Aggressive Behavior - Unneutered cat

Question
Hello!

I am the happy owner of a 8 month old kitten. Since we got him, he has been the sweetest thing until recently. Since last week, my cat always meows and yowls when I pick him up, and he bites me frequently. He always wants to go outside and whines by the window (we almost lost him when he ran outside the front door), and slams himself on the window.

He is not neutered because I didnt realise hed be this bad, but I booked an appointment to get him neutered on April 26 because this behavior is unnacceptable ( he hissed at my brother and almost scratched his eye out!!!)
Is this behavior due to the fact that he is going through puberty??? He is 8 months old.
Will this behavior stop with him getting neutered??? I love my cat so much and I dont want this behavior to continue!!!

Thank you so much
John

Answer
John,

Sexually mature toms (and the male cats are sexually mature from about 6 months of age onward) can be quite territorial and aggressive. Since the testosterone has had a chance to take hold in your little man's system once he's neutered it will take a couple of weeks to see him settle down completely and 4-6 weeks for the male sex hormones to completely leave his system. It's important to have humane consequences for bad behaviour so it's not a bad idea to invest in a can of compressed air (like those used for cleaning keyboards) - when your tom is acting up you can send a jet of air up towards the ceiling in the same room as he's in and he should immediately get the message, if he doesn't see you doing this that's even better since he won't associate the unpleasant hissing sound with you. Neutering your tom will also help to prevent certain types of cancers and infections. Bear in mind it's kitten making season right now so the cat's aggression is only going to get worse as time goes on if you don't get him neutered. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me again any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali