My cat humps toys. Will neutering help stop this unwanted behavior?

Hello, & yes, this may be normal behavior for a young neutered cat. In most cases it is an appeasing behavior, or attention seeking. If when Duncan does this & it helps him settle, & he is doing no damage to himself, toys or the environment, then let him be. He may need more enrichment & toys to occupy him, using food toys are a good idea. Most cats quit within a few minutes. Do not punish him or take toys away as this may make the behavior worse. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

You are correct that it is likely dominance behavior, but it could also be sexual in nature which is why his penis is becoming unsheathed. Neutering him will help with this behavior, so I would recommend having him neutered as soon as possible.

Hello. Not embarrassing, especially to a veterinarian. Yes, stress could be a trigger. You might want to try a calming pheromone in your room called Feliway, & if Kiski is not to be used for breeding, do consider having him neutered. This will not change his loving, happy disposition, but may help if this is partially caused by his sexual needs. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It certainly might. Urine marking is a normal and expected behavior for intact males, so neutering is one of the first things we recommend if your cat is doing this. The earlier it's done, the better - this is because the longer this behavior continues, the more it will become a habit that may not resolve after the neuter. It's important to realize that urine marking can also be related to stress or anxiety, so if this is the case, these issues would also need to be addressed in order to resolve the behavior.

It's likely that getting him neutered would help - "spraying" or urinating on objects in the house and wanting to roam outside are both very normal behaviors for intact males, so this is definitely the first thing I would suggest. These two things are the main reasons that almost all indoor male cats in the US are neutered :) Since he's almost two years old, there is a chance that neutering may not resolve these issues completely - behaviors like this can become a learned habit if they go on for long enough, so I would recommend having the neuter done as soon as possible.

Male cats that are neutered after they reach sexual maturity are more likely to continue to exhibit behaviors that were caused by testosterone even after they are neutered. These behaviors can include urine marking and humping types of behaviors. That is one of the reasons that we recommend neutering before sexual maturity. If the shelter neutered him before you adopted him, then I would not doubt that he is neutered, but you certainly can have your veterinarian examine him just to be on the safe side. Cats that have testosterone in their system will have physical characteristics that your veterinarian will be able to determine on exam. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Great question! It depends on why Sammy is urinating outside of the box. If it is for behavioral reasons, like marking, yes neutering him could help. If it is for behavioral reasons like stress, no. If he has a urinary tract infection, then neutering won't help. I recommend having a vet examine him first and rule out an infection. If that is normal, I would recommend neutering him for marking reasons. Lastly, I would recommend cleaning the urine with an odor neutralizer because even if you can't smell it, Sammy still can. Good luck and kisses to Sammy!