My intact male cat is calm, not spraying or mating. Should I neuter?

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.

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Male cats do not go in to heat. They can breed at any time. If you put him with female cats and they did not mate then that means the females were not in heat. The female needs to be in heat in order to allow the male to breed. If you do not want to breed Oreo then it is best to neuter him. I hope this answers your question. I wish you the best!

Unfortunately it is extremely difficult if not impossible to train a male cat to ignore the natural instincts, such as urine marking, which make them difficult to keep indoor. Male cat urine has an extremely strong odor, and is quite unpleasant, and it's their natural tendency to "mark" areas that they consider to be theirs, which in your case will likely be all around the inside of your house. He will also be very interested in leaving your house to roam in search of females, and to fight other males that he considers to be a threat. Clearly, these are dangerous behaviors. While you may be concerned about the safety of neutering, since it requires general anesthesia, I can tell you that it is a well-understood procedure that is nearly painless, and takes no more than 5 minutes if performed by a trained veterinarian. Once DoReMi is neutered, he will no longer have the "urges" that drive the behaviors listed above, and will be quite content. I strongly advise you to have him neutered, and soon, as he's getting very close to starting to become sexually mature.

Intact male cats often spray in the home due to elevated testosterone. Instead of isolating him, which will only make him more anxious and likely to spray more, I would suggest getting him on anti-anxiety medication through your vet. Fluoxetine can work well for cats that spray in the home and can be used up 1-2 months after his neuter, which is the typical time it takes for all the testosterone to diminish in the body. You can also consider moving him neuter surgery to an earlier date. I hope this helps and best of luck getting Mochi to stop spraying in the home. Take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Grey. Only female cats will come into heat so this would not be the case if you are sure he is a male. He could be reacting to unspayed female cats in the neighborhood though who are in heat. This can result in the symptoms you have described. Neutering him will help if this is the case. It will take some time for the testosterone to leave his system after the surgery so the behavior will persist for a period of time though. I hope this information helps!