazy than any other cat I’ve known. OK, he’s quite fat, but it suits him.
Best wishes to yours…
They just don’t care about it. It’s really not a source of pride for them - unlike others in the animal kingdom.
Your cat’s personality hasn’t fully developed yet, anyway, so you can’t be sure just WHAT would be different as a result of the procedure.
Health-wise, it is much better for him (they can develop testicular cancer), and you’ll have fewer problems with attitude and destructive behavior. Plus, it’s the right thing to do, and you know it!
FairyChatMom, I’ve had a truckload of cats come and go over the past 30 years or so and have had all of them altered. I’ve never detected the slightest change in behavior - if they brought home little dead things before, they’d still do it after. Same goes for fighting, wandering and general cussedness. There is only one behavior that goes away and that’s spraying. Worth the price of admission, don’t you think?
Experts have told me that if you wait till the cat is older before neutering he will still spray, but I’ve yet to see that happen- thankfully.
Old Halfrack knew his day was coming down to the time of the appointment. He’d been in a catfight the night before and needed to be stitched up as well. Two birds with one stone, so to speak.
He’s fine, he’s a male. He even lets me put black and white bandanas on him. Matches his demeanor, he’s a long’haired black and white 6 toed cat. Hence his name, Halfrack. he’s carrying a six-pack in each front paw, a very cool cat.
I’ve had three males so far, all neutered. It didn’t change their basic personality a speck. One of them was fairly territorial before and also afterwards unfortunately. All three of them were large fellows but so is my current female. I think it’s me-I seem to grow chunky animals.
Neutering a cat will not cause him to became lazy or fat. It will significantly change his disposition, either, unless we’re talking about curbing the tendency to roam, fight, and spray.
But to stop spraying, it has to be done before the spraying starts, usually before 9 months of age. Neutering has been shown to reduce or eliminate spraying in some cats, but not all. If your guy isn’t spraying yet, get the surgery done ASAP- a boat’s cabin is no place for it. The small area combined with high humidity is guaranteed to produce a near-irremovable funk of epic proportions.
Also, neutering early is now accepted by most vets as a completely safe practice. It will not cause your cat to “fail to develop mentally”. The only possible effects of early neutering are that some cats will not develop the usual bulkiness of intact toms, and to be somewhat taller at the shoulder than the average cat. My own cat was neutered at 6 months old, and has always been an active, loveable guy. His body shape is leaner and longer than most intact toms, however. (Whether this is because of early neutering, his genetic make-up, or some combination, I certainly can’t tell.) He has never sprayed, and is a sweet and wonderful cat. Neutering cats has also been shown to increase life span by up to 5 years, according to my vet.
We don’t know exactly how old our baby is - he used to belong to one of our Florida neighbors, but they decided they didn’t want him any longer, so they tossed him out. He showed up on our doorstep in mid-October, and went to Baltimore with FCDad. I don’t think he’s a year old yet, but he’s getting close.
I’ll give my sister a call and ask her to make the arrangements. We definitely don’t need him spraying on the boat - there are enough “old boat” smells in there. And I do appreciate all the comments and insight. There was never a doubt that old FartCat would be fixed - all of our pets thru the years have gone under the knife.
Guin, I want to acknowledge your neuticals comment - cracked me up!
Well, I’m not a vet but I have dealt with hundreds of male cats who were neutered at 8 weeks old and I don’t recall any of them not fully developing intellectually. Nothing against your post - I just think your vet is wrong. Vets also used to say it was a very bad idea to neuter 8-week-old kittens and anyone who works in a shelter can tell you that this has been proven wrong. (In fact, they heal MUCH more quickly when they are neutered at 8 weeks.)
Anyway, all my cats were neutered very young and if they were any smarter, they’d be winning the Pawbel Prize on a regular basis.
Of my two boys: one, neutered early, is a lean mean wiry fighting (in a cute way) machine. Not fat, not lazy at all, and he didn’t used to be super-cuddly (just once in a while) but he seems to be getting more lovey-dovey lately. Boy #2 was a dump job - rescued from the street, not neutered until well over a year old, so he has retained that “big tomcat” look - the big shoulders, the jowls, etc. He did gain some weight but I think that’s a result of having real meals for a change. Also not lazy at all and he’s the most sweetest, cuddliest, lovable kissy-face boy you could imagine.