My neutered cat still humps and pees outside the litter box. Why?

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 and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sounds like Prince is still experiencing some signs associated with the male hormone testosterone. The testosterone levels drop after the neuter and should be decreasing now. Hopefully this behavior will ease up as the remaining testosterone gets out of his system. If things don't resolve or his signs worsen, I would advise that your veterinarian take a look at both of them to assess any problems. I hope this gets better soon.

If Max was doing this behavior behavior before getting neutered, he still may do it afterwards. Neutering can reduce the behavior, even eliminate it, but not in every case. It could also be he has a medical illness such as feline idiopathic cystitis or bladder stones. Have him seen by a vet for this.

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.

Once all the male hormones have left the younger one's body, this should stop. It sometimes takes a few weeks (3+) for all the male hormones to go. Now that the younger one has no more testicles, there will not be any significant testosterone production anymore. Your older fellow is a sweetie and obviously not too worried and might see it just as play. As long as they do not have serious fights, I would not worry about it.

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!

If he is a tomcat, one of the best ways to control inappropriate urination is by having him neutered. Tomcats love to urinate all over everything as much as possible as a means of marking their territory. This sort of behavior usually ceases once the hormones are eliminated. Other things you can try is switching up the litter box or the type of litter, adding additional boxes, changing the amount of litter used, or any other variable thereof. Hope this helps.