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Will neutering stop my unneutered cat from spraying and going outside?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 8 months old

Hello i have an almost 2 year old white pawed Siamese Tabby Mix. And i need some questions answered. So we recently moved back in May of 2016 and my cat suddenly wanted to go outside and then would fight us to get him back inside. he's been a inside cat all his life so him trying to go outside was a little of a shock. He is not neutered and likes to urinate on my beanbag and clothing. So my question is if I were to get him fixed would it stop the urinating and trying to go outside?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on January 23rd, 2017

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.
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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 20th, 2019

    Hi and thanks for your request.
    Neutering will certainly stop this behaviour. Usually this routine procedure in male cats is quite fast and recovery is very quick. In the first few days buster collar and rest will be needed.
    Usually neutered cats have a tendency to put on weight so I would certainly recommend not to increase calories and try to keep him exercised (not needed if he goes outside).

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on April 5th, 2017

    Unfortunately, this is virtually impossible to do - spraying is a completely normal behavior for intact male cats, and is not very amenable to behavior modification. This is one of the main reasons that virtually all indoor male cats are neutered :) I'm afraid that you'll either have to live with the spraying, or have the neuter done.

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on July 25th, 2019

    Neutering can help prevent your cat from trying to escape once he is sexually active, especially if there are females in heat nearby. Neutering can also stop and/or reduce spraying and marking behavior in the house which can help keep your furniture and walls clean. Neutering can also reduce and prevent some times of cancer, such as testicular cancer. Neutering around 6 months of age is usually the most common time to do so barring any underlying health conditions.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Training & Behavior
Can neutering an older cat stop roaming, fighting, and marking?
Neutering will keep him from roaming as much although if he continues to go outside he may still fight with other cats. The urine marking in the house may stop but there is no guarantee as he is already older. If they are neutered young (like less than 6 months of age) then that behaviour is virtually non-existent. So, to answer your question......maybe some of the bad behaviours will stop but there is no guarantee. Regardless, it is better to have him neutered and I highly recommend it.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
Will neutering my male cat stop spraying, meowing, and door dashing?
It will help with the calling constantly and wanting to run outside, but it may not completely cure the spraying. With some cats it does, so fingers crossed it will in this case. Definitely have RJ neutered, it sounds like you are dealing with some extremely annoying behaviors!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
Can neutering stop my cat from peeing on furniture and floors?
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.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
Should I neuter my older indoor male cat if he has no issues?
How lovely of you to bring him Cactus! Even though he's not showing behavioral signs now, it doesn't mean that he won't start spraying to mark his territory and want to go outside to roam. Also intact male cats tend to be poor groomers, causing them to become matted and scruffy-looking. On the other hand, neutered male cats tend to pay more attention to themselves and keep themselves clean. I think having him neutered would be a good idea. Best of luck.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
My 7-month-old male cats are spraying. Should I get them neutered?
This is a normal territory marking behavior and may be triggered by new cats in the area, changes in the routine or layout of furniture and puberty. It does reduce in many cats as they become used to a routine, territory and neighborhood cats (even in indoor cats they are influenced by scents from outside). Neutering would likely help to reduce the behavior
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
My male cat sprays. Will neutering stop spraying if it's learned?
Although it is possible that having Meeser neutered will not completely eradicate this behavior I still think it is worth going forward with the surgery. It is a very brief surgical procedure in cats and they usually recover very quickly. It may take awhile before the testosterone is completely gone, but there may be an improvement in the spraying behavior. I would actually recommend having both cats neutered if you are not planning to breed them as the other cat could start with this behavior at any time.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
My unneutered male cat is marking. Will neutering stop this behavior?
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!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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