Cat Masturbation

Question
My neutered male cat who is 10 has apparently started masterbating.  He kneads my stomach and then does a weird dance with his back legs.  When he is done he will bite my dog on the neck if she is laying next to me.  Now he has a scab on his tummy where his penis is.  Why is he doing this and is he hurting himself?  I have never seen this behavior in any of my cats who would be combined 50 years old.  He would do this "dance" every half hour if I would let him.  What should I do?  Thanks.

Answer
Adrienne,

Since your cat is neutered I'd recommend taking him to the vet to confirm that there aren't any hidden medical issues going on, especially with his urinary tract. Your vet may recommend a urine test with cultures and a pre-anesthetic blood profile, the urine test with cultures essentially is to check for any kind of bacterial growth in the urine and the pre-anesthetic profile will give your vet a good overall picture of how your cat's doing in terms of major organ function. I'm a little concerned about the possibility for the wound near your cat's genitals to become infected so it's something that the vet should have a good look at and treat if necessary. If these tests come back with no reason for this disturbing little dance then you can treat the issue as a behavioral one. I'd recommend that you become consistent about tossing this kitty unceremoniously to the floor every time he starts this dance and avoid allowing him to ever complete it. Cats are quite smart, it won't take long for him to get the point and become less dominant with you and your dog. In the event that simply preventing the cat from gratifying himself on your lap doesn't work then you may want to speak with your vet about having a referral to an animal behaviorist specializing in cat behavior to set up a formal behavioral modification program.