My male kitten is 4 months old and I need to have him neutered ?

Question

At the moment he is very affectionate and never uses his claws except when climbing. Will this operation change his personality and his attitude towards us ?

Answer 1

Neutered males are extremely mellow, laid back and affectionate.  Don't worry about his personality changing for the worse, it will be for the better (if it changes at all).

Provide him with a scratching post and keep his nails trimmed, and you should continue to have success with his good claw etiquette!

Answer 2

ya, my male was fixed asap and he's still very affectionate. if not more so now. start clipping his claws while he's young, i didn't and now it's a really big deal to get them done, he hates it.

Answer 3

I agree with the others. Schedule the appointment BEFORE he starts spraying.  His personality will remain sweet and loveable.  For the claws- try the new Peticure Nail Trimmer.  It works GREAT!!!

Thank you for being responsible and fixing your boy!

http://peticure.com/

Answer 4

YES!!!!!!!!

i had a cat and he was the sweetest cat in the world, then we got him fixed and now he hates everyone and we didnt do anything :(

we know it was because of getting him fixed. now he hates everyone and hates to be picked up and hisses at everything.

my advice, dont get him fixed and just teach him not to spray, its possiable we did it with the other male cat we had because we didnt want him to turnout the same as our other cat.

Answer 5

It should make him calmer, but it's all how you approach it when it's done I believe.  Support him, and when back home give him encouragement and love.  It's a great thing you're doing and it will increase his life span and he should be a great companion for years to come.

Answer 6

dear, getting him fixed is the best thing to do. i have the same story. i had a male kitten and he actually started to get more aggresive and was fixing to start spraying which is very stinky. so we got him fixed and within a month he turned into a big baby. more than when he was a kitten. so i have witnessed that neutering makes them happier and more relaxed. they enjoy life more. cause their little hormones are raging. good luck, cats are such a wonderful gift.

Answer 7

kudos for getting your cat fixed! this will also keep him from straying and getting into fights w/other males.  keep in mind that after the neutering, they tend to put on weight.  keep his food intake at an optimum level, don't over feed him

Answer 8

Actually neutering your cat will probably ensure that he stays the sweet kitten you have now.  It decreases the testosterone and he will not have the urge to seek out female cats to breed with.  Also, he will be less likely to spray urine in your house to mark his territory.  I have two neutered bengals and they are great, affectionate playful cats.

Answer 9

No.  It's really rare that it would have a negative effect on his personality.

My boyfriend was upset when we were taking one of ours to be neutered because he wanted him to stay crazy.  That same kitty is over a year old now, has been neutered for awhile, and is still at least as crazy.  He gets to be a kitten for as long as he wants and doesn't have to deal with adult cat urges and we don't have to deal with spraying or escape attempts.  

sassysuzy, can you show a source for that claim?

From what I've read, research has shown that as long as a kitten is at least 2 pounds it is safe to fix them and the younger they are the faster they recover.  I have never seen anything to support your claim.  Unless you have some real evidence, you should not throw out wild ideas like that.  

Answer 10

Absolutely neuter him!  As other posters have noted, if done before the testosterone kicks in, he is likely to maintain his sweet, loving disposition.  It should also cut down on the potential for territorial behavior as well as keep the smell of his urine less offensive.

As for scratching, do get him a post, and sisal is the best.  It most closely resembles what a cat would go for outside.  Carpet covered posts work too, but a cat can't tell the difference between furniture upholstry and carpet, so there can be more problems with training them not to scratch the furniture.  If he does go after the furniture, spray him with water from a spray bottle while loudly shouting "NO!", then IMMEDIATELY take him to the approved scratching post, rub his feet up and down on it in a motion like when they're clawing, and give him lots of praise.  

As for when to neuter him, I would voice my agreement to wait after 6 months.  I know the young vets now are saying it's not necessary, but experience and years say differently.  My father-in-law is a veterinarian and has been practicing for 55 years.  My sister is a vet assistant (has had as many as 30 cats at a time of her own), and I've had cats all my 50 years.  There is evidence that there are more incidences of urinary tract problems such as bladder infections, stones, crystals, CRF, etc. in cats that are neutered too young.  We not only have a veterinarian's experience and knowledge behind it (and yes, even though he is 80 now, he keeps very current on his training and new medical practices). but we have experienced that first hand with our own animals.  But I wouldn't wait beyond that, because it can be very soon after 6 months that the testosterone production kicks in.

Thanks for wanting to be a responsible pet owner and neutering your pet.      

Answer 11

Neutering actually calms your cat down. I neutered my male and female cat when they were kittens and they were sooo hyper after they had calmed down and i love them.  

Answer 12

Absolutely not..He'll live a much longer live.. :-)

Here's the thing...You need to clip his nails if he's in the house most of the time...Just clip the tips...Your furniture will thank you.. :-)

Answer 13

No his personality shouldn't change because of neutering in the first year, but please wait until he is 6 months old to have him neutered.  There is evidence that neutering a male cat before the age of 6 months increases the risk if life-long kidney problems.

Also, you will see some activity changes as he ages, but that is very norma;.  I'm glad your kitty is affectionate with you.  My guess is that you and your family love him pretty well, too!