Neutered male in heat

Question
QUESTION: Hello Ali,
We neutered our cat 4 months ago and all went well. Now as we approach the fall season our cat meows as if in heat, and we've observed him trying to mount other cats.

Was he neutered or not? Or is this lingering residual behaviour?

Thanks for your reply, Ted :)

ANSWER: Ted,

This is likely residual behaviour. Some toms will act as though they're intact from time to time even after neutering. It shouldn't be too difficult to tell whether or not he's been neutered simply by having a gentle feel of his scrotum - if you feel testicles then you've been charged for a neuter that wasn't performed... Which would be highly unethical on the part of your veterinarian, not to mention illegal. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali

PS: You could try interrupting this behaviour simply by squirting your tom with water, shaking a can with pennies in it or sending a blast of compressed air towards the ceiling from a can like those used to clean computer keyboards and see if it persists - this may simply be a territorial/dominance issue that will fade over time... If you are concerned about him fighting with other cats you can always keep him indoors to see if he settles down.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Ali,
For a full and complete answer to this dilema of ours. Me, not by any means a cat expert yet very much a cat lover have given you the wrong terms.
My wife tells me our tom had the equivient to a visectomy not a total removel. That said, would add to my confussion.

Ted.

Answer
Hi Ted,

With a tom that's had a vasectomy he still has his testicles which produce the hormones that tell him to mate - he simply can't produce any offspring so the behaviour you're seeins is completely normal. If you would like him to stop mounting and meowing you'll have to have him neutered (complete castration). If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me again at any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali