to neuter or not

[niki71uk]

Do indoor cats need neutered?


Nova is nearly 6 months old and he is an indoor cat
Cass is an indoor cat and she was spayed at 6months

Nova is 3.5 kg already,I know cats get bigger after the op but as he is huge already didn't want him gaining to excess




any thoughts on this???

[pamela81]

1 of the main reasons we got Harris neutered was to stop him spraying in the house as he is an indoor cat as well. He should have been neutered before we got him but cats protection didnt get him done as he was too poorly before we got him

[angieh]

I would suggest yes, neuter for reasons as Pamela has said but also even with the best will in the world there is always a possibility of Nova "escaping" and finding females. The drive to procreate is unstoppable unless you have him done. He will be a happier boy and the weight issue can be addressed with feeding and indoor exercise.

[niki71uk]

Getting out isnt a problem. Less he can open 2 doors.i live in a stair

[Elaine]

Definitely neuter this cat. Entire males have been known to break into and out of houses in order to mate. Even if he cannt get out, I'd imagine that unless you like to live in an environment that absolutely stinks of ammonia, he will be neutered soon enough :lol: , unless you are thinking about breeding:roll: .

[niki71uk]

And if i did it is MY cat after all.i was asking for opinions not lectures!!!!!


I have considered the fact that he may spray, hence me asking for advice


Im not new to the whole cat owning thing tut.ive had cats since I was 11yrs old

[Elaine]

So what's got your knickers in a twist? You asked the question, I gave you my take on it, you know I don't mince my words, so why are you making a personal attack out of it?

And a happy new year to you:lol: relax.....

[Kim]

I definitely think best to get him neutered for the reasons mentioned, and in case he ever did escape. I personally don't agree with allowing cats to breed, so would always neuter ;) :)

[niki71uk]

And as again if cats didnt breed then they woulda died out long ago.as with dogs

[Elaine]

Oh niki71uk, that's just a lot of tosh. Lets not kick off 2014 with a big row over the indiscriminate breeding issue.
;)

[Kim]

And if you have ever worked in a rescue centre, as I have, and seen first hand the scale of the problem with unwanted cats and dogs, you would understand. Let's be realistic, cats and dogs aren't going to die out any time soon! I have always neutered my cats, always will for lots of reasons. It is up to you what you do, but if you ask for opinions then there are going to be diverse answers, some you agree with some you don't, but we are all entitled to those opinions. :)

[Elaine]

Well said Kim, am with you all the way on this issue.
To be honest, Niki has been around this forum a long time and has read many of the arguments about breeding, so I cannt help but think that her post was designed to incite yet another rather than an innocent question from a very "experienced" cat owner.

[lynz85]

my male indoor cat has been neutered, and any more in the future would be aswell. as said for the issue with spraying and it also has health benefits.
my cat hasnt really put on much weight at all, he is still within a healthy limit and aslong as you monitor feeding and he has plenty of stimulation to excersize in the house it shouldnt be an issue.
oh and i have no plans to let mines out either tho it hasn't stopped him bolting out the front door as soon as it was opened or jumping out the upstairs window... :shock:

[Feliss]

We've had a tom and neuters previously. I've always found the neuters have more time for us, toms can be pretty driven by their hormones, though ofc can still be loving cats too :)
Never seen much of a difference weight-wise, just treated them the same as any animal -fed them what they needed and kept them active. Can take a bit more work if their indoor but it's also tons of fun, no?
While I've got my own personal experience to base my decisions on, I've also done a lot of web research on the pros and cons of neutering, and now it just the only decision for me and my cats.
Good luck with whatever you decide!

[farthing]

Imagine if you were driven by hormones but were never given the chance to mate- I would imagine its pretty frustrating. Why put an animal through it, along with the spraying which makes your house stink.
All our cats are neutered and because they are fed sensibly they are not fat.

[niki71uk]

Id already decided tonget nova neutered,before i asked the question,:roll:



was just wanting general opinions


he is getting dun on thr 17th

[Elaine]

Which is what was given.;)

All the best for his big day, I'm sure it will all go well.

[fecto's mum]

Came to this thread a bit late. I have always had all my cats neutered, both male and female. The only one I didn't was my beautiful Mopsy who disappeared while in season while I was away for 3 months and my Mum looked after her. My Mum lives 3 miles from the nearest main road and 1/2 a mile from the nearest neighbour. I think Mopsy had gone looking for a tom and got taken by the fox.

As for 3kg being big, my biggest cat Fecto weighed 11kg at his heaviest. He isn't fat, just big. His front paws are each as big as 3 of my fingers side by side. He has lost weight over the last few months as he is nearly 12 and not processing his food as well as he used to. My smallest cat probably weighs around 3kg.

I would never have a cat without it being neutered, especially a tom. If they are neutered late they will still spray and it's very hard to stop it.

The reason I never got round to having Mopsy spayed was the young she cat that she went to the vets with died on the operating table. Peewee had had cat flu as a kitten that we didn't know about and it had destroyed her ling tissue. This meant she couldn't take the anaesthetic. The vet was so distraught he couldn't faced operating on any more cats so Mopsy never got done.