The risks of waiting to neuter a cat

Question

I have a 5 week old male kitten. I want to wait and neuter it at the age of 1 year so he can grow to his fullest.

He is a strict indoor cat and I have no other cats in the house, just an 80lb dog.

What are the possibilities of him spraying in my house even though I dont have any other cats, and he does not go outside?

Answer 1

He might not go outside, but if there are other cats walking around the garden then there's a good chance that he will start to spray on windows and curtains where he sees them walk past. This is especially the case from spring onwards, when the breeding season starts to speed up.  

Answer 2

I would neuter them asap.  It does increase their size dramatically, and it increases their health, since they no longer have the need to prowl.  Now if you wait and then neuter, they will still have the instincts to prowl and spray; keep in mind that these are wild animals that have been domesticated - they still have the genes in them from hundreds of years ago.  

I've always "fixed" all my animals except for when I was breeding Siamese (a long, long time ago).  I noticed the ones that were neutered and spayed lived longer, healthier lives and were more calm and better companions.

In the Siamese that were not and kept for breeding, they were very independent and because of the breed were very aggressive.  

It's a great thing to do asap, and it's part of being a great pet owner.  

Answer 3

Neutering normally does not stunt the growth of a cat, in fact, every one of mine have grown in size after they were neutered. If your cat has reached puberty, which is normally 6 months (your vet will know for sure) he will be more inclined to develop all the muscular traits. However, he doesn't need to wait another 6 months after puberty to be neutered.

Male cats that are not neutered tend to become more aggressive, even if indoor and no other cats in the house. Your cat will be able to smell if another cat has entered his yard, rubbed anywhere near a window or the outside of your door.  If you or your dog when on walks, brush against someone or something, such as a bush or tree, that has been rubbed or sprayed by another cat, your cat will pick up that scent in your house. If you bring another cats scent into your house in this way, you cat could feel his territory is being threatened and cause him to spray his territory.

A visitor in your house that has cats of their own will bring that scent into your house as well.

Also, if your cats starts to spray before you get him neutered, he will have already developed the natural habit to spray and you will usually not be able to reverse that behavior.

It is best to work with your vet to decide what age your cat is best suited for neutering, for your cats health and everyones well being.

Wishing you many years of happy animals.

Answer 4

There is a very good chance that he will start spraying if you wait till he is a year.  Once he hits his sexual maturity it's just natural instinct to mark his territory, and unfortunately your house is his territory.  I would say don't do it now...he is a bit young.  About 3 months is the perfect age.

Answer 5

You will want to neuter the male cat after its testicles descend but before its urine odor changes. This is typically around 6 months of age.

Its never too late to get your cat neutered.  But if you wait too long, he will be at higher risk for certain diseases, such as cancer.

Male cats will take some time to flush all testosterone and s***n out of their systems. There have been recorded cases of "neutered" cats impregnating female cats shortly after their operation. Three to four weeks is sufficient time for neutered toms to become sterile.

The cost can vary widely, depending on where you get it done. There are many pet-adoption places that will offer low-cost or even free neutering services.

Answer 6

kittens! meow meow

Answer 7

The greatest risk you run is that he will become sexually mature at about 6-7 months old and start marking his territory--reads as "pees in corners."

Get him done sooner rather than later and you will stay a happy cat lover. If he doesn't start spraying the odds are he won't do it.

Answer 8

SO HE MIGHT PEE ALITTLE BIG WOOP THEY DONT PEE THAT MUCH AND BESIDES U SHOUL TRY TO WAIT UNTIL ATLEAST A YEAR AND A HALF TO DO IT

Answer 9

Neutering does not stunt growth. In fact, studies have shown that growth plates (growing parts of bones) actually close LATER when testosterone is absent - so neutered cats can actually grow a teeny bit taller! The old myth about neutering stunting growth is wronger than ever. If you're talking about the development of the wide 'tom cat face' - that won't develop by one year of age anyway, and even if you do wait for it to develop it will gradually disappear after he's neutered.

There are no benefits to your cat by waiting until he's a year old to be neutered. But there are certainly risks - not just to him but to the rest of the cat population. Once he gets to about 7 months old, his primary concern will be to get out to find a mate - it's in his nature to roam, and he will get out at the first opportunity. He will then make you part of The Problem i.e. the overpopulation of cats problem. You're also of course risking never seeing him again. A large portion of the calls we about lost cats are UNNEUTERED MALES - and you just know these people are never going to see their cat again. "He just got out one dayI don't even know how" etc etc.

As for spraying - it's hardly the important issue here, but it's fairly likely he will do it. Even if he doesn't - his regular pee in his litter tray will STINK - there's nothing like tom cat pee, it smells like B.O.

Please get him neutered before 7 months of age.

Chalice

Answer 10

Spraying, trying to escape to mate/expand territory, humping random stuff...

And once he has a routine going fixing may not change it.  The humping, spraying and all that can continue once they've started even after they're fixed.

The only growth difference would be the skin on his balls, which will shrink up some once the insides are removed and his cheeks will probably look plumper if you wait past maturity.  Neither are beneficial for him nor will they make a major difference in his appearance.

Neutering has never kept one of my cats to reaching a good size and my father's 18 pound cat was neutered young (he's not fat at all, he's just that big and is a DSM, not a large breed).  

Answer 11

His growth will be the same regardless of the age he's neutered - neutering does not stunt growth, that's myth.  The only thing an earlier neuter will do is prevent the physical attributes associated with sexual maturity - they big "sack", the big jowls, and that big Tom Cat head.  The only problem is that these things often don't develop until a cats about 18 months old or so, and by that time he's spraying in your house.  

He's going to want to mark his territory even if he's indoors.  It has nothing to do with being indoors or outdoors, and everything to do with the call of nature.  He's going to be desperate to get outdoors, especially if there are other cats that he can see out there.  The possibility of him spraying is very real - which is why it's recommended to get him neutered prior to reaching sexual maturity, which generally happens around 6 months or so.

Answer 12

The risks are very high. Once he reaches sexually maturity he is going to try to get out of the house. It's also pretty likely that he'll start spraying and displaying other territorial behaviors.

If you really want to wait, have it done around 5-6 months. That is a good compromise between full growth and allowing too many of the sexual maturity characteristics to come through.